[Music] Introduction to Sociology Third Edition an Open Stacks textbook this free Audi book is a public service of Los Angeles Harbor College register for in-person and online courses today by visiting www.lahc.edu you can find this audiobook anywhere you listen to podcasts including Spotify YouTube Apple podcasts and more chapter n social stratification in the United [Music] States introduction Jared grew up on a farm in rural Ohio left home to serve in the Army and returned a few years later to take over the family farm he moved into his family house and 18 months later married Eric with whom he had maintained a long-distance relationship for several years Eric had two children from a previous marriage they quickly realized the income from the farm was no longer sufficient to meet their needs Jarrett with little experience beyond the farm took on a job at a grocery store to supplement his income this part-time job shifted the direction of their family's life one of the managers at the store liked Jarrett his attitude and his work ethic he began to groom Jarrett for advancement at the store and encouraged him to take a few classes at a local College despite knowing he'd received financial support from the military this was the first time Jarrett had seriously thought about college could he be successful Jarrett wondered could he actually become the first in his family to earn a degree fortunately Eric also believed in him Jarrett kept his college enrollment a secret from from his mother his brothers and his friends he did not want others to know about it in case he failed Jarrett was nervous on his first day of class he was older than the other students and he had never considered himself College material when he earned only a c on his first test he thought his fears were being realized and that it was perhaps not a fit for him but his instructor strongly recommended that Jarrett pay a visit to the the academic success center after a few sessions he utilized a better study schedule and got a B on the next exam he was successful in that class and enrolled in two more the next semester unfortunately life took a difficult turn when Jarrett's and Eric's daughter became ill he couldn't focus on his studies and he dropped all of his classes with his momentum slowed Jarrett wasn't sure he was ready to resume Zoom after his daughter recovered his daughter though set him straight one day after telling her to start her homework she was reluctant and said you're not doing your homework anymore I shouldn't have to do mine a bit annoyed Jarrett and Eric explained the difference between being an adult with work and family obligations and being a child in middle school but Jarrett realized he was most upset at himself for using her illness as an excuse he thought thought he wasn't living up to the example he wanted to set for her the next day he called his academic adviser and re-enrolled just under 2 years later Jarrett was walking across the stage to receive a bachelor's degree with a special certificate for peer support the ceremony seemed surreal to Jarrett he'd earned medals and other recognition in the military but he always felt those accomplishments were shared among his team while he'd had a lot of help with college he felt that graduating was a milestone that was more closely tied to himself stories like this permeate American society and may sound familiar yet this quest to achieve the American dream is often hard for many Americans to achieve even with hard work after all nearly one in three firste college students is a first generation college student and many are not as successful as Jarrett according to the Center for student opportunity a national nonprofit 89% of first generation students will not earn an undergraduate degree within 6 years of starting their studies in fact these students drop out of college at four times the rate of peers whose parents have postsecondary degrees Center for student opportunity quoted in huot 2014 why do students with parents who have completed college tend to grab graduate more often than those students whose parents do not hold degrees that question and many others will be answered as we explore social [Music] stratification 9.1 what is social stratification learning objectives by the end of this section you should be able to explain the globalization of Technology distinguish between cast and class systems explain why meritocracy is considered an ideal system of stratification sociologists use the term social stratification to describe the system of social standing social stratification refers to a society's categorization of its people into rankings based on factors like wealth income education family background and power geologists also use the the word stratification to describe the distinct vertical layers found in rock typically society's layers made of people represent the uneven distribution of society's resources Society views the people with more resources as the top layer of the social structure of stratification other groups of people with fewer and fewer resources represent the lower layers an individual's place within this stratification is called socioeconomic status s most people and institutions in the United States indicate that they value equality a belief that everyone has an equal chance at success in other words hard work and talent not inherited wealth prejudicial treatment institutional racism or societal values determines social Mobility this emphasis on Choice motivation and self-effort perpetuates the American belief that people control their own social standing however sociologists recognize social stratification as a society-wide system that makes inequalities apparent while inequalities exist between individuals sociologists are interested in larger social patterns sociologists look to see if individuals with similar backgrounds group memberships identities and location in the country share the same social stratification