Page 277 - Essencials of Sociology

250 CHAPTER 8 Social Class in the United States

How does occupational prestige differ around the Social Mobility
world?
From country to country, people rank occupational pres-
8.4 Contrast the three types of social mobility, and review gender
tige similarly. Globally, the occupations that bring greater
issues in research on social mobility and why social mobility brings
prestige are those that pay more, require more education
pain.
and abstract thought, and offer greater independence.
Pp. 226–227. What are three types of social mobility?
What is meant by the term status The term intergenerational mobility refers to changes in
inconsistency? social class from one generation to the next. Structural mo-
Status is social position. Most people are status consis- bility refers to changes in society that lead large numbers of
tent; that is, they rank high or low on all three dimensions people to change their social class. Exchange mobility is the
of social class. People who rank higher on some dimen- movement of large numbers of people from one social class
sions than on others are status inconsistent. The frustra- to another, with the net result that the relative proportions
tions of status inconsistency tend to produce political of the population in the classes remain about the same.
radicalism. Pp. 227–228. Pp. 236–239.
Poverty
Sociological Models of Social Class
Explain the problems in drawing the poverty line, how
8.5
Contrast Marx’s and Weber’s models of social class.
8.2 poverty is related to geography, race-ethnicity, education,
feminization, age, and the culture of poverty; analyze why people
What models are used to portray the social are poor; and discuss deferred gratification and the Horatio Alger
classes? myth.
Erik Wright developed a four-class model based on Marx:
(1) capitalists (owners of large businesses), (2) petty Who are the poor?
bourgeoisie (small business owners), (3) managers, and Poverty is unequally distributed in the United States.
(4) workers. Kahl and Gilbert developed a six-class model Racial–ethnic minorities (except Asian Americans), children,
based on Weber. At the top is the capitalist class. In descend- households headed by women, and rural Americans are
ing order are the upper middle class, the lower middle more likely than others to be poor. The poverty line, al-
class, the working class, the working poor, and the though it has serious consequences, is arbitrary. The poverty
underclass. Pp. 228–233. rate of the elderly is less than that of the general population.
Pp. 239–242.
Consequences of Social Class Why are people poor?
Some social analysts believe that characteristics of individuals
cause poverty. Sociologists, in contrast, stress the structural fea-
Summarize the consequences of social class for physical
tures of society, such as employment opportunities, to find the
8.3
and mental health, family life, education, religion, politics, and the
causes of poverty. There also are poverty triggers. Sociologists
criminal justice system.
generally conclude that life orientations are a consequence, not
the cause, of people’s position in the social class structure.
How does social class affect people’s lives?
Pp. 243–248.
Social class leaves no aspect of life untouched. It affects How is the Horatio Alger myth functional for
our chances of dying early, becoming ill, receiving good
health care, and getting divorced. Social class member- society?
ship also affects child rearing, educational attainment, The Horatio Alger myth—the belief that anyone can get
religious affiliation, political participation, the crimes ahead if only he or she tries hard enough—encourages
people commit, and their contact with the criminal people to strive to get ahead. It also deflects blame for failure
justice system. Pp. 233–236. from society to the individual. Pp. 248–249.