Sociology- Chapter 7 Flashcards

• Social Stratification


  the division of society into groups arranged in a social hierarchy
• Social Inequality


  the unequal distribution of wealth, power, or prestige among members of a society
• Slavery


  the most extreme form of social stratification, based on the legal ownership of people
• Caste System


  a form of social stratification in which status is determined by one's family history and background and cannot be changed
• Apartheid


  the system of segregation of racial and ethnic groups that was legal in South Africa between 1948 and 1991
• Social Class


  a system of stratification based on access to such resources as wealth, property, power, and prestige
• Socioeconomic Status (SES)


  a measure of an individual's place within a social class system; often used interchangeably with "class"
• Intersectionality

  a concept that identifies how different categories of inequality (race, class, gender, etc.) intersect to shape the lives of individuals and groups
• Upper Class


  an elite and largely self- sustaining group who posses most of the country's wealth; they constitute about 1 percent of the U.S. population
• Upper-Middle Class


  mostly highly-educated professionals and managers who have considerable financial stability; they constitute about 14 percent of the U.S. population
• Middle Class


  composed primarily of "white collar" workers with a broad range of education and incomes; they constitute about 30 percent of the U.S. population
• White Collar


  a description characterizing lower-level professional and management workers and some highly skilled laborers in technical jobs
• Working Class or Lower-Middle Class


  mostly "blue collar" or service industry workers who are less likely to have a college degree; they constitute about 30 percent of the U.S. population
• Blue Collar


  a description characterizing skilled and semi-skilled workers who perform manual labor or work in service or clerical jobs
• Working poor


  poorly educated manual and service workers who may work full-time but remain near or below the poverty line; they constitute about 20 percent of the U.S. population
• Underclass


  the poorest group includes the homeless and chronically unemployed who may depend on public or private assistance; they constitute about 5 percent of the U.S. population
• Status Inconsistency


  a situation in which an individual has differing levels of status in terms of the individual's wealth, power, prestige, or other elements of socioeconomic status
• Feudal System


  a system of social stratification based on a hereditary nobility who were responsible for and served by a lower stratum of forced laborers called serfs
• Wealth


  a measure of net worth that includes income, property, and other assets
• Prestige


  The social honor people are given because of their membership in well-regarded social groups
• Social Reproduction


  the tendency of social classes to remain relatively stable as class status is passed down from one generation to the next
• Cultural Capital


  the tastes, habits, expectations, skills, knowledge, and other cultural assets that help us gain advantages in society
• Everyday Class Consciousness


  awareness of one's own social status and that of others
• Social Mobility


  the movement of individuals or groups within the hierarchical system of social classes
• Closed System


  a social system with very little opportunity to move from one class to another
• Open System


  a social system with ample opportunities to move from one class to another
• Intergenerational Mobility


  movement between social classes that occurs from one generation to the next
• Intragenerational Mobility


  the movement between social classes that occurs during the course of an individual's lifetime
• Horizontal Social Mobility


  the movement between different class statuses, often called either upward mobility or downward mobility
• Structural Mobility


  changes in the social status of large numbers of people as a result of structural changes in society
• Relative Deprivation


  a relative measure of poverty based on the standard of living in a particular society
• Absolute Deprivation


  an objective measure of poverty, defined by the inability to meet minimal standards for food, shelter, clothing, or health care
• Homogamy


  choosing romantic partners who are similar to us in terms of class, race, education, religion, and other social group membership
• Heterogamy


  choosing romantic partners who are dissimilar to us in terms of class, race, education, religion, and other social group membership
• Hypergamy


  marrying "up" in the social class hierarchy
• Hypogamy


  marrying "down" in the social class hierarchy
• Digital Divide


  the unequal access to computer and internet technology, both globally and within the United States
• Culture of Poverty

  entrenched attitudes that can develop among poor communities and lead the poor to accept their fate rather than attempt to improve their lot
• Just-World Hypothesis


  argues that people have a deep need to see the world as orderly, predictable, and fair, which creates a tendency to view victims of social injustice as deserving of their fates
• Residential Segregation


  the geographical separation of the poor from the rest of an area's population