no individual rich or poor can be blamed for social inequalities but instead all participate in a system where some rise and others fall most Americans believe the rising and falling is based on individual choices but sociologists see how the structure of society affects a person's social standing and therefore is created and supported by Society factors that Define stratification vary in different Societies in most societies stratification is an economic system based on wealth the net value of money and assets a person has and income a person's wages or investment dividends while people are regularly categorized based on how rich or poor they are other important factors influence social standing for example in some cultures Prestige is valued and people who have them are revered more than those who don't In some cultures the elderly are esteemed while in others the elderly are disparaged or overlooked society's cultural beliefs often reinforce stratification one key determinant of social standing is our parents parents tend to pass their social position on to their children people inherit not only social standing but also the cultural norms values and beliefs that accompany a certain lifestyle they share these with a network of friends and family members that provide resources and support this is one of the reasons first generation college students do not Faire as well as other students they lack access to the resources and support commonly provided to those whose parents have gone to college other determinants are found in a society's occupational structure teachers for example often have high levels of education but receive relatively low pay many believe that teaching is a noble profession so teachers should do their jobs for love of their profession and the good of their students not for money yet the same attitude is not applied to professional athletes Executives or those working in corporate world cultural attitudes and beliefs like these support and perpetuate social and economic inequalities systems of stratification sociologists distinguish between two types of systems of stratification closed systems accommodate little change in social position they do not allow people to shift levels and do not permit social relationships between levels closed systems include estate slavery and cast systems open systems are based on achievement and allow for movement and interaction between layers and classes how different systems operate reflect emphasize and Foster specific cultural values shaping individual beliefs in this section we'll review class and cast stratification systems plus discuss the ideal system of meritocracy the cast system cast systems are closed stratification systems where people can do little or nothing to change the social standing of their birth the cast system determines all aspects of an individual's life occupations Marriage Partners and housing individual talents interests or potential do not provide opportunities to improve a person's social position in the Hindu cast tradition people expect to work in an occupation and to enter into a marriage based on their cast accepting this social standing is considered a moral duty and people are socialized to accept their social understanding cultural values reinforce the system cast systems promote beliefs in fate Destiny and the will of a higher power rather than promoting individual Freedom as a value this belief system is an ideology every culture has an ideology that supports its system of stratification the cast system in India has been officially dismantled but is still deeply embedded in Indian Society particularly in rural areas in India's larger cities people now have more opportunities to choose their own career paths and Marriage Partners as a global Center of employment corporations have introduced merit-based hiring and employment to the nation Shifting the cultural expectations of the cast system the class system a class system is based on both social factors and individual achievement a class consists of a set of people who share similar status based on factors like wealth income education family background and occupation unlike cast systems class systems are open people may move to a different level vertical movement of Education or employment status than their parents though family and other societal models help guide a person toward a career personal choice and opportunity play a role they can also socialize with and marry members of other classes people have the option to form an exogamous marriage a union of spouses from different social categories exogamous marriages often focus on values such as love and compatibility though social conformities still exist that encourage people to choose Partners within their own class called an endogamous marriage people are not as pressured to choose Marriage Partners based solely on their social location meritocracy meritocracy is a hypothetical system in which social stratification is determined by personal effort and Merit the concept of meritocracy is an ideal because no Society has ever existed where social standing was based entirely on Merit rather multiple factors influence social standing including processes like socialization and the realities of inequality within economic systems while a meritocracy has never existed sociologists see aspects of meritocracies in modern societies when they study the role of academic and job performance and the systems in place for evaluating and rewarding achievement in these areas the differences between an open and closed system are explored further in the example below status consistency sociologists use the term status consistency to describe the consistency or lack thereof of an individual's rank across the factors that determine social stratification within a lifetime cast systems correlate with high status consistency due to the inability to move out of a class whereas the more flexible class system demonstrates