Stratification and Society

1
Stratification and Society

• Stratification in the US and the World

2
Origins of Class stratification

• Marxs work is seen as the origins of the modern
  study of class stratification
• Differences between owners (upper class) and
  workers (lower class)
• Conflict between two competing classes
• Lack of scarce resources

3
Caste System

• Caste System no social mobility
• Hereditary system of social rank
• India
• Brahman priests
• Harijan - outcasts
• Africa
• Nigeria, Cameroon Religious caste system
• Somali political nobility
• Japan
• Burakumin
• Japanese social minority - Handout

4
Slavery and Class stratification

• Slavery System limited social mobility
• Mobility within the classes
• Group of owners and slaves
• Legal in some countries due to debt, indentured
• India and Pakistan
• Class system open social/economic mobility
• United States
• Based on individual success
• Individual rights and responsibilities

5
U.S. Social Class System

• Upper Class 1-2 3-6,000,000
• Upper Middle 10-15
• Middle 45-50
• Lower Middle 25-30
• Lower 20-25 -- 60-75,000,000
• Becoming more stratified every decade

6
Distribution of wealth in the U.S.

• In 2000 (56,200,000)
• Top 20 -- 50 of the US income
• Top 20 -- 85 of the US wealth
• 2007
• Median income 50,233
• Fortune 2000 5.7 Million (2004)
• Fortune 500 11.1 Million (2004)

7
2008 CEO Takehome

• Average worker 54K (147 per day)
• IAC (Interactive Corp) CEO
• 295 million (808,219 per day)
• Capital One 285 million
• KB Homes 164 million
• Pfizer 15.0 million
• Aetna 35 million

8
Stratification in 2004

• 99.5 -- 500,000 or less
• 90 -- 100,000 or less
• 70 -- 50,000 or less
• 50 -- 30,000 or less (130,000,000)
• .5 -- 500,000 or more
• 9,677 individuals earn more than 10,000,000
  annually

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Characteristics of Stratification

• Social Inequality
• the lack of access to housing, health care,
  education, employment opportunities, and status.
• Based on perception of what you should have vs.
  what you actually have
• Income
• What we make
• Wealth
• What we are worth
• All of these combined create stratification

10
Social Stratification
11
F.P.O.V.

• Stratification provides structure
• Provides goals and the means to achieve those
  goals
• Talcott Parsons

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Durkheim

• Division of labor in society helps establish
  goals and structure for individuals
• Stratification forms groups for social groups to
  attach themselves to
• Similar goals and ideals associated with class
• Roles associated with jobs
• Integration
• Solidarity
• Reduces anomie

13
Weber

• Class position equaled power position
• Each social class has their own distinctive life
  style and various views
• Class system was established to allow men to
  achieve more
• Made up of multiple things
• Occupancy, schooling, speech, recreational
  habits, spending

14
Talcott Parsons

• The class system is a response to norms and
  values
• Rewards legitimize the system
• Defense to the American Culture
• Success is based on the individual
• Structural Functionalism

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C.P.O.V

• Stratification based on exploitation of workers
• The class system will only continue to benefit
  those that operate on the top
• Stratification causes tension that will
  ultimately create a rebellion
• Income and wealth will go to those who with the
  most control
• Those on the bottom will continue to make less
  and less over time

16
Marx

• Stratification ultimately creates conflict and
  struggle
• The have nots rise up against the haves
• Class is constructed of two differing groups
• Proletariat owners of labor, no other resources
  than their own labor
• Bourgeoisie owners of the means of production

17
Marx
18
Marx vs. Weber

• Marx was a economic determinist
• The relationship between the owners and workers
  was the most important
• It was all about property, lack of ownership of
  property forced those to work for low wages
• Owners exploited workers for profit
• Weber focused on a combination of three things
• Power people do what you want
• Prestige people look up to you
• Property what you own

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Stratification by Social Class
Measuring Social Class

• Table 5-1 Prestige Rankings of Occupations

(Continued on next slide)
Sources J.A. Davis et al. 2003 Nakao and Treas
1990, 1994 NORC 1994.
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Gap Stats

• 1990s
• Bottom 20 -- 5.6 of national income
• Top 20 -- 46 of national income
• 1972-2001 income levels
• Bottom 20 grew by 3
• Top 1 income grew by 187
• Top 1 own 2X more than 15 years before

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Money for nothing,

• Median CEO bonus for 2003
• 4.4 million
• Median bonus for 2003
• 710,000
• Carly Fiorina -- HP
• 21.5 million forced out
• Michael Eisner Disney
• 10.1 million, forced out

22
Changing CEO Pay
23
Net Wealth in the US
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Wealth by Race -- 2000
25
CEO pay in the US
26
I.P.O.V.

