Sociology Quiz Ch 8, Lesson 2: Social Class and Poverty

Sociology Ch 8, Lesson 2: Social Class and Poverty

Dimensions and Explanations of Stratification

• Social stratification is the ranking of people or groups according to their unequal access to scarce resources. Each layer in a stratification system is a social class. Karl Marx believed that control of the economy gave capitalists control over legal, educational, and governmental systems.

• Power is the ability to control the behavior of others. Prestige is the recognition, respect, and admiration attached to social positions.

Dimensions and Explanations of Stratification

• According to functionalism, stratification assures that the most qualified people fill the most important positions. 

• Conflict theory states that inequality exists because some people are willing to exploit others. 

• According to symbolic interactionism, people are socialized to accept the existing stratification structure.

Social Class and Poverty in America

•  Class consciousness is a sense of identification with the goals and interests of the members of a particular social class.

• Wealth is a hallmark of the upper class. Those in the middle class earn enough to make a living and to save money. Members of the lower class generally have below-average income and unstable employment. The working poor consists of people employed in low-skill jobs, and the underclass is made up of people who are usually unemployed.

Social Class and Poverty in America

• Historically, the United States has measured poverty by setting an annual income level and considering people poor if their income fell below that level. 

• By 2010, minorities, people who lived in female-headed households, children younger than 18, and people with disabilities made up the most disadvantaged groups living in the United States

Social Class and Poverty in America

• The War on Poverty was developed to help poor people help themselves—with the goal of eliminating poverty through self-improvement, rather than temporary relief.

• The current emphasis within welfare reform focuses on reducing the welfare rolls, rather than reducing poverty. Some believe this hampers the long-term economic well-being of the needy.

Multiple Select

a small, elite group based on heritage rather than accomplishment

• underclass

• middle class

• working poor

• working class

• aristocracy

Multiple Select

a large segment of society, composed of hourly workers whose income is somewhat below average

• underclass

• middle class

• working poor

• working class

• aristocracy

Multiple Select

people who work at low-skill jobs and have an income below the poverty line

• underclass

• middle class

• working poor

• working class

• aristocracy

Multiple Select

people who are poor, unemployed, and frequently come from families that have a history of not working regularly

• underclass

• middle class

• working poor

• working class

• aristocracy

Multiple Select

a fairly large group of people with professions that range from upper level managers and professionals to non-retail salespeople

• underclass

• middle class

• working poor

• working class

• aristocracy

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is least likely to live in poverty in the United States today?

• a 30-year-old white man

• an African American mother of two preschoolers

• a 14-year-old Latino boy

• a mentally ill 45-year-old white woman

Multiple Choice

How is poverty measured in the United States?

• by sending out surveys to all American families

• by conducting interviews with people in the underclass

• by setting an annual base level income for a family of four

• by measuring annual levels of unemployment

Multiple Choice

Which of the following describes rates of poverty for African Americans and Latinos?

• lower than rates for whites

• about the same as rates for whites

• slightly higher than rates for whites

• much higher than rates for whites

Multiple Choice

Which of the following best explains why women have a higher risk of being poor?

• Corporate employers are reluctant to hire women.

• Many women choose not to use child-care facilities.

• Women earn about 80 cents for every dollar earned by men.

• Most women choose professions that pay less.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following best describes how Americans regard class consciousness?

• very significant to American identity

• less important than other markers of identity

• not relevant to American identity

• as part of the principle of equality