lower status consistency to illustrate let's consider Serena Serena earn earned her high school diploma but did not go to college completing high school but not college is a trait more common to the lower middle class After High School she began Landscaping which as manual labor tracks with lower middle class or even lower class however over time Serena started her own company she hired employees she won larger contracts Serena became a business owner and earned more money the those traits represent the upper middle class inconsistencies between Serena's educational level her occupation and income show Serena's flexibility in her social status giving her low status consistency in a class system hard work new opportunities coupled with a lower education status still allow a person movement into middle or upper class whereas in a cast system that would not be possible in a class system low status consistency correlates with having more choices and opportunities social policy and debate leaving royalty behind Megan Markle who married a member of the British royal family for years endured unceasing negative media attention invasion of privacy and racially abusive comments she and her husband Prince Harry grandson to Queen Elizabeth undertook a series of legal actions to push back against overly aggressive media Outlets but because of the continued harassment and disagreements with others in the royal family Megan and Harry decided to step down from their Royal obligations and begin a disassociation from the British Monarchy in doing so they gave up honorary positions titles and financial support for Megan who had been born in the US and had earned her wealth through a successful career these changes may not be so jarring Prince Harry however had been his Royal Highness since he was born by nature of his ancestry he was entitled to vast sums of money property and cultural political positions such as honorary air commandant Commodore in Chief and president of the Queen's Commonwealth trust Harry would also lose the military rank he had earned through almost 10 years of military service including two combat deployments to Afghanistan would megxit work for him what gave him those honors in the first place Britain's monarchy arose during the Middle Ages its social hierarchy placed royalty at the top and commoners on the bottom this was generally a closed system with people born into positions of nobility wealth was passed from generation to generation through primogeniture a law stating that all property would be inherited by the firstborn son if the family had no son the land went to the next closest male relation women could not inherit property and their social standing was primarily determined through marriage the arrival of the Industrial Revolution changed Britain's social structure commoners moved to cities got jobs and made better livings gradually people found new opportunities to increase their wealth and power today the government is a constitutional monarchy with the Prime Minister and other ministers elected to their positions and with the royal family's role being largely ceremonial the long ago differences between nobility and commoners have blurred and the modern class system in Britain is similar to that of the United States today the royal family still commands wealth power and a great deal of attention after the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022 Prince Charles ascended the throne when he retires or passes away the position will go to Prince William Prince Harry's older brother Prince Harry and Megan Markle meanwhile moved to Los Angeles and signed a voiceover deal with Disney while also joining Netflix in a series production they founded an organization focusing on nonprofit activities and Media Ventures living in LA and working to some extent in entertainment they will likely be considered a different type of [Music] royalty 9.2 social stratification and mobility in the United States learning objectives by the end of this section you should be able to describe the US class structure describe several types of social Mobility recognize characteristics that define and identify class how does social stratification affect your ability to move up or down the social classes what is a standard of living what factors matter in Rising up or becoming more successful in the eyes of those around you does being in a social class dictate your style Behavior or opportunities social classes in the United States for sociologists categorizing social class is a fluid science sociologists generally identify three levels of class in the United States upper middle and lower class within each class there are many subcategories what wealth is the most significant way of distinguishing classes because wealth can be transferred to one's children and perpetuate the class structure one Economist JD Foster defines the 20% of US citizens highest earners as upper income and the lower 20% as lower income the remaining 60% of the population make up the middle class with that distinction economists can describe the range in annual household in incomes for the middle class but they cannot show how the range of all incomes vary and how they change over time for this reason the Pew Center defines classes based on the median household income the lower class includes those whose income is 2/3 of the national median the middle class includes those whose income Falls between 2/3 and twice the median and the upper class includes those whose income is above twice the national median though median income levels vary from state to state at the national level you would be considered in the middle class if you earned between $48,500 to $145,500 in 2018 us one sociological perspective distinguishes the classes in part according to their relative power and control over their lives members of the upper class not only have power and control over their own lives but their social status gives them power and