Schaefer Sociology in Modules

1. Racial and Ethnic
Inequality 10
3rd edition
Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Sociology in Modules
Richard T. Schaefer

2. Slide 2 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Minority Racial and
Ethnic Groups
• Racial group: group set apart from others
because of obvious physical differences
• Ethnic group: group set apart from others
primarily because of its national origin or
distinctive cultural patterns
Minority, Racial, and
Ethnic Groups

3. Slide 3 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Minority Groups
• Minority group: subordinate group
whose members have significantly less
control or power over their own lives
– Properties of minority groups include:
• Unequal treatment
• Distinguishing physical or cultural characteristics
• Involuntary membership
• Solidarity
• In-group marriage

4. Slide 4 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Race
• Research shows that race is not a
meaningful way of differentiating people
– Racial group refers to minorities

5. Slide 5 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Race
• Social Construction of Race
– Society socially constructs which differences
are important
– Racial formation: sociohistorical process
in which racial categories are created,
inhabited, transformed, and destroyed
• Creation of reservation system for Native
Americans
• “One-drop rule”

6. Slide 6 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Race
• Recognition of Multiple Identities
– 1900: DuBois predicted “the color line” as
foremost problem of 20th century
– Immigration from Latin America
shows fluid nature of race formation
– 2010 Census: over 9 million people in U.S.
reported they were of two or more races
• Half the people classified as multiracial
under age 18

7. Slide 7 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Table 31-1:
Racial and Ethnic Groups in the United States, 2010

8. Slide 8 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Figure 31-1: Racial and Ethnic Groups
in the United States, 1500–2060 (Projected)

9. Slide 9 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Ethnicity
• Ethnic group set apart from others
because of its national origin or distinctive
cultural patterns
– Distinction between racial and ethnic groups
not always clear
– Distinction between racial and ethnic groups
socially significant

10. Slide 10 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Prejudice and Discrimination
• Historic achievements of racial and
ethnic minorities, but bias-related incidents
continue
• College campus incidents:
– Student-run newspapers and radio stations
– White supremacist organizations
– Violent clashes between White and Black
students

11. Slide 11 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Prejudice
• Prejudice: negative attitude toward an
entire category of people
– Ethnocentrism: tendency to assume one’s
culture and way of life are superior to others
– Racism: belief that one race is supreme and
others are innately inferior
• Hate crimes
– Stereotypes: unreliable generalizations about
all members of a group that do not recognize
individual differences within the group

12. Slide 12 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Color-Blind Racism
• Color-blind racism: use of principle of
race neutrality to defend racially unequal
status quo
– Idea that society should be color-blind
perpetuates racial inequality
– Color line still in place, even if more people
refuse to acknowledge its existence

13. Slide 13 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Discriminatory Behavior
• Discrimination: denial of opportunities and
equal rights to people on an arbitrary basis
– Prejudiced attitudes are not the same as
discriminatory behavior
– Discrimination persists even for the most
educated and qualified minority group members
– Glass ceiling: invisible barrier blocking
promotion of qualified individuals in work
environment because of gender, race, or
ethnicity

14. Slide 14 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Figure 31-2:
U.S. Median Income by Race, Ethnicity, and Gender

15. Slide 15 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
The Privileges of the Dominant
• White privilege: rights or immunities
granted to people as a benefit or
favor simply because they are White
• Institutional Discrimination
– Denial of opportunities and equal rights that
results from operations of a society
– Affirmative action: positive efforts to
recruit minority members or women for jobs,
promotions, and educational opportunities

16. Slide 16 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Sociological Perspectives on
Race and Ethnicity
• Functionalists: racial prejudice and
discrimination positive for dominant groups
• Conflict theorists: economic structure a
central factor in exploitation of minorities
• Labeling theorists: ways minorities are
singled out for differential treatment by law
enforcement
• Interactionists: everyday contact contributes
to tolerance or hostility

17. Slide 17 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Functionalist Perspective
• Nash’s three functions that racially
prejudiced beliefs provide to the dominant
group:
– Moral justification for maintaining
unequal society
– Discourage subordinate groups from
questioning their status
– Suggest that any major social change
would bring greater poverty to the minority

18. Slide 18 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Functionalist Perspective
• Rose: dysfunctions associated with racism
– Society that practices discrimination
fails to use resources of all individuals
– Discrimination aggravates social problems
– Society must invest time and money
to defend barriers to full participation
– Racial prejudice undercuts goodwill and
diplomatic relations between nations

19. Slide 19 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Conflict Perspective
• Exploitation theory: racism keeps
minorities in low-paying jobs and supplies
dominant group with cheap labor
– Too limited to explain all prejudice

20. Slide 20 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Labeling Perspective
• Racial profiling: arbitrary action initiated
by an authority based on race, ethnicity,
or national origin rather than on person’s
behavior
– Practice often based on explicit stereotypes
• Continues despite overwhelming evidence that
profiling is misleading
• In 2010, 53 percent of Americans favored “ethnic
and religious profiling” of air travelers

