Chapter 7 Class and Stratification in the U.S. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Chapter 7 Class and Stratification in the U.S.

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Title: Chapter 7 Class and Stratification in the U.S.


1
Chapter 7Class and Stratification in the U.S.
  • What Is Social Stratification?
  • Global Systems of Stratification
  • Classical Perspectives on Social Class
  • Sociological Models of the U.S. Class Structure

2
Chapter 7Class and Stratification in the U.S.
  • Inequality in the United States
  • Poverty in the United States
  • Sociological Explanations of Social Inequality in
    the United States
  • Social Stratification in the Future

3
Stratification
  • Patterns or structural inequity in societies.
  • Associated with financial status, race/ethnicity,
    gender and age.

4
Systems of Stratification
  • Slavery
  • Caste Systems
  • Class Systems

5
Characteristics of Slavery
  • Slavery is inherited and lasts for life.
  • Slaves were considered property not human
    beings.
  • Slaves were denied rights.
  • Coercion was used to keep slaves in their place.

6
Caste System
  • Sustained by cultural beliefs and values.
  • Grow weaker as societies industrialize.
  • Vestiges of caste systems often remain for
    hundreds of years beyond the time when they were
    abolished.

7
Perspectives of Social Class
  • Marx - Class position is determined by peoples
    relationship to the means of production.
  • Weber - Developed an approach that focused on the
    interplay among wealth, prestige and power in
    determining class.

8
The Weberian Model of the U.S. Class Structure
  • The Upper Class - comprised of people who own
    substantial income-producing assets.
  • The Upper-Middle Class - based on university
    degrees, authority on the job, and high income.
  • The Middle Class - a minimum of a high school
    diploma or a community college degree.

9
The Weberian Model of the U.S. Class Structure
  • The Working Class - semiskilled workers, in
    routine, mechanized jobs, and workers in pink
    collar occupations.
  • The Working Poor - live just above to just below
    the poverty line.
  • The Underclass - includes people who are poor,
    seldom employed, and caught in long-term
    deprivation.

10
Marxian Criteria for Class Structure
  1. Ownership of the means of production.
  2. Purchase of the labor of others (employing
    others).
  3. Control of the labor of others (supervising
    others on the job).
  4. Sale of one's own labor (being employed by
    someone else).

11
Marxian Model of the Class Structure
  • Capitalist Class - composed of those who have
    inherited fortunes, own major corporations, or
    are corporate executives who own stock or control
    company investments.
  • Managerial Class - upper-level managers,
    supervisors and lower-level managers who may be
    given some control over employment practices.

12
Marxian Model of the Class Structure
  • Small-Business Class - small business owners,
    craftspeople, and professionals who hire a small
    number of employees but largely do their own
    work.
  • Working Class - blue-collar workers and
    white-collar workers do not own the means of
    production.

13
Functionalist Explanation for Social Inequality
  • The Davis-Moore thesis
  • Societies have tasks that must be accomplished
    and positions that must be filled.
  • Some positions are more important than others.

14
Functionalist Explanation for Social Inequality
  • The Davis-Moore thesis
  • The most important positions must be filled by
    the most qualified people.
  • Positions that are the most important and require
    the most training must be the most highly
    rewarded.

15
Functionalist Explanation for Social Inequality
  • The Davis-Moore thesis
  • The most highly rewarded positions should be
    those which are functionally unique and those
    positions upon which others rely for expertise,
    direction, or financing.

16
Conflict Explanations of Social Inequality
  • Inequality does not serve as a source of
    motivation for people.
  • Powerful individuals and groups use ideology to
    maintain their positions at the expense of
    others.
  • Laws and informal social norms support inequality
    in the United States.
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