control over others lives the middle class doesn't generally control other strata of society but its members do exert control over their own lives in contrast the lower class has little control over their work or lives below we will explore the major divisions of us social class and their key subcategories upper class the upper class is considered the top and only the powerful Elite get to see the view from there in the United States people with extreme wealth make up 1% of the population and they own roughly onethird of the country's wealth money provides not just access to material Goods but also access to a lot of power as corporate leaders members of the upper class make decisions that affect the job status of millions of people as media owners they influence the collective identity of the nation they run the major Network television stations radio broadcasts newspapers magazines publishing houses and sports franchises as board members of the most influential colleges and universities they influence cultural attitudes and values as philanthropists they establish foundations to support social causes they believe in as campaign contributors and legislation drivers they fund political campaigns to sway policymakers sometimes to protect their own economic interests and at other times to support or promote a cause the methods Effectiveness and impact of these political efforts are discussed in the politics and government chapter us Society has historically distinguished between old money inherited wealth passed from one generation to the next and new money wealth you have earned and built yourself while both types may have equal net worth they have traditionally held different social standings people of old money firmly situated in the upper class for Generations have held high Prestige their families have socialized them to know the Customs norms and expectations that come with wealth often the very wealthy don't work for wages some study business or become lawyers in in order to manage the family fortune others such as Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian capitalize on being a rich socialite and transform that into Celebrity Status flaunting a wealthy lifestyle however new money members of the upper class are not oriented to the customs and Moors of the elite they haven't gone to the most exclusive schools they have not established old money social ties people with new money might might flaunt their wealth buying sports cars and mansions but they might still exhibit behaviors attributed to the middle and lower classes the middle class many people consider themselves middle class but there are differing ideas about what that means people with annual incomes of $150,000 call themselves middle class as do people who annually earn $30,000 that helps explain why in the United States the middle class is broken into upper and lower subcategories lower middle class members tend to complete a 2-year Associates degrees from Community or technical colleges or a 4-year bachelor's degree upper middleclass people tend to continue on to post-graduate degrees they've studied subjects such as business management law or medicine middleclass people work hard and live fairly comfortable lives upper middle-class people tend to pursue careers own their homes and travel on vacation their children receive highquality education and Healthcare parents can support more specialized needs and interests of their children such as more extensive tutoring arts lessons and athletic efforts which can lead to more social Mobility for the next generation families within the middle class may have access to some wealth but also must work for an income to maintain mainin this lifestyle in the lower middle class people hold jobs supervised by members of the upper middle class they fill technical lower level management or administrative support positions compared to lower class work lower middle class jobs carry more Prestige and come with slightly higher paychecks with these incomes people can afford a decent mainstream lifestyle but they struggle to maintain it it they generally don't have enough income to build significant Savings in addition their grip on class status is more precarious than those in the upper tiers of the class system when companies need to save money lower middle class people are often the ones to lose their jobs the lower class the lower class is also referred to as the working class just like the middle and upper classes the lower class can be divided into subsets the working class the Working Poor and the underclass compared to the lower middle class people from the lower economic class have less formal education and earn smaller incomes they work jobs that require less training or experience than middle class occupations and often do routine tasks under close supervision Working Class People the highest subcategory of the lower class often land steady jobs the work is Hands-On and often physically demanding such as Landscaping cooking cleaning or building beneath the working class is the Working Poor they have unskilled low-paying employment however their jobs rarely offer benefits such as health care or retirement planning and their positions are often seasonal or temporary they work as migrant Farm Workers house cleaners and day laborers education is limited some lack a high school diploma how can people work full-time and still be poor even working full-time millions of the Working Poor earn incomes too meager to support a family the government requires employers pay a minimum wage that varies from state to state and often leave individuals and families below the poverty line in addition to low wages the value of of the wage has not kept pace with inflation the real value of the federal minimum wage has dropped 177% since 2009 and 31% since 1968 furthermore the living wage the amount necessary to meet minimum standards differs across the country because the cost of living differs