21. Slide 21 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Interactionist Perspective
• Contact hypothesis: interracial contact
between people of equal status in
cooperative circumstances will cause
them to become less prejudiced and to
abandon old stereotypes

22. Slide 22 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Table 32-1: Sociological Perspectives on Race and Ethnicity

23. Slide 23 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Spectrum of Intergroup
Relations
• Racial and ethnic groups can relate to
one another in a variety of ways, from
friendships and intermarriages to hostility
– Genocide: deliberate, systematic killing of
an entire people or nation
– Expulsion of a people: another extreme
means of acting out racial or ethnic prejudice
– Secession: failure to resolve ethnic or racial
conflict results in drawing formal boundaries
between the groups

24. Slide 24 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Segregation
• Segregation: physical separation of two
groups of people in terms of residence,
workplace, social events
– Generally, dominant group imposes pattern
on minority group
– Apartheid: Republic of South Africa
severely restricted the movement of Blacks
and non-Whites

25. Slide 25 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Table 32-2: Segregated Metropolitan America

26. Slide 26 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Amalgamation
• Amalgamation: happens when majority
group and minority group combine to form
a new group
– Belief in the U.S. as a “melting pot” does
not adequately describe dominant-
subordinate relations in the U.S.

27. Slide 27 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Assimilation
• Assimilation: process through which a
person forsakes his or her cultural tradition
to become part of a different culture
– Assimilation progressed further in the U.S.
than in Europe, although more slowly than in
Canada

28. Slide 28 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Pluralism
• Pluralism: based on mutual respect
among various groups in a society for one
another’s cultures
– In U.S., pluralism more of an ideal than a
reality
– Switzerland exemplifies pluralistic state

29. Slide 29 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Figure 32-1: Spectrum of Intergroup Relations

30. Slide 30 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Race and Ethnicity
in the United States
• Racial and ethnic makeup of present-day
society determined by:
– Immigration
– Colonialism
– Slavery

31. Slide 31 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Figure 33-1: Minority Population by County

32. Slide 32 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
African Americans
• One out of every four Blacks is poor
• Contemporary institutional discrimination
and individual prejudice against African
Americans rooted in history of slavery
– Civil Rights movement of the 1960s
– Black power: rejected assimilation
into White middle-class society
– Blacks suffer in terms of their life chances
– Blacks remain significantly underrepresented

33. Slide 33 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Native Americans
• About 2.2 million Native Americans
represent array of cultures
– Life remains difficult for 554 tribal groups
– By 1990s, increasing number claim identity
as Native American
– 2009: federal government settled 13-year-old
lawsuit for recovery of lease payments due on
tribal lands
– Introduction of gambling on Indian
reservations transformed the lives of some

34. Slide 34 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Asian Americans
• One of the fastest growing segments of
U.S. population
– Diverse groups of people
– Ironically often held up as unqualified
success story
– Asian immigrants found disproportionately
in low-paying service occupations
– Better-educated Asian Americans
concentrated near top in professional and
managerial positions

35. Slide 35 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Figure 33-2: Asian American and
Pacific Islander Population by Origin

36. Slide 36 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Asian Americans
• Chinese Americans
– Encouraged to immigrate to U.S. from
1850 to 1880
– 1882: Chinese Exclusion Act
– Now, over 3 million Chinese Americans
• Asian Indians
– Second largest Asian group
– Number over 2.8 million
– Diverse population

37. Slide 37 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Asian Americans
• Filipino Americans
– 2.6 million in U.S.
– Classified as Asian but also reflect centuries of
Spanish and U.S. colonial rule
– Significant percentage are well-educated
professionals who work in health care
• Drained medical establishment in the Philippines
– Send significant amount of their income back to their
extended families (remittances)
– Strong loyalty to family and Catholic church have
precluded need for social organizations

38. Slide 38 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Asian Americans
• Vietnamese Americans
– Primarily came to U.S. during and after
Vietnam War
– Gravitated toward the larger urban areas
• Korean Americans
– Over 1.4 million Korean Americans in the U.S.
– Initial wave between 1903 and 1910
– Second wave after Korean War in 1953
– Third wave started with 1965 Immigration Act

39. Slide 39 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Asian Americans
• Japanese Americans
– Issei: first generation of Japanese immigrants
– In August 1943, 113,000 Japanese
Americans forced into camps in response to
World War II
– In 1988, U.S. established $1.25 billion trust
fund to pay reparations

40. Slide 40 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Arab Americans
• Nearly 4 million people of Arab ancestry
reside in the U.S.
• Cannot be characterized as having
specific family type, gender role, or
occupational pattern
• Profiling of potential terrorists has put Arab
and Muslim Americans under surveillance

