1. Chapter 8
Social Stratification
and the U.S. Class System
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Slides by Michael Miller

2. Key Terms
Social Differentiation
• Process by which we are set apart for differential treatment
Social Inequality
• Condition under which we have unequal access to resources
Social Stratification
• Form of inequality based on our access to valued resources
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3. Systems of Stratification
Slave System
• Two distinct strata:
category of free people
and a category who are
the legal property of
others
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Caste System
• Rank is heredity and
permanent
• Marriage between
members of
different categories
is prohibited

4. Systems of Stratification
Estate System
• Centered on
monopoly of power
and ownership of land
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Class System
• Achieved statuses
are the principal
means of ranking

5. Determining Social Class Ranking
Wealth
Power
Authority
Income
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6. Socioeconomic Status
Measuring social class
• Reputational method
• Subjective method
• Objective method (preferred by U.S. sociologists)
Socioeconomic status
• A ranking that combines income, occupational prestige,
education, and neighborhood to define social class
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Lower
Lower-Middle
Upper-Middle
U.S. Social Classes

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9. Poverty
Absolute Poverty
• Being below the minimum level of subsistence and
unable to function as members of society
Relative Poverty
• A lack of resources relative to others and the
overall standards of society
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10. Who Are U.S. Poor?
Media Images
• Influence assumptions about who is poor
The Reality
• In 2005, 33 million Americans (12%) had poverty incomes
• Poverty rates vary by age, race, and gender
• Feminization of poverty: women and girls are majority
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12. Poverty and Culture
Culture of Poverty
• Set of norms, beliefs, values, and attitudes that trap poor
in permanent cycle of poverty
• Most sociologists disagree with idea that poor people
remain poor because of defective culture
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15. Life Chances
Class is a powerful predictor of
life outcomes...
Opportunities for securing resources
• Like eating nutritious food, getting decent housing,
going to college, etc.
Advantages begin early and persist throughout life
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16. Social Mobility
Vertical movement within class structure
Intergenerational & Intragenerational
Structural mobility
• large-scale changes causing movement in hierarchy
• major basis of movement in U.S.
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17. Sociological Perspectives
Functionalist
Davis and Moore
1. Inequality is created by needs of system
2. Some positions are more important to society and require
more training and skills
3. Differential reward motivates people to fill important jobs
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18. Sociological Perspectives
Conflict
Marx
1. History = class struggle where elites gain most benefits
2. Bourgeoisie (capitalists) vs. Proletariat (working class)
Would you agree that mass media are
instruments of ruling class?
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19. Sociological Perspectives
Interactionist
We use symbols to differentiate ourselves from those in
other classes
Lifestyle displays rank
Veblen
Wealth becomes prestige through conspicuous consumption
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