therefore the amount of income necessary to survive in an area such as New York City differs dramatically from small town in Oklahoma the underclass is the United States lowest tier the term itself and its classification of people have been questioned and some prominent sociologists including a former president of the American sociological Association believe its use is either overgeneralizing or incorrect but many economists sociologists government agencies and advocacy groups recognize the growth of the underclass members of the underclass live mainly in inner cities many are unemployed or underemployed those who do hold jobs typically perform menial tasks for little pay some of the underclass are homeless many rely on wellfare systems to provide food Medical Care and housing assistance which often does not cover all their basic needs the underclass have more stress poorer health and suffer crises fairly regularly class traits does a person's appearance indicate class can you tell a person's education level based on their clothing do you know a person's income by the car they drive class traits also called class markers are the typical behaviors customs and Norms that Define each class class traits indicate the level of exposure a person has to a wide range of cultures class class traits also indicate the amount of resources a person has to spend on items like Hobbies vacations and leisure activities people may associate the upper class with enjoyment of costly refined or highly cultivated tastes expensive clothing luxury cars high-end fundraisers and frequent or expensive vacations people may also believe that the middle and lower classes are more likely to enjoy camping fishing or hunting shopping at large retailers and participating in community activities while these descriptions May identify class traits they are stereotypes moreover just as class distinctions have blurred in recent decades so too have class traits a factory worker could be a skilled French cook a billionaire might dress in ripped jeans and a lowincome student might own designer shoes for famous wealthy people making choices that do not not seem to align with their economic status can often lead to public commentary Jennifer Lopez being spotted an address that cost less than $130 and Zack Efron shopping at thrift stores have made the news others like Hollyberry and kianu Reeves are known for frequent use of public transportation and relatively modest living at least when considering to their net worth when questioned most point to nothing more than practical Lady Gaga tweeted why do people look at me like I'm crazy when I use coupons at grocery or try bargaining at retail and in dense crowded cities such as Washington Chicago and New York riding the trains is often faster and easier than taking a car social Mobility people are often inspired and amazed at people's ability to overcome extremely difficult upbringings Mariano River acknowledged to be the best relief pitcher in history made a baseball glove out of cardboard and tape because his family could not afford a real one Alice Coachman grew up with few resources and was denied access to training facilities because of her race she ran Barefoot and built her own high jump equipment before becoming the first black athlete and one of the first American track and field athletes to win an Olympic gold perhaps the most transformative figure in soccer learned the game while using a rag stuffed sock for a ball these are some of the stories told in documentaries or biographies meant to inspire and share the challenges of unequal upbringings relative to the overall population the number of people who rise from poverty to become very successful is small and the number that become wealthy is even smaller systemic barriers like unequal education discrimination and lack of opportunity can slow or diminish one's ability to move up still people who earn a college degree get a job promotion or marry someone with a good income may move up socially social Mobility refers to the ability of individuals to change positions within a social stratification system when people improve or diminish their economic status in a way that affects social class class they experience social Mobility individuals can experience upward or downward social Mobility for a variety of reasons upward Mobility refers to an increase or upward shift when they move from a lower to a higher socioeconomical class in contrast individuals experience downward Mobility when they move from higher socioeconomic class to a lower one some people move downward because of business setbacks unemployment or illness dropping out of school losing a job or getting a divorce may result in a loss of income or status and therefore downward social Mobility it is not uncommon for different generations of a family to belong to varying social classes this is known as intergenerational Mobility for example an upper class executive may have parents who belong to the middle class in turn those parents may have been raised in the lower class patterns of intergenerational Mobility can reflect long-term societal changes on the other hand intragenerational Mobility refers to changes in a person's social Mobility over the course of their lifetime for example the wealth and Prestige experienced by one person may be quite different from that of their siblings structural Mobility happens when societal changes enable a whole group of people to move up or down the social class ladder structural Mobility is attributable to changes in society as a whole in the first half of the 20th century industrialization expanded the US economy raising the standard of living and leading to Upward structural Mobility for almost everyone in the decade and a half of the 21st Century sessions and the Outsourcing of jobs overseas have contributed to the withdrawal of Americans from the workforce many people experienced economic setbacks creating a wave of downward