CHAPTER 8 – Social Class and Social Stratification

"All mankind is divided into three classes: those that are immovable, those that are movable, and those that move."
Arabian proverb

Social Class - A Necessary Evil

I would assume that a perfect world would be one where there are no clearly defined classes, where wealth and resources are distributed equally, and no one person or groups of persons are placed on a pedestal. Maybe so, but the reality is that is simply not the case. According to our text, observing and analyzing class is fundamental to sociological study and as a result it has been revealed that the greatest cause for the disparities in material success is the organization of society. Therefore, sociologists study the social structural origins of inequality.

I have a genuine interest in poverty in the United States. As a nutrition advisor for the University of Idaho Extension Nutrition Program, a program funded by the USDA's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, I work with low-income families to teach them to stretch their food dollars while making more nutritious choices. In the three years I have been in this position I have been exposed to levels of poverty that I thought only existed in third world countries and in the movies. I have also had the opportunity to partake in various poverty simulations and trainings. This chapter further emphasized the real-life social disparities in the United States. Some alarming statistics from text that stood out for me include:

• 1 in 5 children in the United States lives in poverty
  
• The rate of poverty in the United States has been increasing since 2000
  
• 31% of women who are head of household, live below the poverty line
  
• 1% of the U.S. population controls 33% of the total wealth in the nation
  
• The bottom 20% of the U.S. population owes more than they own
  

It is argued that poverty in the United States is a result of the culture habits of the poor that are transmitted from generation to generation. However, according to the text sociologists theorize that poverty is caused by social structure conditions, including unemployment, gender inequality in the workplace, and the absence of support for childcare for working parents.

The video below is an excellent depiction of social class in the United States and the key terms associated with the subject:

Below is an interesting article defining the social classes in the United States:

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/924658

In general social class refers to the distinctions between groups and individuals which are different from one society to another society or even within a particular society.
Every group of people believes in particular ideas such as age, gender, education, religion, income, family origin that put an individual in a higher or a lower position in a society.
Social groups in higher classes always possess great deal of power that gives them opportunity to subordinate lower classes.

The concept of class in the United States:

Class in the United States refers more to personal income, educational attainment and occupational prestige for those of 25-year-old or older. Although there are many people in the United States who believe that American society has been divided into three groups of poor, middle class and rich, this society is more diverse culturally and economically. While some theorists believe that because of such diversity it is impossible to draw a distinctive lines between social classes in the United States, but there are some who think it will be helpful if we consider major classes to discuss about class matter and to understand it better.

The American society categorized into five major class systems:

The first one is upper class which defines as those with great deal of power who are prestigious and influential especially on the nation's institutions.

The second class system is upper middle class that refers to those who enjoy high job with comfortable personal income. Most of them have received post-secondary degrees and they belong to the white collar professions.

Lower middle class is the third system that refers to those with college education who usually suffer from the lack of job security. They don't receive proper income also.

The fourth system labeled as working class includes those individuals who belong to blue as well as white collar workers; most of them have not received college degrees (even there are many who have never attended colleges) and suffer from low personal income.

Those who are in lower class are marginalized and poor although they work day and night.

Since the majority of people in the United States know themselves as middle class, it would be helpful if we concentrate more on this particular system to understand the United States' social conditions.

Culture, educational attainment and income are three factors so influential on an individual to identify himself/herself as a member of middle class.

Different social groups in the United States' society feature their own sub-cultures including common beliefs and manners accepted by all the members. Sub- cultures can influence the way members look at the world and even the way they raise their children.

If an individual ascends or descends from one social class to the other one class members will change their class culture. As class culture changes individuals' attitude toward the world, it can be influential directly to the necessity of education in the eyes of the social classes' members and indirectly to the members' income.

In America to the extent people become more educated they can earn more money and they can be able to occupy more prestigious locations. Prestigious location is the other factor that besides higher education and comfortable income influences an individual to identify himself or herself as an upper middle class or upper class member.

So, where do you stand? Are you one of the few lucky ones controlling the wealth of the nation? Are you part of the shrinking middle class? Are you comfortable living paycheck to paycheck – and wouldn't have it any other way? Do the folks at the Department of Health and Welfare know you and your entire family by name? Play this fun interactive game to find out where exactly you stand!

- http://www.pbs.org/peoplelikeus/games/chintz.html



Where does poverty in Idaho stand? Check out the following link:

- http://www.ers.usda.gov/Data/povertyrates/PovListpct.asp?st=ID&view=Percent&longname=Idaho



The following is a link to resources pertaining to social class and poverty:

- http://www.poverty.us/Idaho-Poverty.html

KNOW THE TERMS

CROSSWORD: Social Class and Social Stratification

 

S    E    F    K    U    P    M    P    Y

T    P    C    N    I    E    O    R    R

A    O    E    E    W    V    B    E    E

T    L    L    S    E    W    I    S    W

U    I    I    R    T    E    L    T    A

S    C    T    H    X    A    I    I    R

J    Y    E    K    T    L    T    G    D

C    A    S    T    E    T    Y    E    A

C    L    A    S    S    H    O    W    W

estate

caste

class

status

poverty

elites

mobility

policy

reward

wealth