IntroInequalityPPT1.pptx

Chapter 6
Class Inequality

This Chapter Will Help You:
Define social stratification
Understand the different systems of stratification
Compare theoretical perspectives on class and stratification
Explain the different ways that social class is measured
Define poverty and explain various poverty measures

Social Stratification
The hierarchical arrangement of individuals in society
Based on wealth, power, and prestige

We often assume that Canada is a meritocracy:
A system based on achievement rather than ascribed status
Canada’s stratification system is relatively open
However, social mobility is Canada is quite limited

Global Inequality
Global inequality is complex and difficult to measure accurately

Gini Coefficient:
A measure from 0 to 1 applied to countries
0 means the country has no inequality
1 means that there is absolute inequality (one person has all the money)

Systems of Stratification – Class
Class is a system of social ranking based on economic position within the society

People are born into a class (ascribed status)

People can move within the system (achieved status)

Systems of Stratification – Slavery
Slavery involves the ownership of people

Colonial slavery was abolished in the 1800s

Slavery today is known a human trafficking:
The transportation of people to other countries for the purpose of forced labour or sexual exploitation

Systems of Stratification – Caste
Caste systems are based on division of labour

A person’s status is ascribed at birth and can not be changed

Completely closed system – no social mobility

Systems of Stratification – Clan
The clan system involves individuals connected through large networks of relatives

Lifelong allegiance to the clan is required

Members of each clan share a common status within their society

Theoretical Perspectives

Theoretical Perspectives – Functionalism
The Davis-Moore Hypothesis
Societies require many different roles to be filled
These positions vary in their level of social importance
They also vary in the amount of education and training required
These factors should determine the level of reward for the role

Theoretical Perspectives – Functionalism, cont’d
The Davis-Moore Hypothesis explains why a brain surgeon makes more than a retail worker
But does the logic apply to the rewards given to criminals? To celebrities?

It also doesn’t account for non-occupational inequalities
i.e., those based on gendered or racialized inequalities

Theoretical Perspectives – Conflict Theory
Conflict theorists ask “who benefits?” from the social system

Why is there a gap between the rich and the poor?

What kinds of beliefs maintain this gap?

Theoretical Perspectives – Conflict Theory, cont’d
Karl Marx focused on inequalities in capitalism
The bourgeoisie provide the capital (factories, equipment, etc.)
The proletariat must sell their labour power to the bourgeoisie
False Consciousness in the proletariat:
Proletarians believe that if they work hard enough, they’ll become part of the bourgeoisie

Theoretical Perspectives – Conflict Theory, cont’d
Max Weber
Focused on wealth and status
A person with lots of money and an important social position will have a lot of power
A person may have one without the other
For example, a community religious leader may have high status but low wealth
Wealth (i.e., inherited money) differs from income (earned wages)
A person might have no income but lots of wealth

Theoretical Perspectives –
Symbolic Interactionism
Interactionists are interested in how class distinctions are maintained through social interaction

Conspicuous Consumption
Thorsten Veblen
Purchasing expensive things (status symbols) in to display wealth

Theoretical Perspectives – Feminism
To understand inequality, we must consider gendered differences
There are gendered patterns of domination in the home and in the workplace
Feminists stress the interaction between various forms of inequality (i.e., class, race, gender, ability, etc.)
This is referred to as intersectional analysis

Class in Canada – Elites
The super rich have a great deal of social power
Corporate power in both Canada and the U.S. is concentrated in the hands of a few people
Elites participate in social networks and have shared experiences (i.e. private schools, exclusive clubs)

Class in Canada – the Middle Class
Semi-professionals and managers with post secondary educations
Insurance and financial services salespeople
Semi-skilled workers in manufacturing and clerical jobs
Economic growth in this group is much slower than in elites
Some researchers argue that the middle class is disappearing in Canada

Class in Canada – the Poor
Absolute Poverty
Lack of basic necessities
Life-threatening

Relative poverty
Inadequate resources compared to the average standard of living

Poverty Measures

Low Income Cut-Off (LICO)
Examines amount of family income spent on necessities
Families that spend a larger than average portion of their income on things like housing are likely to fall below the LICO

Poverty Measures, cont’d
Market Basket Measure (MBM)
Income required for a household to meet its needs
These needs are both subsistence needs (food, shelter, etc.) and community norms (i.e., clothing)

Low Income Measure (LIM)
Low income is considered to be one half of the median income for a household of that size.
Based on how much less they have than other similar households

Poverty – Women
The poorest women are single parents and unattached seniors

Single mothers on social assistance fall far below the LICO

Elderly women tend to have lower lifetime earnings and pensions than men

Poverty – Unattached Singles

28% of unattached singles live in poverty

It is very difficult to live on one income in Canada today

Poverty – Indigenous Peoples
The average income of an Indigenous person is 25% less than that of a non-Indigenous person

Indigenous women are particularly affected

The median income on many reserves is far below the expected median income for Canada

Poverty – Immigrants and Visible Minorities
Greater risk of lower income and wages

Greater risk of unemployment

An income gap between racialized and non-racialized Canadians exists and is widening

Poverty – People with Disabilities

1 in 5 differently abled Canadians are living on low income

Disabled lone parents and unattached singles are even more likely to have low income

Understanding Poverty
Blaming the Victim
Results from classism: bias and discrimination on the basis of class
Holds individuals responsible for any negative situations in their lives
Ignores the structural context
In reality, poverty is strongly influenced by structural factors

Understanding Poverty, cont’d

Blaming the System
Considering the influence of structural factors on poverty
Examines systemic discrimination
For example, how do the economic system, policies, and/or laws of a society maintain inequality and poverty?

Summary
This chapter introduced:
The definition of social stratification
Four different systems of stratification
How each of the major theoretical approaches explains class inequality
The difference between absolute and relative poverty
Three ways to measure poverty
Information about the most disadvantaged groups in Canada
The difference between individualistic and structural explanations of poverty