structural Mobility when analyzing the trends and movements in Social Mobility sociologists consider all modes of Mobility Scholars recognize that Mobility is not as common or easy to achieve as many people think Strat ification of socioeconomic classes in the last century the United States has seen a steady rise in its standard of living the level of wealth available to acquire the material necessities and Comforts to maintain a specific Lifestyle the country's standard of living is based on factors such as income employment class literacy rates mortality rates poverty rates and housing affordability a country with a high standard of living will often reflect a high quality of life which in the United States means residents can afford a home own a car and take vacations ultimately standard of living is shaped by the wealth and distribution of wealth in a country and the expectations its citizens have for their lifestyle wealth is not evenly distributed in most countries in the United States a small portion of the population has the means to the highest standard of living the wealthiest 1% of the population holds onethird of our nation's wealth while the bottom 50% of Americans hold only 2% those in between the top 50 to 90% hold almost 2/3 of the nation's wealth many people think of the United States as a middleclass society they think a few people are rich a few are poor and most are fairly well off existing in the middle of the social strata rising from lower classes into the middle class is to achieve the American dream for this reason Scholars are particularly worried by the shrinking of the middle class although the middle class is still significantly larger than the lower and upper classes it shrank from 69% in 1971 to 51% in 2020 arguably the most significant threat to the US's relatively high standard of living is the decline of the middle class the wealth of the middle class has also been declining in recent decades its share of the wealth fell from 32% in 1983 to 16% in 2016 people with wealth often receive the most and best schooling access Better Health Care and consume the most goods and services in addition wealthy people also wield decision-making power over their daily life because money gives them access to better Resources by contrasts many lower inome individuals receive less education and inadequate healthare and have less influence over the circumstances of their everyday lives additionally tens of millions of women and men struggle to pay rent buy food find work and afford basic Medical Care women who are single heads of household tend to have a lower income and lower standard of living than their married or single male counterparts this is a worldwide phenomenon known as the feminization of poverty which acknowledges that women disproportionately make up the majority of individuals in poverty across the globe and have a lower standard of living in the United States women make up approximately 56% of American an living in poverty one reason for this difference is the struggle of single mothers to provide for their children one in four unmarried mothers lives in poverty the wage Gap discussed extensively in the work and the economy chapter also contributes to the gender disparity in poverty in the United States poverty is most often referred to as a relative rather than absolute measurement absolute poverty is an an economic condition in which a family or individual cannot afford basic necessities such as food and shelter so that day-to-day survival is in Jeopardy relative poverty is an economic condition in which a family or individuals have 50% income less than the average median income this income is sometimes called the poverty level or the poverty line in 2021 for example the poverty for a single individual was set at $2,880 for one individual $1 17,42 for a couple and $26,500 for a family of four as a wealthy developed country the United States invests in resources to provide the basic necessities to those in need through a series of federal and state social welfare programs these programs provide food Medical and cash assistance temporary assistance for needy families tanif provides cash assistance the goal of tan is to help families with children achieve economic self-sufficiency adults who receive assistance must fall under a specific income level usually half the poverty level set by the state tan if funding goes to child care support for parents who are working or training a required number of hours a week and other services tan if is Tim limited Most states only provide assistance for a maximum of 5 years one of the best known programs is the supplemental nutrition assistance program asnap administered by the United States Department of Agriculture and formerly known as the food stamp program this program began in the Great Depression when unmarketable or surplus food was distributed to the hungry it was not formalized until 1961 when President John F Kennedy initiated a food stamp pilot program his successor Lynden B Johnson was instrumental in the passage of the Food Stamp Act in 1964 in 1965 more than 500,000 individuals received food assistance during the height of the pandemic in 2020 participation reached 43 million [Music] people 9.3 Global stratification and inequality learning objectives by the end of this section you should be able to define global stratification describe different sociological models for understanding Global stratification explain the ways that studies of global stratification enable social scientists to identify worldwide inequalities Global stratification compares the wealth status power and economic stability of countries across the world global stratification highlights worldwide patterns of social inequality in the early years of civilization hunter gatherer and agrarian societies lived off the Earth and rarely interacted with other societies when explorers began traveling societies began trading Goods as well as ideas and