Key Definitions - Social Stratification

• Slavery - Slaves are born as property of other members of a society - they often provide basic forms of labour
• What is the Caste system?

  The belief that a child is assigned to a particular caste at birth based on their parent's characteristics.
• What is the Caste system based on?

  Hindu Belief
• Does the Caste System allow for social mobility?

  No
• What is Estate?

  The feudal system in medieval times which was based on entitlement and ownership of land.
• What is class?

  A system based on wealth whereby an individual can become socially mobile based on their economic state.
• What is social stratification?

  The belief that society is hierarchal with the ruling class at the top and the least privileged at the bottom.
• What is a constitution?

  Essential laws that govern the rights of citizens within a nation.
• What is democracy?

  A political system that allows citizens to elect representatives to parliament.
• What is a dictatorship?

  A political system where power is concentrated in the hands of an individual.
• Define partisan alignment.

  Voting out of party loyalty.
• Define partisan dealignment.

  Voting out of self - interest.
• What is voter apathy?

  Voters who show no interest in the outcome of an election.
• What is globalisation?

  The idea that the world is slowly becoming interdependent and interconnected.
• What is meant by the term interdependent?

  Being dependant on other countries for certain products.
• What is outsourcing?

  To relocate manufacturing in countries with cheap labour - often done by big companies e.g Primark.
• What is the Beveridge report?

  A report on future welfare provisions to the welfare coalition government in 1942.
• What is the lumpenproletariat?

  The lowest level of the working class in nineteenth century society - this phrase was founded by Karl Marx.
• What is absolute poverty?

  Individuals that cannot meet basic human needs e.g shelter.
• What is relative poverty?

  Individuals whose standards of living falls below that which is employed by the majority of the population.
• What is primary poverty?

  Individuals that spend all of their income on essentials.
• What is secondary poverty?

  Individuals that have enough money to buy essentials but fall into poverty due to buying non - essential items.
• What is subjective poverty?

  An individual's perception of their levels of deprivation.
• What is the state standard of suggest?

  That households are living in poverty if they have an income of less than 60% of the national median.
• What are dependency theories?

  The idea that social security benefits discourage the poor from taking responsibility for their own welfare.
• What is meant by the culture of poverty?

  The environment of those in poverty doesn't help them improve their situation e.g local school underperforming.
• What is meant by the cycle of deprivation?

  Poverty is a way of life that's passed on from generation to generation.
• What did Jan Pahl (1989) suggest that men are more likely to do in regards to spending money?

  They're more likely to have money for personal spending than their female partners.
• What is relative deprivation?

  When you're in poverty compared to wider society but can afford basic necessities. However, you cannot afford basic luxuries that're taken for granted by some e.g internet access.
• What is social mobility?

  The movement of an individual or a group of people between different points in the socio-economic scale.
• What is meant by intergeneration social mobility?

  Socio-economic movement between a generation.
• What is meant by intragenerational social mobility?

  Social mobility within a generation.
• What is meant by the term vertical social mobility?

  Moving up or down the socio-economic scale.
• What is alienation?

  individuals who have a feeling of worthlessness and unhappiness as a result of feeling that they have become separated from wider society and find themselves to be a 'small cog in a big wheel'.
• What is embourgeoisement?

  The adoption of middle - class values and behaviours by prosperous members of the working class.
• What is Market Situation?

  The amount of money you can charge for your services, depending on the set of skills you possess.
• What are people in poverty often excluded from?

  The labour market this can be due to illness or a lack of qualifications, trapping them in low - paid jobs
• What are the five evils identified by the Beveridge Report (1942)?

  1. Want
  2. Disease
  3. Idleness
  4. Squalor
  5. Ignorance