social class, a category of people with similar status, culture, and wealth
class consciousness, an awareness of one’s social category within a social hierarchy
social status, an individual’s position, or rank within a social system.
social stratification, a system in which categories of people are ranked in a hierarchy.
socioeconomic status (SES), an individual’s social position based on education, occupation, income, and place of residence.
income, money earned on a regular basis through work
The “Some college, no degree” median weekly earnings is $899 compared to $1,334 with a Bachelor’s degree. You will earn two-thirds more per week by earning a four-year degree
blue-collar worker, an individual who engages in manual labor, a pink-collar worker, an individual who works in female-dominated jobs with low pay, or a white-collar worker, an individual employed in a salaried professional, managerial, or administrative position
Wealth, the total of all personal assets, including property, investments, and income,
Power, the ability to exert control over others and achieve goals with or without the support of society
prestige, the level of esteem and respect afforded to an individual often associated with one’s occupation or membership in a group or organization.
occupational prestige, a consensus of the value of a job or profession
Money can buy happiness.
This is a reality
social inequality, a system that unequally rewards individuals based on characteristics such as sex, income, age, race, and ethnicity
open systems, social systems that encourage and allow for social mobility, and closed systems, social systems that do not allow for social mobility
Slavery A closed stratified system in which slaves and owners exist
Caste A closed stratified system in which some people are designated at birth to the lowest of classes based on their parents’ status
Estate A closed stratified system in which wealthy landowners and peasants exist
Social Class An open stratified system that allows social mobility
slavery system, a closed stratified system in which slaves and owners exist
In 1981, Mauritania was the last country to abolish slavery. It was not until 2007, due to international pressure, that the Mauritanian government passed a law to punish slaveholders
caste system, a closed stratification system in which people are designated to a particular social position based on their parents’ social status.
estate system, a closed stratified system in which wealthy landowners and peasants exist
class system, an open stratified system that allows social mobility
ascribed status, a position in a social system that is assigned based on characteristics such as race, sex, or class
Triple oppression, combined characteristics of being a woman, minority, and poor,
achieved status, a position in a social system that is gained through merit.
American dream, a commonly held belief in the U.S. suggesting that anyone can overcome obstacles and get ahead in life through hard work and determination
upper class, a category of people who maintain the highest status and resources in a society
middle class, the category of people at the center of a social hierarchy, comprises most American households
lower class, the lowest category of people in a social hierarchy
Federal Poverty Line (FPL), a governmental standard of measurement indicating the income level of when an individual or family is designated as poor
working poor, individuals who spend more than 27 weeks per year in the paid labor force and live below the poverty line
poverty rate, the percentage of people who are considered poor
social reproduction, the process of children remaining in the same social class through intergenerational transmission of various types of capital.
absolute poverty, a threshold in which an individual does not have enough resources to meet their basic survival needs (HP). Another measure of poverty is relative poverty, a subjective level at which an individual or family experiences a deprived lifestyle
modernization theory, a macro theory indicating the process by which nations progress through stages of development
dependency theory, a macro theory indicating the stratified world economic system keeps peripheral nations dependent on core nations.
world-system, any historical social system of interdependent parts that form a bonded structure and operate according to distinct rules
Paycheck Fairness Act, a piece of legislation that would:
- prohibit employees from using salary history.
- protect against retaliation for discussing pay with colleagues.
- ensure equal pay for equal work.
- equalize discrimination claims based on gender, race, and ethnicity.
- support employers and employees to achieve fair pay practices(AAUW 2019).
The statistics on pay inequality are the same for all women across the country.
This is a myth.
- Black students are three times as likely as their White counterparts to attend schools where less than 60 percent of teachers meet state certification standards. Hispanic students are twice as likely to be in such schools.
- One-fourth of schools with high Black and Hispanic populations do not offer their students Algebra II, and one-third do not offer chemistry. Less than one-half of Native American students have access to any math and science courses typically offered in high school.
- Five percent of White students are expelled yearly from schools, compared to 16 percent of Black students. Native Americans represent less than 1 percent of the student population but experience 3 percent of the expulsions (Hsieh 2014).
social mobility, an individual’s or group’s movement up or down the system of stratification in society.
life chances, the opportunities and resources a person has at their disposal to improve their quality of life
| Best places to be born | Switzerland, Australia, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Singapore, New Zealand, Netherlands, Canada, and Hong Kong |
| Worst places to be born | Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Russia, Syria, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Ukraine, Kenya, and Nigeria |
| Countries with the best quality food | Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Luxembourg, and Australia |
| Countries with the worst quality food | Yemen, Madagascar, Ethiopia, Angola, and Chad |
| The best healthcare in the world | United Kingdom, Switzerland, Sweden, Australia, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand & Norway, France, and Canada |
| The worst healthcare in the world | Zambia, Lesotho, Mozambique, Malawi, Liberia, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Myanmar, and Sierra Leone |
| Places with the best educational systems | South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Finland, United Kingdom, Canada, Netherlands, Ireland, and Poland |
| Places with the worst educational systems | Angola, Gambia, Pakistan, Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Central African Republic, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger |
| Countries with the highest standard of living | Australia, Sweden, Canada, Norway, Switzerland, United States, Denmark, Netherlands, Iceland, and the United Kingdom |
| Countries with the lowest standard of living |
Guinea, Niger, Mali, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau, and Burkina Faso
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cultural capital, the information, knowledge, and ideas people use to support their social mobility
Social capital, the social networks that people can use to enhance their societal position,
digital divide, the access to and ability to use technology like computers and the Internet.
Vertical mobility, movement up or down the system of stratification
Horizontal mobility, movement within a layer of the system of stratification
intragenerational mobility, an individual’s change in status during a lifetime,
intergenerational mobility, an individual’s change in social status that results from mobility on a generational level,
structural mobility, changes in the social position of a group that result from shifts in the larger society
feminization of poverty, the disproportionate number of women among the world’s poor
global inequality, the stratification that exists between people living in different nations
- United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) — Among other things, UNICEF helps women and children with vaccination initiatives, clean water and good hygiene programs, and child soldiers’ rehabilitation.
- World Food Program (WFP) — The largest food assistance program globally, the WFP works to eliminate hunger and malnutrition worldwide. On average, this program feeds over 100 million people each year.
- United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) — UNHCR coordinates the care and protection of over 20 million refugees in 116 countries globally.