1. Social Stratification: Systems and Bases
● Social Stratification: Society's ranking of people based on their
unequal access to valued resources.
○ Valued resources include Wealth, Power, and Prestige.
● Closed Stratification Systems (Limited Mobility, Ascribed Status):
○ Slavery System: People own others as property and have
almost total control over their lives.
○ Caste System: People’s positions are ascribed at birth and
largely fixed (determined by inherited characteristics).
● Open Stratification Systems (Allows Mobility, Achieved Status):
○ Class System: People’s positions are based on both birth and
achievement.
○ Social Class: A group of people with a similar standing in
society based on wealth, education, power, prestige, and
other valued resources.
2. Bases of Stratification: Wealth, Income, Prestige, and Power
● Wealth: Economic assets that a person or family owns (savings,
property, stocks). It is the cumulative total of assets, minus debt.
● Income: Money earned from employment or investments.
● Prestige: Respect, recognition, or regard attached to social positions.
○ Highly prestigious occupations often require more education,
involve abstract thought, and offer more control.
● Power: The ability of people or groups to achieve their goals despite
opposition from others.
● Socioeconomic Status (SES): An overall ranking of a person's
position based on income, education, and occupation.
● Life Chances: The extent to which people have positive experiences
and access to desirable opportunities and resources, largely
determined by SES.
3. The U.S. Class Structure and Poverty
● Social Class Structure in the U.S.: Typically categorized into Upper
Class, Middle Class, Working Class, and Lower Class.
● The Lower Class:
○ Working Poor: People who work at least 27 weeks a year but
whose wages fall below the official Poverty Line.
● Social Stratification: Society's ranking of people based on their
unequal access to valued resources.
○ Valued resources include Wealth, Power, and Prestige.
● Closed Stratification Systems (Limited Mobility, Ascribed Status):
○ Slavery System: People own others as property and have
almost total control over their lives.
○ Caste System: People’s positions are ascribed at birth and
largely fixed (determined by inherited characteristics).
● Open Stratification Systems (Allows Mobility, Achieved Status):
○ Class System: People’s positions are based on both birth and
achievement.
○ Social Class: A group of people with a similar standing in
society based on wealth, education, power, prestige, and
other valued resources.
2. Bases of Stratification: Wealth, Income, Prestige, and Power
● Wealth: Economic assets that a person or family owns (savings,
property, stocks). It is the cumulative total of assets, minus debt.
● Income: Money earned from employment or investments.
● Prestige: Respect, recognition, or regard attached to social positions.
○ Highly prestigious occupations often require more education,
involve abstract thought, and offer more control.
● Power: The ability of people or groups to achieve their goals despite
opposition from others.
● Socioeconomic Status (SES): An overall ranking of a person's
position based on income, education, and occupation.
● Life Chances: The extent to which people have positive experiences
and access to desirable opportunities and resources, largely
determined by SES.
3. The U.S. Class Structure and Poverty
● Social Class Structure in the U.S.: Typically categorized into Upper
Class, Middle Class, Working Class, and Lower Class.
● The Lower Class:
○ Working Poor: People who work at least 27 weeks a year but
whose wages fall below the official Poverty Line.
