SOCA01H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Proletariat, Meritocracy, Petite Bourgeoisie
Document Summary
Social inequality: inequality in the distribution of societal values (wealth, power, and prestige), caused by any ascribed or achieved characteristics. Includes gender, ethic, racial, etc. inequality and social-economic (class/status) inequality. Social-economic inequality is a relatively stable pattern (hierarchy) of socially sanctioned, economic inequality. Inequality exists in all known societies, social-economic inequality exists in nearly all known societies (hunting/gathering societies: gender and age inequality, but no economic inequality) Social economic inequality can be described and analyzed in two ways: distributional: the hierarchical arrangement of individuals based upon wealth, power and prestige. Social economic status (ses) is an individual"s position in this hierarchy. Ses indicators: property, income, education, occupation, occupational prestige, political participation, political power, consumption patterns, etc. Stratum is a category of people with similar amounts of wealth, power and prestige. Assumed value consensus, therefore exceptionality of conflict: relational: social-economic inequality is a relationship between classes, groups who differ in their access to means of production.
