Families & Social Class

• Sociologists interested in classes as categories rather than a ladder
• Consensus and conflict perspectives differ in their interpretations of class and equality. Difference is best understood by examining Division of labor: social process of determining who does what work and for what rewards
• Consensus theorists believe inequality serves a beneficial and necessary function in society. They argue pattern of unequal rewards creates incentives for people to seek extensive training required for difficult and important work. Social class is a continuum from lower -> higher rungs on an economic ladder. Different levels of reward are determined by the kinds of jobs people have.
• Conflict theorists see inequality as a result of economic exploitation. They believe that in a capitalist society, social classes are distinct categories defined by ownership and lack of ownership of capital. Classes are not natural phenomena; defined by relationship to each other- capitalist and workers exist only in relation to each other.
• Exploitation: process by which the labor of some produces wealth that is controlled by others.
• Max Weber's concept of life chances: practical opportunity to achieve desired material conditions and personal experiences. Not the abstract freedom to achieve but the practical ability to do so that defines a person's life chances.
• life chances help explain how social class works within families. job/income of a parent affects the life chances of their spouse and children (ex. social capital, networks). The income and other resources of those we are connected to influence the life chances of each of us and therefore our class position.
• Social capital: the access to resources one has by virtue of relationships and connections within a social network. Belonging to a group makes it possible for people to draw from the resources held by all of its members.
• Ideas and knowledge can be considered resources acquired through a social network. Learning how to act in different situations and being taught skills in certain kinds of work.
• Resources of a group is not automatically shared equally with everyone. Getting access depends on being a group member in good standing, which requires constant effort and upkeep.
• Most families have connections with those in the same class, only a few marry across the tracks. Groups occupy distinct social spaces and barriers between them are formidable.
• class identity: awareness of and sense of belonging to a specific social class (can be geographically fluid). classes become familiar social settings with distinctive ways of life and patters of interaction. Patterns are the result of similar economic circumstances and experiences, as well as the everyday interactions between members of the same social class.
• classic identity is a more durable measure of social class than fluctuating income- people are raised and socialized according to family's class perspectives. when barriers between classes are strong/weak, class identities are strong/weak
• capitalist and corporate managerial class- "1 percent or upper class". Extremely high standard of living, both economic and political influence far beyond numbers. 3.5% self identify, very select few are richer than the rest
• 44% of American adults self-identify as middle class. More modest standard of living. Meets basic needs like healthcare and education. Usually own homes.
• 44.5% of americans self-identify as working class. Have a lack of higher education or training of the middle class. standard of living is similar but with less stability. Jobs were once based in industries with strong labor unions and government protection, but now is less secure.
• 8% of Americans self-identify as lower class, true proportion thought to be larger. Unable to compete for jobs that might lift them out of poverty. Families have low incomes and high degree of insecurity. May experience periods of outright poverty, lack of adequate medical care and housing.
• Gini Index: measure of inequality where 0 represents complete equality and 1 represents complete inequality. Way to quantify how much inequality exists.
• Keeping the poor from improving their lot- legal minimum wage set by the federal government has been allowed to fall as inflation eroded its value, "less bang for your buck". Growing number of single parent families live on only a mother's income.
• Divergent fortunes for the middle class- decline of the manufacturing sector hurt the middle income workers without a college degree. In new service oriented economy, people with higher educations do much better. More people marry at their own education level, exacerbating the split between families with two high earners and two low earners.
• A new superrich- new pattern of very high incomes has emerged, spurred by government policies like Deregulation of the finance industry, Reduced taxes on certain kinds of income, Relaxed restrictions on corporate lobbying for such policies Riches 1% earn more than 20% of all income in the country.