customs in the 19th century the Industrial Revolution created unprecedented wealth in Western Europe and North America due to mechanical inventions and new means of production people began working in factories not only men but women and children as well by the late 19th and early 20th centuries industrial technology had gradually raised the standard of living for many people in the United States and Europe the Industrial Revolution also saw the rise of vast inequalities between countries that were industrialized and those that were not as some Nations embraced technology and saw increased wealth and goods the non-industrialized Nations fell behind economically and the Gap widened sociologists studying Global stratification analyze economic comparisons between nations income purchasing power and wealth are used toal calate Global stratification Global stratification also compares the quality of life that a country's population can have poverty levels have been shown to vary greatly across countries yet all countries struggle to support the lower classes models of global stratification in order to determine the stratification or ranking of a country economists created various models of global stratification all of these models have one one thing in common they rank countries according to their economic status often ranked by gross national product GNP the GNP is the value of goods and services produced by a nation's citizens both within its borders and abroad another system of global classification defines countries based on the gross domestic product GDP a country's National wealth the GDP calculates annually either totals the income of all people living within its borders or the value of all goods and services produced in the country during the year it also includes government spending because the GDP indicates a country's productivity and performance comparing GDP rates helps establish a country's economic health in relation to other countries with some countries rising to the top and others falling to the bottom the chapter on work and the economy specifically the section on globalization and the economy shows the differences in GDP among various countries traditional models now considered outdated used labels such as first world second world and third world to describe the stratification of the different areas of the world first and second world described industrialized nations while third world referred to undeveloped countries when researching existing historical sources you may still encounter these terms and even today people still refer to some Nations as the third world this model however is outdated because it lumps countries together that are quite different in terms of wealth power Prestige and economic stability another model separates countries into two groups more developed and less developed more more developed Nations have higher wealth such as Canada Japan and Australia less developed Nations have less wealth to distribute among populations including many countries in central Africa South America and some island nations GNP and GDP are used to gain insight into Global stratification based on a country's standard of living according to this analysis A GDP standard of a middle inome Nation represents a global average in lowincome countries most people are poor relative to people in other countries citizens have little access to amenities such as electricity plumbing and clean water people in lowincome countries are not guaranteed education and many are illiterate the life expectancy of citizens is lower than in high income countries therefore the different expectations in lifestyle and access to resources VAR Ares big picture the big picture calculating Global stratification a few organizations take on the job of comparing The Wealth of Nations the population reference Bureau prb is one of them besides a focus on population data the prb publishes an annual report that measures the relative economic well-being of all the world's countries using the gross national income gni and purchasing power parody PPP the gni measures the current value of goods and services produced by a country the PPP measures the relative power a country has to purchase those same goods and services so gni refers to productive output and PPP refers to buying power because costs of goods and services vary from one country to the next the PPP is used to convert the gni into a relative International unit this value is then divided by the number of residents living in a country to establish Lish the average relative income of a resident of that country this measure is called the gni papa calculating gni PPP figures helps researchers accurately compare country's standard of living they allow the United Nations and population reference Bureau to compare and rank the wealth of all countries and consider International stratification [Music] issues now 9.4 theoretical perspectives on social stratification learning objectives by the end of this section you should be able to apply functionalist conflict theory and interactionist perspectives on social stratification basketball is one of the highest paying professional sports and stratification exists even among teams in the NBA for example the Toronto Raptors hands out the lowest annual payroll while the New York Knicks reportedly pays the highest Steven Curry a Golden State Warriors guard is one of the highest paid athletes in the NBA earning around $43 million a year whereas the lowest paid player earns just over $200,000 even within specific Fields layers are stratified members are ranked and inequality exists in sociology even an issue such as NBA salaries can be seen from various points of view functionalists will examine the purpose of such high salaries conflict theorists will study the exorbitant salaries as an unfair distribution of money and symbolic interactionists will describe how players display that wealth social stratification takes on new