SOC 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Single Parent, Living Wage, Concerted Cultivation
I. Social Class
A. Social stratification - a system by which a society ranks categories of ppl in a
hierarchy
1. System of hierarchy
2. Major system of stratification in industrialized societies: social class
system
B. Social class - social structural position a group holds relative to the economic,
social, political, and cultural resources of society
1. Class is about more than income
2. Class determines access to resources
3. Class puts ppl in diff. Positions of advantage or disadvantage
C. 60 minute clip: Chess in mississippi
1. Social class: lower working class, lack of higher educated parents, jobs:
blue collar, lower income
2. Stereotypes
a) Not intelligent → self identity
b) Middle of nowhere → not important, devalues
3. Cultural indications
a) Rural
b) accents “dumb”
c) clothing (overalls, not sophisticated)
d) Food: unhealthy, “not trendy”
4. Lack
a) Education: lack resources, doesn’t mean they’re not intelligent
b) Cultural resources
(1) We stereotype ppl based on their cultural values
c) Puts you at a disadvantage in US society
5. Chess helps them get ahead
a) Bc it’s viewed as “high culture”
b) Can help them with groups that are like that
II. Models of Society - class system explanations
A. Marx (conflict theory) Karl Marx
1. Economic structure and Class position
a) Social structure is determined by economic structure
b) Western Europe and US: economic structure is capitalism
c) Social class - about position in economic structure
d) Social class = relationship to “means of production” - system by
which goods are produced and distributed
e) Under capitalism
(1) two basic relationships to the Means of production:
(a) own/control means of production (capitalist class)
(b) Labor for others (working class or proletariat)
(2) This produces 2 level hierarchical social class system
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
(a) Capitalist class has power
(b) Working class has little or no power → poor
(3) This system leads to conflict and revolution
2. Class and Power
a) Economic structure is PRIMARY
(1) Other parts of social structure reflect capitalist interests
(2) Politics, education, law
b) Thus capitalist class has power and controls resources (in all
other spheres of social structure)
c) They control most resources and perpetuate the system that
benefits them
3. Critique of Marx
a) Two level economic system is too simplistic
b) Is economic position ALL important?
c) Are the only ones who have power or influence those with
economic resources?
B. Weber (Structural-Conflict) Max Weber - 2 class model is too simplistic
1. Social stratification has 3 dimensions
a) Social stratification: 3 dimensions of inequality
(1) Class: economic position (continuum)
(a) One can have a higher or lower economic position
(b) Related to ability to control economic resources
(2) Status: degree of prestige or social honor
(a) One can have higher or lower position of prestige
(b) Occupation and/or education are usually the basis
for amount of prestige
(c) Related to ability to control cultural resources
(3) Power: ability to make other ppl do what you want
(political power)
(a) One can have higher or lower position in political
realm
(b) Related to ability to control political/gov’t resources
(4) These 3 dimensions often go together, but not always
(5) Ex of when not consistent?
(a) A smuggler, drug lord: a lot of money but no
education or prestige
(b) Lottery winner
(c) Some blue collar jobs: sanitation workers make a
lot of money but not prestigious work
2. Critique of Webeter:
a) Weber discounted income too much - altho class lines aren’t
always clear, income is a primary dividing factor in high-income
societies
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
b) Income inequality has increased in recent years in the US (bigger
divide)
c) Some think that marx’s view of rich and poor is closer to reality
than Weber’s multidimensional hierarchy
3. Weber’s great contribution
a) Social inequality/class is a multidimensional ranking rather than a
hierarchy of clearly defined economic (income) groups
b) In line with this thinking, sociologists use the term → socio-
economic status: a composite ranking based on various
dimensions of social inequality - Income, wealth, occupation,
education
III. Social class in the US
A. Income inequality of the US
1. Economists focus on the income dimension of social class
2. Income is a foundational component of social class
3. Income in inequality has increased in recent years in the US (bigger
divide)
4. Ex. Inequality for All
a) Increased mucho since 1978 - 2010. Middle class ppl got poorer
and richer ppl got richer
b) Top 1% - $380,000 doctors and lawyers - 3,000,000 entrepeneurs
- 10,000,000+ CEOs, financial sector, star actors and athletes
B. Socio-economic status
1. Many sociologists define social class more like Weber
2. Income is very important, but it isnt the only element of social class
3. Social inequality/class is a multidimensional ranking rather than a
hierarchy of clearly defined economic (income) groups
4. In line with this thinking, sociologists use the term → socio-economic
status: a composite ranking based on various dimensions of social
inequality
a) Income: wages from work and earnings from investment
b) Wealth: total value of assets, less debts
c) Education
d) Occupational prestige -
(1) How important ppl consider each occupation
(2) High prestige occupations most often require extensive
training and have high income
(3) Low prestige often to those jobs that pay less and require
less ability and schooling
5. Examples of education dimension in US
a) 2015 eu
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
