- Social Stratification (intro – why the topic is important):
- Helps us identify social norms in specific social classes with specific values and activities for each class.
- Contributes to social inequality; opportunities are limited in some social classes.
- People are born into a social class which dictates their opportunities. Also the limited options for some classes makes it harder for people to advance.
- Helps us identify problems in society.
- Research (in text and outside sources):
- Social stratification systems vary across the world, including caste and class systems. Impacts groups and individuals; systems frame how people live and grow up.
- Social relationships and marital relationships are typically within social class levels; language, activities, and values vary by class. More difficult to make connections with people who live “differently”.
- Different standards of living between wealthy and poor, different distribution of resources based on social classes. Resources include money/income, health care (esp in societies that do not have universal health care), health insurance, power, transportation, access to food and healthy food, education.
- Systems of income distribution occur at the societal level through government regulations and taxation.
- Sociology Concepts (that can be applied to the topic to help us understand it further):
- Intergenerational mobility “different social classes in different members of the family”; parents and children may end up in different classes due to education and jobs.
- Social mobility “the ability to change positions within a social stratification system”
- Meritocracy “an ideal system in which personal effort or merit determines social standing”
- Patriarchy- “society in which unequal powers and relations between women and men, women are systematically disadvantaged and oppressed”
- Endogamous marriage -two people of same class marry
- Class system “social standing based on social factors and individual accomplishments”
- Context Relevance (how do social and demographic factors influence how people experience this topic):
- Race and ethnicity- dictates/impacts opportunities, stigma, stereotyping, “whiteness” benefits people to perceptions, leadership, jobs, promotions, differential treatment in arrests and convictions (racial profiling, school to prison pipeline)
- Sexuality
- Gender – Women that are poor suffer more than men that are poor due to gender stratification, limited education and work opportunities. Women in workforce – strong, assertive, hard working women can be seen negatively – language used can be pejorative and derogatory.
- Criminal background – can prevent job opportunities; criminal records are public record and can be searched by employers; limits opportunities to military service
- Power structures and Worldviews (systems and people who can set, influence, and maintain rules, legislation):
- Government – legislation about taxation –social classes pay different tax rates; tax loopholes -offshore accounts and can pay lawyers to fight for their ability to pay less; provides laws and rules for population to follow – incarceration interrupt people’s ability to earn income; different prisons for different “levels” of offense; government assistance programs help people (with disabilities or the very poor) with housing, food, and income
- Business owners and executives – income and wealth gained through profits, set pay schedules within their companies, influence legislation on taxation and more. Reinforcement of gender pay gaps
- Schools – socialization of students, resources available to schools, public and private schools lead to different social networks and opportunities.
- Assumptions (your own and other people’s assumptions on topic- provide research to evaluate validity of the view):
- Own assumptions – “considered white trash”, perceptions of people based on their social class
- Rich men are robots
- Not all homeless people are poor
- The wealthy think they are better than others
- Respect is given to people (earned or not) based on social class
- I assume most politicians and rich people are too closed minded to understand people of a significantly different income bracket, life styles, or culture
- ****can research be used to evaluate our assumptions – ppcc library – ebsco
- Self-Awareness and Comparison with Others (see below – your own -a- and public opinion on the topic – c):
- How were you raised (social class) and how did that influence your ideas about social class
- Class systems we are born into impacts our attitudes, how many jobs we have, how we manage our money; living in different areas of the country or world impacts how we see social class, our ideas about need to change
- Public opinion on social class: newspapers, PEW Trust, Gallop, Independent
- Conclusion (should include a brief summary and implications of information found):
- Summary
- Implications: people have differing levels of education and opportunities, impacts every aspect of people’s lives, social change necessary to change to be more equitable and fair in society
