Notes on Society
Chapter 10
Social Stratification: a system by which a society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy, it is a trait of society, found in all society's, carries over from generation to generation and creates systems and class
Social Mobility: a change in position within the social hierarchy
Caste System: Closed system based on ascription, or birth, little or no mobility, shapes a persons entire life, occupation and marriage. Found in traditional Agrarian societies.
Class System: social stratification based on both birth, ascription and individual achievement, meritocracy.
Meritocracy: Social stratification based on personal merit
Status Consistency: the degree of uniformity in a person's social standing across various dimensions of social inequality. Example: A college professor with advanced degrees enjoys high prestige but only earns a modest wage.
Structural Social Mobility: a shift in the social position of large numbers of people due more to changes in society itself than to individual efforts
Ideology: cultural beliefs that justify particular social arrangements, including patterns of inequality
Davis Moore thesis: A system of unequal rewards is necessary to place talented people in the right jobs and to motivate them to work hard. the functional analysis claiming that social stratification has beneficial consequences for the operation of society
Blue Collar occupations: lower prestige jobs that involve mostly manual labor
White Collar occupations: Higher-prestige jobs that involve mostly mental activity
Socioeconomic Status, SES: a composite ranking based on various dimensions of social inequality
Conspicuous Consumption: Buying and using products because of the "statement" they make about social position
Chapter 11
Income: earnings from work or investments
Wealth: The total value of money and other assets, minus outstanding debts
Intragenerational Social Mobility: a change in social position occurring during a person's lifetime.
Intergenerational Social Mobility: upward or downward social mobility of children in relation to their parents
Feminization of Poverty: the trend of women making up an increasing proportion of the poor
Chapter 12
Global Stratification: Patterns of social inequality in the world as a whole
High Income Country: nations with the highest overall standards of living
Middle Income Country: nations with the standard of living that is about the average for the world
Low Income Country: nations with low standard of living in which most people are poor
Modernization Theory: is a model of economic and social development that explains global inequality in terms of technological and cultural differences among nations
Dependency Theory: explains global inequality in terms of the historical exploitation of poor societies by rich ones
Social Stratification: a system by which a society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy, it is a trait of society, found in all society's, carries over from generation to generation and creates systems and class
Social Mobility: a change in position within the social hierarchy
Caste System: Closed system based on ascription, or birth, little or no mobility, shapes a persons entire life, occupation and marriage. Found in traditional Agrarian societies.
Class System: social stratification based on both birth, ascription and individual achievement, meritocracy.
Meritocracy: Social stratification based on personal merit
Status Consistency: the degree of uniformity in a person's social standing across various dimensions of social inequality. Example: A college professor with advanced degrees enjoys high prestige but only earns a modest wage.
Structural Social Mobility: a shift in the social position of large numbers of people due more to changes in society itself than to individual efforts
Ideology: cultural beliefs that justify particular social arrangements, including patterns of inequality
Davis Moore thesis: A system of unequal rewards is necessary to place talented people in the right jobs and to motivate them to work hard. the functional analysis claiming that social stratification has beneficial consequences for the operation of society
Blue Collar occupations: lower prestige jobs that involve mostly manual labor
White Collar occupations: Higher-prestige jobs that involve mostly mental activity
Socioeconomic Status, SES: a composite ranking based on various dimensions of social inequality
Conspicuous Consumption: Buying and using products because of the "statement" they make about social position
Chapter 11
Income: earnings from work or investments
Wealth: The total value of money and other assets, minus outstanding debts
Intragenerational Social Mobility: a change in social position occurring during a person's lifetime.
Intergenerational Social Mobility: upward or downward social mobility of children in relation to their parents
Feminization of Poverty: the trend of women making up an increasing proportion of the poor
Chapter 12
Global Stratification: Patterns of social inequality in the world as a whole
High Income Country: nations with the highest overall standards of living
Middle Income Country: nations with the standard of living that is about the average for the world
Low Income Country: nations with low standard of living in which most people are poor
Modernization Theory: is a model of economic and social development that explains global inequality in terms of technological and cultural differences among nations
Dependency Theory: explains global inequality in terms of the historical exploitation of poor societies by rich ones