Page 254 - Essencials of Sociology

What Is Social Class? 227

also be standing when the president enters. In the TABLE 8.2 Occupational Prestige: How the
courtroom, bailiffs, some with a gun at the hip, make
certain that everyone stands when the judge enters. United States Compares with Sixty Countries
Status symbols vary with social class. Clearly, only
the wealthy can afford certain items, such as yachts and Occupation United States Average of Sixty Countries
huge estates—or the $35,000 bottle of champagne Physician 86 78
mentioned in the box on page 225. But beyond afford- Supreme Court judge 85 82
ability lies a class-based preference in status symbols. For College president 81 86
example, people who are striving to be upwardly mobile Astronaut 80 80
flaunt labels on their clothing or conspicuously carry Lawyer 75 73
78
College professor
74
shopping bags from prestigious stores to show that they Airline pilot 73 66
have “arrived.” The wealthy, who regard the symbols of Architect 73 72
the “common” classes as cheap and showy, flaunt their Biologist 73 69
own status symbols, such as $75,000 Rolex watches and Dentist 72 70
$50,000 diamond earrings. Like the other classes, they, Civil engineer 69 70
too, try to outdo one another. They casually mention Clergy 69 60
the length of their yacht or that a helicopter flew them Psychologist 69 66
to their golf game (Fabrikant 2005). Or they offhand- Pharmacist 68 64
edly bring up the $30,000-a-night suite at the Four High school teacher 66 64
Seasons in New York City, saying that it was “rather Registered nurse 66 54
nice” (Feuer 2008). Professional athlete 65 48
Do you try to display prestige? Think about your Electrical engineer 64 65
clothing. How much more are you willing to pay for Author 63 62
67
Banker
63
clothing that bears some hot “designer” label? Purses, Veterinarian 62 61
shoes, jeans, and shirts—many of us pay more if they Police officer 61 40
have some little symbol than if they don’t. As we wear Sociologist 61 67
them proudly, aren’t we actually proclaiming, “See, I Journalist 60 55
had the money to buy this particular item!”? For many, Classical musician 59 56
prestige is a primary factor in deciding which college to Actor or actress 58 52
attend. Everyone knows how the prestige of a generic Chiropractor 57 62
sheepskin from Regional State College compares with a Athletic coach 53 50
degree from Harvard, Princeton, Yale, or Stanford. Social worker 52 56
Electrician 51 44
Status Inconsistency Undertaker 49 34
Jazz musician 48 38
Ordinarily, we have a similar rank on all three dimen- Real estate agent 48 49
sions of social class—property, power, and prestige. The Mail carrier 47 33
homeless men in the opening vignette are an example Secretary 46 53
of these three dimensions lined up. Such people are Plumber 45 34
status consistent. Some people, however, have a mix- Carpenter 43 37
ture of high and low ranks. This condition, called status Farmer 40 47
inconsistency, leads to some interesting situations. Barber 36 30
Sociologist Gerhard Lenski (1954, 1966) analyzed Store sales clerk 36 34
how people try to maximize their status, their posi- Truck driver 30 33
tion in a social group. Individuals who rank high on Cab driver 28 28
one dimension of social class but lower on others want Garbage collector 28 13
people to judge them on the basis of their highest sta- Waiter or waitress 28 23
tus. Others, however, are also trying to maximize their Bartender 25 23
16
Lives on public aid
25
own positions, so they may respond according to these Bill collector 24 27
people’s lowest rankings. Factory worker 24 29
A classic study of status inconsistency was done by Janitor 22 21
sociologist Ray Gold (1952). After apartment-house Shoe shiner 17 12
janitors unionized in Chicago, they made more money Street sweeper 11 13
than some of the tenants whose garbage they car-
Note. The rankings are based on 1 to 100, from lowest to highest. For five occupations
ried out. Residents became upset when they saw jani- not located in the 1994 source, the 1991 ratings were used: Supreme Court judge,
tors driving more expensive cars than they did. Some astronaut, athletic coach, lives on public aid, and street sweeper.
attempted to “put the janitor in his place” by making Sources: Treiman 1977: Appendices A and D; Nakao and Treas 1990, 1994: Appendix D.