41. Slide 41 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Figure 33-3: Arab American Religious Affiliations

42. Slide 42 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Latinos
• Largest minority in the U.S. with more than
50 million
– Census Bureau data: Latino population now
outnumbers African American population
in 6 of the 10 largest U.S. metropolitan areas
– Groups share heritage of Spanish language
and culture, which can cause serious
problems in assimilation

43. Slide 43 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Figure 33-4: Hispanic Population by Origin

44. Slide 44 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Latinos
• Mexican Americans
– Accounted for 42 percent of the nation’s
population growth in the 2000–2010 decade
– Subdivided into those descended from
residents of annexed territories after the
Mexican-American War and those who
have immigrated from Mexico to the U.S.
– Since at least 2000, Mexican Americans
born in the U.S. far exceeded those who
immigrated

45. Slide 45 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Latinos
• Puerto Ricans
– Hold U.S. citizenship
– Many migrated to New York and other
eastern cities
– Experienced serious poverty in the U.S. and
on the island
– Have not been as successful as Mexican
Americans in organizing for their rights

46. Slide 46 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Latinos
• Cuban Americans
– Immigration began in earnest following
Castro’s assumption of power in Cuban
revolution (1959)
– First wave included many professionals
– Recent waves of immigrants less
likely to be skilled professionals
– As a group, Cuban Americans in Miami
remain behind Whites in income, rate of
employment, and proportion of professionals

47. Slide 47 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Latinos
• Central and South Americans
– Immigrants from Central and South America
a diverse population that has not been closely
studied
– Follow complex classification system
that recognizes multitude of color gradients
– Socially, relations defy generalization

48. Slide 48 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Jewish Americans
• Constitute about 2% of population
• Like Japanese, many Jewish immigrants
became white-color professionals despite
prejudice, discrimination
• Anti-Semitism: anti-Jewish prejudice
• Jews have not achieved equality in
the U.S.

49. Slide 49 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
White Ethnics
• White ethnics’ ancestors came from
Europe in last 150 years
• Symbolic ethnicity: emphasis on
concerns such as ethnic food or political
issues rather than deeper ties to one’s
ethnic heritage

50. Slide 50 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Social policy and Racial and
Ethnic Inequality: Global Immigration
• Worldwide, immigration at all-time high
– Each year, about 191 million people
move from one country to another
• Mass migrations have had tremendous
social impact
– Who should be allowed in?
– When should immigration be curtailed?

51. Slide 51 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Social policy and Racial and
Ethnic Inequality: Global Immigration
• Looking at the Issue
– Migration of people not uniform
– Transnationals: immigrants who sustain
multiple social relationships that link their
societies of origin with their society of
settlement
– Since 1960s, U.S. encouraged immigration
of residents’ relatives and people with
specific skills

52. Slide 52 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Figure 33-5: Legal Migration to the United States

53. Slide 53 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Social policy and Racial and
Ethnic Inequality: Global Immigration
• Applying Sociology
– Research suggests immigrants adapt well to
life in the U.S.
– Immigration performs many valuable functions
– Immigration also can be dysfunctional

54. Slide 54 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Social policy and Racial and
Ethnic Inequality: Global Immigration
• Initiating Policy
– Long border with Mexico provides opportunity
for illegal immigration into U.S.
– 1986 act outlawed hiring illegal aliens
– Intense debate over immigration reflects deep
value conflicts in cultures of many nations

55. Slide 55 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
31-1: Institutional Discrimination
in the Voting Booth
– Are you a registered voter? If so, how
does your local polling place verify
voters’ identity? Have you ever had
difficulty establishing your identity on
election day?
– Why are citizens and state legislators
suddenly so concerned about requiring
voters to establish their identity?
Research Today

56. Slide 56 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
33-1: The Aboriginal People of
Australia
– Try to think of a situation in your culture in
which the government might forcibly remove
a child from his or her family. Do you know
anyone who has had such an experience?
If so, what were the repercussions?
– What kind of reasoning do you think lay
behind the Australian government’s forced
removal of Aboriginal children from their
families? In sociological terms, what actually
happened?
Sociology in the
Global Community

57. Slide 57 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
33-2: Asian Americans:
A Model Minority?
– Are Asian Americans seen as “whiz kids”
at your school? If so, how close to reality
do you think that stereotype is?
– Talk with some Asian American students
about their grades and their study habits.
Do they all have the same work ethic?
How does your own work ethic compare
to theirs?
Research Today

58. Slide 58 Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Prudence Hannis, Associate Director,
First Nations Post-Secondary Institution,
Odanak, Québec
– What is the dropout rate at your school?
What political, cultural, social, and
economic conditions might contribute
to that dropout rate?
– In speaking of empowering First Nations
women, what sociological perspective
do you think Hannis is drawing on?
Taking Sociology to Work