Social Stratification

• stratification is how people are divided in society according to wealth, power and status
• stratification means that individuals are structured in a hierarchy of strata that have unequal ranking. The top layer is the smallest and most powerful
• the elite are the people at the top of the hierarchy
• ascribed status os a social standing given to an individual at birth
• achieved status is social standing gained as a result of work
• in an open system you can achieve status through choices
• in a closed system there is little or no chance to move or change your status
• communism is the communal ownership of private property and shared equally
• capitalism is an economic system based on private ownership, extreme wealth is generated for a minority
• the Lumpenproletariat are the social class beneath the working class, they are the 'drop outs' and criminals of society
• false class consciousness is when the proletariat is unaware of their status and don't realise that they are being exploited
• the petty bourgeoisie are a social class that own small businesses but are not powerful or wealthy enough to be part of the bourgeoisie
• life chance's are the opportunities that someone has to be able to access socially desirable resources or outcomes throughout their life
• social mobility is the movement between social classes
• intra-generational social mobility is over your lifetime
• inter-generational social mobility is differences between parents and children
• embourgeoisiement - the process of becoming part of the middle class
• affluent worker - someone who is in a manual job is well paid for their work and has income that is similar to a white collar worker
• absolute poverty is when you don't have enough money to survive
• relative poverty is when you don't have enough money to meet the general standard of living of most other people in your society
• a poverty line is a measure of minimum income required to meet the essential cost of living
• primary poverty is absolute poverty, they spent all their money on basic essentials but still need to go without
• secondary poverty is when they had enough money for essential items but fell into poverty because they bought non-essential items such as alcohol
• Dependency theory - employment pays less than the benefits that they would lose if they join the work force - poverty trap
• Culture of poverty - poverty can be a way of life that is passed down from one generation to the next
• Economic system - people in poverty are excluded from the labour market and/or are in a weak position so they are trapped in low-paid employment
• the underclass are a group of people who are at the very bottom of the social class scale who rely on benefits
• Perverse incentives are rewards for bad behaviour
• the welfare state is a government system for supporting the health and general wellbeing of the population. It is a safety net to keep people above the poverty line
• authority - a form of power in which people willingly obey commands
• coercion - the use of force or threats to make someone do something, for example through torture
• Rational authority - rules and procedures that are generally believed to be fair and impartial, for example military officers give orders that are obeyed without question
• Traditional authority - a form of power based on established customs and inherited status, for example the monarch
• Charismatic authority - a type of authority based on the unusual personal gifts of a particular leader, for example Hitler
• power - dominance or control of one individual over others.
• Constitution - a nation state's essential laws governing the rights of citizens
• Democracy - a political system that allows individual citizens to elect their representatives to parliament
• Nation State - an independent geographically located state, whose citizens recognise a common nationalistic identity
• Partisan alignment - voting out of party loyalty
• Partisan dealignment - voting out of self-interest