Giddens & Suttn Chapter 12
Many individual success (from rags to riches)stories; e.g. Mark Zuckerberg
How are the chance for people from a poor social background to actually work their way up,
is there a diference for Women and diferent races
People from rich families with a good educaton are likely to end up in high positons
Social stratifcatonn structures inequalites between diferent groups of people
Peoples life opportunites and chances depend on their background
Estatesn diferent systems of law and social organiaaton (aristocracy, clergy and commoners),
possibilites to move within the classes
Casten positon is given for a lifetme
More resources and development in industryn increased stratifcaton
Systems of slave labour do not work longtme, high resistance due to high inequality
Caste systems, examplen jews in europe, no interacton with non jews allowed, high
restricton, purity of caste is remained by strict rules
Caste system in India over 2000 years old, illegal since 1949 but stll in force, but infuence by
globaliaaton makes it impossible to sustain a strict limit between casts
Caste System in South- African Apartheid, based entrely on race
Classn large group of people that share mainly the same economic power and interests
Diferences to other systems of social stratifcatonn fuid, large and impersonal, class
positons are at least partly achieved and based on economy
Large variety of economic factors as well as party and status lead to social class formaton
(weber)
Ones market positon strongly infuences his life chances
Status refers to the prestge an individual is given by others, may vary independent from
class
Partyn Group of people that work together
All those factors cannot be reduced to class diferences
Control over economic resources identfy major existng social classes
Contradictory class locatonn one has power over parts of the producton process but no
control over the rest
Connecton of class with other inequality factors (gender, race etc.)
Intersectonalityn tying inequalites to the shape of ones life, all factors are consttutve and
not “favoriaed”
Qualitatve methods, to see individual lives
“Et cetera” problem, how many social factors are there to be studied?
Class is only an imprecise concept
Evaluaton of class should be based on economic aspects as well as individual maters
(culture, lifestyle)
Elite exists on top of a society; high economic, cultural and social capital
All social structures represent gender inequality in some way
Stll an issue, overlapping with class, women tend to be as wealthy as their partner
But women’s occupaton is an important support for the household and therefore for the
social class of a family
Social mobilityn movement of individual and groups between social positons
Vertcal mobilityn movement up or down the scale
Lateral mobilityn geographical movement
Underclassn part of society at the very botom, underneath the class structure, long term
unemployed, homeless etc.
Those people are socially excluded from the way of life of the rest of the society
Dependency culture is created
Many individual success (from rags to riches)stories; e.g. Mark Zuckerberg
How are the chance for people from a poor social background to actually work their way up,
is there a diference for Women and diferent races
People from rich families with a good educaton are likely to end up in high positons
Social stratifcatonn structures inequalites between diferent groups of people
Peoples life opportunites and chances depend on their background
Estatesn diferent systems of law and social organiaaton (aristocracy, clergy and commoners),
possibilites to move within the classes
Casten positon is given for a lifetme
More resources and development in industryn increased stratifcaton
Systems of slave labour do not work longtme, high resistance due to high inequality
Caste systems, examplen jews in europe, no interacton with non jews allowed, high
restricton, purity of caste is remained by strict rules
Caste system in India over 2000 years old, illegal since 1949 but stll in force, but infuence by
globaliaaton makes it impossible to sustain a strict limit between casts
Caste System in South- African Apartheid, based entrely on race
Classn large group of people that share mainly the same economic power and interests
Diferences to other systems of social stratifcatonn fuid, large and impersonal, class
positons are at least partly achieved and based on economy
Large variety of economic factors as well as party and status lead to social class formaton
(weber)
Ones market positon strongly infuences his life chances
Status refers to the prestge an individual is given by others, may vary independent from
class
Partyn Group of people that work together
All those factors cannot be reduced to class diferences
Control over economic resources identfy major existng social classes
Contradictory class locatonn one has power over parts of the producton process but no
control over the rest
Connecton of class with other inequality factors (gender, race etc.)
Intersectonalityn tying inequalites to the shape of ones life, all factors are consttutve and
not “favoriaed”
Qualitatve methods, to see individual lives
“Et cetera” problem, how many social factors are there to be studied?
Class is only an imprecise concept
Evaluaton of class should be based on economic aspects as well as individual maters
(culture, lifestyle)
Elite exists on top of a society; high economic, cultural and social capital
All social structures represent gender inequality in some way
Stll an issue, overlapping with class, women tend to be as wealthy as their partner
But women’s occupaton is an important support for the household and therefore for the
social class of a family
Social mobilityn movement of individual and groups between social positons
Vertcal mobilityn movement up or down the scale
Lateral mobilityn geographical movement
Underclassn part of society at the very botom, underneath the class structure, long term
unemployed, homeless etc.
Those people are socially excluded from the way of life of the rest of the society
Dependency culture is created
