Chap 10 (Strat Systems)

8/8/2019 Chap 10 (Strat Systems)

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Chapter 10

Comparing Systems of

Stratification


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Hunting and Gathering

Societies (most common form

of Simple Society) Death was the major fact of life.

Experienced chronic famines and onlyoccasional feasts.

Stratified? Not much in terms of $

Primary bases of stratification were age

and sex Small, poor, threatened societies = little

stratification


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Agrarian Societies live by

farming

Agriculture = more permanency,construct better shelters

Agriculture = surplus food production(producing more than you needyourself)

The capacity for labor to producesurplus was the basis for inequalities.


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Surplus = Stratification Why?

Someone owns field

Surplus = specialization andurbanization freed up others to think,

invent, cure illness, etc. division of labor = power and status

differences

By owning another person one can ownthe surplus the other person produces.


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Surplus = Stratification

(continued)

Surplus supports a military, which iscontrolled by those in power

Specialization = training and weaponsgreater ability to exploit

Haves educate themselves time to

study heavens, compose poems, etc. Cultural wall prevents upward mobility


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Industrial Societies = Less

Stratification Greater productivity shouldproduce greater

stratification, right?

Certainly this is what Marx predicted

But, industrialization = increase in level ofskill/training require

Less replaceable

Less replaceability = greater power

Industrialization forced upward mobility

Industrialization = decline in influence ofascription (in theory, societies can affordeducation for all)


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Correlations between Stratification

and IndustrializationCorrelations with % of

total national income

going to richest 10% of

familiesLevel of economic development -.61

TV sets per 1,000 population -.65

Per capita gross domestic product -.64

Telephones per 1,000 population -.66Average life expectancy -.56


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Social Class in the US Slightly more inequality in the US than

in other industrialized countries

Median household (people in a housing

unit) = $43K Median family of 4 income = about

$51K

$95K = 80th percentile, $165K = 95th

percentile Who is rich? everything relative, I guess

Classes? Upper, middle, working, lower


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Wealth = all money and assets

minus debt Richest 20% control 84% of wealth richest

1% control 40% of wealth

Poorest 40% have no wealth (assets = debt)

Differences in income in America are toolarge? (GSS question)

SA = 27%, A = 34%, NeitherA orD = 20%, D

= 9%, SD

= 3% Answer to this question important implicationsminimum wage, tax structure, opinions on CEOsalaries, etc.


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While industrialization resulted in

less inequality (think about last

100-150 years), last 30 years hasseen increase in inequality


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Mobility in the United States

Freedom American Dream Hard workcan turn anyone into anything he/she wants True?

Mobility patterns in US similar to otherindustrialized (Lipset and Bendix study inbook) Some evidence that big jumps more common in

US

R

ace and class matter less than they used to,but they still matter Important we dont forget this remember lobster

lunch


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Status Attainment Model (Blau and

Duncan)

Strategy for studying intergenerationalmobility developed in 1960s

Original study conducted by US CensusBureau

Main finding from original study

Status of fathers occupation is correlated withstatus of sons but not as much as peoplethought (r = .4)

Fathers status affects sons through education


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Education the key

Should rich and poor have equalaccess?

Do rich and poor have equal access? Debate in Malibu schools

Will $ save the day? (Video)

Not likely but not a bad place to start Home situation still a powerful predictor of

school success


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Poverty in the US

Poverty rate up in past 3 years 12.5% in 2003 (was11.5 % in 2001)

Poverty line = 3 times annual food bill About $18,500

Blame the poor or blame society? Working poor are common

Minimum wage = $5.15 (has not risen in 8 years)

D

o the math? What can we learn from talking to homeless?

Stereotypes dont work

1/3 drugs and alcohol, 1/3 mentally ill


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Interesting studies from Chap 10 Blau and Duncan status attainment research led to many

studies conclusions Considerable upward mobility Cohen and Tyree found that 2/3 of poor children (lower 20%)

end up in top 40% Marital status

Education key and upper class have educationaladvantage

Mare and Tzeng advantage to kids if parents older Age of father correlates with education and occupational

prestige Effects remains even if we control for ed, $, occupation

Older parents more mature, better parents? Porter: Replication of Blau and Duncan in Canada

Remarkably, correlation between fathers occupationalprestige and sons = .4

Correlation between sons education and sons occupationalprestige = .6


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Summary ofChap 9 and 10

People vary in their degree of property($), power, prestige (status) (Webers3Ps)

Strat inevitable partly because strat isfunctional some positions are moreimportant, less replaceable

But conflict theory also important People will tend to act in self interest

leads to exploitation, increasing inequality

Will tendto this does not mean that youand I have to always act in self interest


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Conclusions continued

Simple societies, agrarian, industrialized

Ascription (race, class, gender) related

to life chances, but less so inindustrialized societies Throughout much of human history,

ascription THE determinant (caste)

Correlation between fathers occupationalstatus and sons about .4 in US andCanada


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What will the world do to you?

Perrin opinions no extra charge Marxism cannot work because.

Strat is functional replaceability does explainstrat

People will not work as hard for the common good

as they will for themselves Gov = power tendto use power in self interest

But Capitalism is not without its ownproblems We live in a world where, to some degree, we are

judged by how much we produce, how much wemake

We are also encouraged to look out for #1? Marx warned of what Capitalism does to

interpersonal relationships


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World divided into 2 kinds of

people? Those who return their shopping carts, those

who do not? Those who take advantage of the weaker (or

younger or poorer or) and those whodefend the weaker (or.) Jacob story

Arthur Miller play, All My Sons If a man like that could do a thing like that then

anyone capable of doing anything? Power in the example of Jesus love your

neighbor as yourself Go see Motorcycle Diaries

Chap 10 (Strat Systems)

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