Download Chapter 7 Social Class: The Structure of Inequality | SOC - Social Stratification and more Quizzes Contemporary Sociology in PDF only on Docsity!
Social Stratification
The division of society into groups arranged in a social hierarchy. TERM 2
Social Inequality
DEFINITION 2 The unequal distribution of wealth, power, or prestige among members of a society. TERM 3
Slavery
DEFINITION 3 The most extreme form of social stratification, based on the legal ownership of people. TERM 4
Caste System
DEFINITION 4 A form of social stratification in which status is determined by one's family history and background and cannot be changed. TERM 5
Social Class
DEFINITION 5 A system of stratification based on access to such resources as wealth, property, power, and prestige.
Upper Class
An elite and largely self-sustaining group who posses most of the country's wealth; they constitute about 1 percent of the U.S. population. TERM 7
Upper-Middle Class
DEFINITION 7 Mostly highly-educated professionals and managers who have considerable financial stability; they constitute about 14 percent of the U.S. population. TERM 8
Middle Class
DEFINITION 8 Composed primarily of "white collar" workers with a broad range of education and incomes; they constitute about 30 percent of the U.S. population. TERM 9
Lower-Middle Class
DEFINITION 9 Mostly "blue collar" or service industry workers who are less likely to have a college degree; they constitute about 30 percent of the U.S. population. TERM 10
Working Poor
DEFINITION 10 Poorly educated manual and service workers who may work full-time but remain near or below the poverty line; they constitute about 20 percent of the U.S. population.
Meritocracy
A system in which rewards are distributed based on merit. TERM 17
Social Mobility
DEFINITION 17 The movement of individuals or groups within the hierarchical system of social classes. TERM 18
Closed System
DEFINITION 18 A social system with very little opportunity to move from one class to another. TERM 19
Open System
DEFINITION 19 A social system with ample opportunities to move from one class to another. TERM 20
Feudal System
DEFINITION 20 A system of social stratification based on a hereditary nobility who were responsible for and served by a lower stratum of forced laborers called serfs.
Socioeconomic Status
A measure of an individual's place within a social class system; often used interchangeably with "class." TERM 22
Social Reproduction
DEFINITION 22 The tendency of social classes to remain relatively stable as class status is passed down from one generation to the next. TERM 23
Cultural Capital
DEFINITION 23 The tastes, habits, expectations, skills, knowledge, and other cultural assets that help us gain advantages in society.
