SOC 12050 Lecture Notes - Lecture 25: Social Stratification, Social Inequality, Class Conflict

• School: Kent State University
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOC 12050
• Professor: Allen Lowery

Document Summary

The united kingdom today is a class society, but it retains important elements of its former caste system, the american class system. Inequality follows relatively consistent and stable patterns that persist through time. Typically, stratified groups in the united states are referred to as the upper class, the upper middle class, the lower middle class, the working class and and the lower class. Income inequality is high in the united states; it is increasing; and it is at its highest level in 50 years. In 2001, the top 20 percent of the population received half of the income and inequality in wealth is even greater. Wealth remains highly concentrated: white-collar jobs offer no more income, security, or satisfaction than blue-collar jobs did a century ago, class conflict continues between workers and management, the laws still protect the private property of the rich. Sociologists typically take a multidimensional view of stratification, identifying three components: economic standing (wealth and income, prestige, power.