Introduction:
This section examines how social class and social stratification are defined, how they relate to each other, and the different types that exist. More specifically, it analyzes how these concepts are applied to issues in the United States.
Article:
A particularly troublesome statistic I heard it my sociology class was that nearly 20% of children in America are living below the poverty line. The article I’ve included examines the lives of children in poverty. What I found interesting is the article illustrates how these children themselves perceive poverty and their situation.
Photographs:
There were a number of important topics in this section. I wanted to include several photos that represented the most significant issues concerning social class and social stratification in the United States. There were several concerns that I had very little knowledge about prior to my sociology class including poverty levels, the ever-growing gap between the rich and the poor, limited social mobility, and the misconceptions surrounding government aid for the poor.
Video Clip:
The two main sociological theories behind social stratification are the functionalist theory and conflict theory. The clip I’ve provided touches on the basics of these theories and also reviews the major terms and ideas regarding social stratification and social class.
Two Internet Sites:
The first link I’ve provided delves into some of the common fallacies associated with welfare recipients. Many think that those on welfare are simply lazy; however the article attempts to refute ideas such as these.
One of the main points I have yet to really talk about is the gap between the poor and wealthy and how this gap is continually increasing. The link below provides 15 charts on economic trends in the United States. I think the visual aids help depict the extent of this inequality.
Quote:
I selected the quote below because I think it ties together the main themes of this section.
"I believe that, as long as there is plenty, poverty is evil." - Robert Kennedy
Two Paragraphs:
Living in northwest, I think a lot of us are sheltered from the problems discussed on this page. I myself have always had faith in the “American dream,” that anyone can change their circumstances and achieve anything. However, as it turns out, that is more the exception and less the rule. Hopefully by creating this page more people can learn about the issues surrounding stratification in the United States.
There were many problems addressed in this section that I was not able to cover. Many other aspects of welfare, government aid, poverty and inequality should be discussed. For instance, that women, children, and minorities represent a disproportionate percentage of individuals living below the poverty line. Also, that as time progresses, the programs available to the needy seem to be increasingly less available. Simply put, the next step is solving these issues.
Word search:
Definitions:
Caste system: a system of stratification (characterized by low social mobility) in which one’s place in the stratification system is determined by birth
Class system: a system of stratification in which placement can change according to achievements
Culture of poverty: the argument that poverty is a way of life and, like other cultures, is passed on from generation to generation
Estate system: a system of stratification in which the ownership of property and the exercise of power is monopolized by an elite or noble class that has total control over societal resources
Ideology: a belief system that tries to explain and justify the status quo
Income: the amount of money brought into a household from various sources during a given year (wages, investment income, dividends, etc.)
Wealth: the monetary value of everything one actually owns
Status: an established position in a social structure that carries with it a degree of prestige
Social mobility: a person’s movement over time from one class to another
Social class: the social structural hierarchical position groups hold relative to the economic, social, political, and cultural resources of society
Poverty line: the figure established by the government to indicate the amount of money needed to support the basic needs of a household
Prestige: the value with which different groups or people are judged
Social stratification: a relatively fixed hierarchical arrangement in society by which groups have different access to resources, power, and perceived social worth; a system of structured inequality
Life chances: the opportunities that people have in common by virtue of belonging to a particular class
Net worth: the value of one’s financial assets minus debt
Photograph acquired from:
Video clip acquired from:
Quote acquired from:
Word search created using:
General information and word search definitions acquired from:
Anderson, Margaret L., and Howard F. Taylor. Sociology: The Essentials. Sixth ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2011. Print.
