Stratification Research Paper

Submitted By frankierdz
Words: 453
Pages: 2

Sociology
I. What is stratification?
a. Definition: Uneven distribution of goods (All societies are unequal but the degree varies; U.S highly unequal, Western Europe highly equal)
b. Dimensions of Stratification
b.i. Power- ability to get others to do as you please even when they refuse (Ex: police asking for id)
b.ii. Prestige (Status)- looking up to somebody (respecting)
b.iii. Material Resources- money, lands, stocks and bonds, etc…
b.iii.1. Income: comes from wages, rent, dividends
b.iii.2. Wealth: Net Worth meaning assets minus debts
c. Life Chances (Class)- opportunities you have for achieving economic prosperity
c.i. Caste system- you are born into it and cannot move out
c.ii. Class system
c.ii.1. Upper Class: wealthy Americans earning more than $300,000 annually (5% of population)
c.ii.2. Upper Middle Class: doctors, lawyers, engineers earning between $120,000 and $300,000 annually
c.ii.3. Lower Middle Class: trained office workers such as sales people, police officers, teachers making between $48,000 and $120,000
c.ii.4. Working Class: 20% of all American households that make between $30,000 and $48,000 (mechanics, restaurant, hotels)
c.ii.5. “Underclass”- the very bottom of the class system usually minorities (Blacks tapped in poverty cycle)
d. Patterns of Consumption
d.i. Consumer Society- a society in which people often buy new goods, especially goods that they do not need, and in which a high value is placed on owning many things
II. Three Most Unequal Developed Nations
a. U.S, Israel, and United Kingdom
III. U.S Income Inequality
a. Facts and Figures
b. Causes- discrimination and outside factors
c. Consequences- the rich get richer while the poor get poorer and it is a never ending cycle

Gender Inequality
I. Gender
a. Behavior = Genotype X Environment
b. Key Concepts
b.i. Sex- biological and anatomical