Sociology: Chapter 9 Sec 2

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Sociology Chapter 9 Sec 2

• The American Class System
• Standards 3.1-3.5, 4.1-4.3

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The American Class System

• -Social Inequality exists in all class systems
• -U.S. has a fairly open system
• Determining Social Class
• -Some Sociologists see three classes
• 1. Upper
• 2. Middle
• 3. Lower

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Determining Social Class

• Other Sociologists
• 1. Upper-Upper
• 2. Lower-Upper
• 3. Upper-Middle
• 4. Lower-Middle
• 5. Upper-Lower
• 6. Lower-Lower

4
Determining Social Class

• Most Sociologists agree on a five category system
• 1. Upper Class- 1-3
• 2. Upper Middle Class- 10-15
• 3. Lower Middle Class- 30-35
• 4. Working Class- 40-45
• 5. Lower Class- 20-25

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Techniques for Ranking People

• 1. Reputational Method Individuals in community
  rank others in community based on characteristics
  and life styles
• 2. Subjective Method Individuals asked to
  determine own rank (Shy away from lower and
  upper)
• 3. Objective Method Class defined by income,
  occupation, and education
• Most Scientific

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Social Classes

• 1. Upper Class Own a sizable portion of the
  nations wealth
• -Upper-Upper Old Money
• Kennedys, Rockefellers, Vanderbilts
• Born into
• -Lower-Upper New Money
• Acquired wealth through own work
• Thorstein Veblen Conspicuous Consumption
• -Rich buy goods for status
• -Control Govt
• -Help Needy
• -Politically Conservative

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Social Classes

• 2. Upper Middle Class High income professionals
• -Career oriented
• -Power on the local levels
• 3. Lower-Middle Class Lower income White
  Collar (no manual labor)
• Live Comfortable life, but must work hard to
  maintain (Nurses, Teachersetc)

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Social Classes

• 4. Working Class Largest segment of population
• -Work blue-collar jobs (manual labor)
• -tradespeople
• pink-collar (lower level clerical, sales,
  service jobs) Few financial reserves
• 5. Lower Class
• -Lowest paying
• -unemployed
• -elderly
• -homelessetc

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Social Mobility

• Social Mobility Movement between classes
• -Vertical Mobility Upward or downward movement
  BETWEEN classes
• Ex Job promotion/ Demotion
• -Horizontal Mobility Person moves to s different
  job within the same class
• Ex Teacher who switches school
• -Intergenerational Mobility status differences
  between members of the same family
• Ex Son of a mechanic becomes a doctor

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Social Mobility Causes

• Upward Mobility
• -Technology
• -Change in merchandising patterns
• -Increase in Education-Society
• Downward Mobility
• -Illness
• -Divorce (Temporary)
• -Widowhood ( )
• -Retirement
• -Economic changes Ex LTV Steel