Page 206 - Introduction To Sociology

198
Chapter 9 | Social Stratification in the United States
(a)
Figure 9.14 (a) A group of construction workers on the job site, and (b) a group of businessmen. What categories of stratification do these construction workers share? How do construction workers differ from executives or custodians? Who is more skilled? Who has greater prestige in society? (Photo (a) courtesy of Wikimedia Commons; Photo (b) courtesy of Chun Kit/flickr)
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. Some people buy expensive trendy sneakers even though they will never wear them to jog or play sports. A $17,000 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.
Chapter Review
Key Terms
caste system: a system in which people are born into a social standing that they will retain their entire lives class: a group who shares a common social status based on factors like wealth, income, education, and occupation class system: social standing based on social factors and individual accomplishments
class traits: the typical behaviors, customs, and norms that define each class (also called class markers) conspicuous consumption: the act of buying and using products to make a statement about social standing Davis-Moore thesis: a thesis that argues some social stratification is a social necessity
downward mobility: a lowering of one’s social class
endogamous marriages: unions of people within the same social category
exogamous unions: unions of spouses from different social categories
global stratification: a comparison of the wealth, economic stability, status, and power of countries as a whole income: the money a person earns from work or investments
intergenerational mobility: a difference in social class between different generations of a family intragenerational mobility: a difference in social class between different members of the same generation meritocracy: an ideal system in which personal effort—or merit—determines social standing
(b)
This OpenStax book is available for free at http://cnx.org/content/col11762/1.6