| 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 |
see social class |
| class consciousness |
the awareness that a class structure exists and
the feeling of shared identification with others in one’s class with
whom one perceives common life chances |
| class system |
a system of stratification in which location and
rank can change according to individual achievements, even though
one’s class is still strongly determined by social background |
| culture of poverty |
the argument that poverty is a way of life and,
like other cultures, is passed on from generation to generation |
| educational attainment
|
the total years of formal education |
| 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, which has total control over societal resources |
| false consciousness |
the thought resulting from subordinate classes
internalizing the view of the dominant class |
| family wage system |
a wage structure based on the assumption that men
are the breadwinners for families |
| feminization of poverty
|
the process whereby a growing proportion of the
poor are women and children |
| income |
the amount of money brought into a household from
various sources during a given year (wages, investment income,
dividends, and so on) |
| life chances |
the opportunities that people have in common by
virtue of belonging to a particular class |
| means of production |
the system by which goods are produced and
distributed |
| median income |
the midpoint of all household incomes |
| occupational prestige
|
the subjective evaluation people give to jobs as
better or worse than others |
| 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 perceived value placed upon different groups
or people |
| social class |
the social structural, hierarchical position
groups hold relative to the economic, social, political, and
cultural resources of society |
| social differentiation
|
the process by which different statuses in any
group, organization, or society develop |
| social mobility |
a person’s movement over time from one class to
another |
| 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 social inequality
|
| socioeconomic status
(SES) |
a measure of class standing, typically indicated
by income, occupational prestige, and educational attainment |
| status |
an established position in a social structure
that carries with it a degree of prestige |
| status attainment |
the process by which people end up in a given
position in the stratification system |
| Temporary Assistance for
Needy Families (TANF) |
federal program by which grants are given to
states to administer welfare |
| underclass |
those with little or no opportunity for movement
out of the worst poverty |
| wealth |
the monetary value of what someone owns,
calculated by adding all financial assets (stocks, bonds, property,
insurance, value of investments, and so on) and subtracting debts;
also called net worth |