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Social Inequality: Concepts, Causes, and Criticisms, Study notes of Sociology

Various concepts related to social inequality, including intelligence, caste systems, social class, poverty line, and class structure. It also explains the relationship between social class and opportunities, criticisms of the u.s. Poverty line, and different theoretical perspectives on social inequality. A test with questions about sociological perspective, human differences, educational attainment, systems of power, social status, and symbolic interactionism.

Typology: Study notes

2022/2023

Available from 09/20/2024

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Intelligence and inequality
- Even if the assumptions in the bell curve are correct, “intelligence” leads to inequality
only if…
- Opportunity is equal
- No discrimination
- No obstacles to education, employment, networking
- Poverty always results from individual actions
- …and we know that none of these are true!
- “Scientific racism” from an american magazine, Harper’s weekly, shows that the Irish are
similar to Negroes, and should be extinct!
Caste systems
- Closed system
- You are what you're born into (first estate, second estate…)
- Caste system: social stratification based on ascription
- India
- Brahmin
- Kshatriya
- Vaishya
- Shudra
- Reinforced endogamy
- Historically whatever you're born into, you marry into the same category
- Eg. If your dad is a shoemaker you become a shoe maker
Vocabulary
- Class system: a system of social inequality based on wealth and income and on the type
of work people do
Opportunity and social class
- Social class is linked to opportunities for benefiting from the rewards of a social system
in numerous ways. We call these opportunities life chances.
- Social class affects life expectancy (rich people can afford more surgeries/ health care
opportunities), mental illness (rich people who do crazy things find it normal, poor people
would be diagnosed as crazy), marital stability (poor people are 2-3x more likely to get
divorced), criminal justice contacts (if you have a private jet you wont run into customs if
you have a kilo of coke in your suitcase)
The poverty line
- Socially constructed
- Established in 1965, based on the cost of maintaining a minimum level of nutrition times
3 to allow for nonfood costs.
- In 2023 you are poor if you (1 person) make less than $14,580. 2 people = $19,720, 3
people= $24,860, 4 people = $30,000
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Intelligence and inequality

  • Even if the assumptions in the bell curve are correct, “intelligence” leads to inequality only if… - Opportunity is equal - No discrimination - No obstacles to education, employment, networking - Poverty always results from individual actions - …and we know that none of these are true!
  • “Scientific racism” from an american magazine, Harper’s weekly, shows that the Irish are similar to Negroes, and should be extinct! Caste systems
  • Closed system
  • You are what you're born into (first estate, second estate…)
  • Caste system: social stratification based on ascription
  • India
  • Brahmin
  • Kshatriya
  • Vaishya
  • Shudra
  • Reinforced endogamy
  • Historically whatever you're born into, you marry into the same category
  • Eg. If your dad is a shoemaker you become a shoe maker Vocabulary
  • Class system: a system of social inequality based on wealth and income and on the type of work people do Opportunity and social class
  • Social class is linked to opportunities for benefiting from the rewards of a social system in numerous ways. We call these opportunities life chances.
  • Social class affects life expectancy (rich people can afford more surgeries/ health care opportunities), mental illness (rich people who do crazy things find it normal, poor people would be diagnosed as crazy), marital stability (poor people are 2-3x more likely to get divorced), criminal justice contacts (if you have a private jet you wont run into customs if you have a kilo of coke in your suitcase) The poverty line
  • Socially constructed
  • Established in 1965, based on the cost of maintaining a minimum level of nutrition times 3 to allow for nonfood costs.
  • In 2023 you are poor if you (1 person) make less than $14,580. 2 people = $19,720, 3 people= $24,860, 4 people = $30,

Criticisms of the U.S. poverty line

  • Too low for today's household expenses
    • Rising costs of housing, transportation, and medical care
      • Should multiply the cost of food by 5, not 3
    • Does not account for the spending patterns of the poor
      • The poorer you are the less likely you are to be able to shop in stores with variety. You're buying more expensive stuff because you have to buy smaller portions
    • Does not account for taxes
      • More expensive areas than others
    • Does not account for regional variance in pricing Class structure
  • Upper (capitalist) class (top 1%)
  • Wealthiest and most powerful investors, heirs and executives
  • Upper middle class (14%)
  • Upper-level managers, professionals (such as doctors and lawyers) and medium sized business owners
  • Middle class (44%)
  • Lower level managers, supervisors, small business owners and crafts people
  • Working class (30%)
  • Semi-skilled machine operators (truck driver, welder); non-manual, semi skilled positions (paralegal and most 2 year degrees)
  • Lower class/ working poor (13%)
  • Unskilled positions, seasonal or migrant agricultural jobs, lowest-paid service sector jobs and the unemployed Test 1
  1. Examining social life and emphasizing interplay between societal forces and personal characteristics and influencing people's thoughts, actions, feelings and interactions is known as a. Sociological perspective
  2. In a stratified society human differences arranged a. Vertically
  3. Educational attainment is usually described as a. Achieved status
  4. Groups with significant social power typically have a. The luxury of remaining unexamined
  5. Emily is a black woman with a PhD in biomedical engineering with a high income but low personal familiar wealth her social status is a. Based on both achieved and ascribed status
  6. According to structural functionalism a barista working at a coffee shop would not need to be heavily rewarded because even though there is a high demand for takeout coffee a. The position is easily filled

a. Ethnicity involves culture

  1. How much of our genes are related to which society calls race a. Less than 1/100th of 1%
  2. As of 2021 how much longer on average do women live longer than men in the US a. 6 years
  3. From a conflict perspective inequality is caused by a. The existent social system
  4. The term bourgeoisie refers to a. The owners
  5. The functionalist perspective of inequality a. Assumes that problems must be studied in terms of the relationship to the society as a whole, it suggests the problem can be solved by re-integrating the individual into existing social structures, and it assumes that there is an objective reality to social problems
  6. Tannebums process of transference is used to describe a. The point at which the individual and not the individuals actions are defined as evil
  7. A set of expectations in behaviors associated with a particular social position refers to which of the following terms a. Roles
  8. How could you recognize a symbolic interactionists approach to inequality a. It would focus on social construction and learning
  9. Whats a caste system a. Social stratification based on ascription
  10. Transgender is a board label that describes individuals… a. Whose gender identity does not match their assigned sex
  11. Master status is a. The status assumed to be the most important part of a person's identity
  12. According to durkheim without norms people do what a. Act to maximize personal rewards
  13. To a symbolic interactionist reality is a. A socially created agreement
  14. Proletariat refers to a. The worker
  15. If an idea has been reified then it is something that is a. Unquestionably accepted and responded to
  16. About how many points on average do women score lower on SAT a. 30
  17. All of the following are social stratification except a. Inequality based on achieved status