meanings when it is examined from different sociological perspectives functionalism conflict theory and symbol molic interactionism functionalism in sociology the functionalist perspective examines how society's Parts operate according to functionalism different aspects of society exist because they serve a vital purpose what is the function of social stratification in 1945 sociologists Kingsley Davis and Wilbert Moore published the Davis Moore thesis which argued that the greater the functional importance of a social role the greater must be the reward the theory posits that social stratification represents the inherently unequal value of different work certain tasks in society are more valuable than others for example doctors or lawyers qualified people who fill those positions are rewarded more than others according to Davis and Moore a firefighter's job is more important than for instance a grocery store cashier's job the cashier position does not require similar skill and training level as firefighting without the incentive of higher pay better benefits and increased respect why would someone be willing to rush into burning buildings if pay levels were the same the firefighter might as well work as a grocery store cashier and avoid the risk of firefighting Davis and Moore believed that rewarding more important work with higher levels of income Prestige and power encourages people to work harder and longer Davis and Moore stated that in most cases the degree of skill required for a job determines that job's importance they noted that the more skill required for a job the fewer qualified people there would be to do that job certain jobs such as cleaning hallways or answering phones do not require much skill therefore most people would be qualified for these positions other work like designing a highway system or delivering a baby requires immense skill limiting the number of people qualified to take on this type of work many scholars have criticized the Davis Moore thesis in 1953 Melvin tuman argued that it does not explain inequalities in the education system or inequalities due to race or gender tuman believed social stratification prevented qualified people from attempting to fill roles conflict theory conflict theorists are deeply critical of social stratification asserting that it benefits only some people not all of society for instance to a conflict theorist it seems wrong that a basketball player is paid Millions for an annual contract while a public school teacher may earn $35,000 a year stratification conflict theorists believe perpetuates inequality conflict theorists try to bring awareness to inequalities such as how a rich Society can have so many poor members many conflict theorists draw on the work of Carl Marx during the 19th century era of industrialization Marx believed social stratification resulted from people's relationship to production people were divided into two main groups they either owned factories or worked in them in Marx's time Bourgeois capitalists owned High producing businesses factories and land as they still do today proletariat were the workers who performed the manual labor to produce Goods upper class capitalists raked in profits and got rich while workingclass proletariat earned skimpy wages and struggled to survive with such opposing interest the two groups were divided by differences of wealth and power Marx believed workers experiened deep alienation isolation and misery resulting from powerless status levels Marx argued that proletariat were oppressed by the Bazi today while working conditions have improved conflict theorists believe that the strained working relationship between employers and employees still exists capitalist own the means of production and a system is in place to make business owners rich and keep workers poor according to conflict theorists the resulting stratification creates class conflict symbolic interactionism symbolic interactionism uses everyday interactions of individuals to explain society as a whole symbolic interactionism examines stratification from a micr level perspective this anal analysis strives to explain how people's social standing affects their everyday interactions in most communities people interact primarily with others who share the same social standing it is precisely because of social stratification that people tend to live work and associate with others like themselves people who share their same income level educational background class traits and even tastes in food music and clothing the built-in system of social stratification groups people together this is one of the reasons why it was rare for a royal Prince like England's Prince William to marry a commoner symbolic interactionists also note that people's appearance reflects their perceived social standing as discussed above class traits seen through housing clothing and transportation indicate social status as do hairstyles taste and accessories and person style symbolic interactionists also analyze how individuals think of themselves or others interpretation of themselves based on these class traits to symbolically communicate social standing people often engage in conspicuous consumption which is the purchase and use of certain products to make a social statement about status carrying pricey but eco-friendly water bottles could indicate a person's social standing or what they would like others to believe their social standing is some people buy expensive trendy sneakers even though they will never wear them to jog or play sports a $177,000 car provides Transportation as easily as a $100,000 vehicle but the luxury car makes a social statement that the less expensive car can't live up to all these symbols of stratification are worthy of examination by an interactionist this has been Introduction to Sociology Third Edition from Open Stacks Open Stacks textbooks and this free audio book are 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