• How does Interactionism explain stratification
• The influence of class
• Actions we take create our class
• Common belief system
• Community of common ideals
• Differences between the classes

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Understanding Key ideas

• Poverty
• Absolute
• 20618/4 (2006)
• 10294/1 (2006)
• Relative perception of those around you,
  comparative statement
• Feminization of poverty
• Social factors that increase this number
• Unemployment

28
Global Stratification

• Colonialism Decolonialism
• Development Project
• US Modernization Project
• USSR - Development
• World Systems Theory - Wallerstein
• Dependency Theory - Frank
• Evolution into the Globalization Project.

29
Colonialism

• The physical and psychological subjugation of one
  nation over another
• Used military and technological superiority t
  maintain control over impoverished nations
• European nations that had colonized non-European
  nations for natural resources and labor
• United Kingdom Africa, Australia, South America
• France Large portions of Africa

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Colonialism Pre-WWII
31
Colonies of Great Britain
32
Colonies of France
33
Spanish Colonies
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De-colonization

• Former colonies were able to regain their freedom
• Finished after WWII, European countries were
  ravaged from the destruction of the war
• European colonizers were not able to maintain
  their hold on their colonies
• Third world countries were now independent and
  able to compete in the world market

35
Development For the US

• US Capitalism - Individual
• Free market enterprise Jeremy Bentham
• Everyone working towards individual happiness
  will ultimately benefit all
• Market investment
• Individual consumption
• Private property
• Industrial advancement
• High division of labor

36
Development for the USSR

• USSR Communism - Collective
• Centrally planned social organization
• Government controlled everything
• Squeezed peasants for labor and food
• Emerged out of the works of Marx and Engels
• From each his own ability to each his own need
• Central and state planning
• Socialist state
• Low division of labor

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Modernization project

• A functionalist approach to improving the world
  by modernizing others.
• Using the European and American model of
  development
• Being modern meant being European/American
• Lead by Talcott Parsons and W.W. Rostow

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Praxis of Modernization

• Talcott Parsons
• Popular against the defense of Communism
• Legitimized the US and its culture
• Individual success
• Theory of modernization
• W.W. Rostow
• Five stages of economic growth
• Plan of modernization

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Rostows non-communist manifesto

• Traditional Society
• Preconditions for takeoff
• Takeoff
• Drive to Maturity
• Age of Mass Consumption

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Development Project

• Post WWII
• Decolonization peaks
• The attempt of the Soviet Union and the United
  States to develop the world in their own
  likenesses
• Soviet Union - Marx
• Central and State planning
• United States _ Bentham
• Free Market
• Utilitarianism

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Development Begins

• After WWII, both nations used their superior
  economy and technology to convert third world
  nations
• Leap-frogging each other for 20 years rebuilding
  nations in their own likeness
• Using money to entice nations to convert
• Former colonies needed money to jumpstart their
  economy and would take it from either source

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Development cont

• Third world nations were feeding off of US and
  USSR for resources
• US tried to stay ahead of USSR throughout Europe
• USSR began to convert many Eastern European
  nations
• Struggle to stay ahead

43
Battle in the East

• Conflict begins in Vietnam -1959 - 1974
• North (Communist)
• South (Capitalist)

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End of an Era

• Modernization project comes to an end as US
  forces are sent home
• Crisis in US for civil rights, equal rights,
  environmental rights, worker rights, etc began to
  challenge the idea that the system works equally
  for everyone
• US economy began to slow

45
World Systems/Dependency Theory

• Immanuel Wallerstein
• Andre Gunther Frank
• Argument against the modernization project
• Based in Latin America
• Answered the question as to why the world can not
  keep up.

46
Globalization

• The class system on a global scale
• The attempt to create a global market where each
  nation plays a role
• Develop niche markets for various nations
• The world becomes intertwined economically and
  socially