Exam 8: Class and Stratification in the United States

For some members of the lower-upper class,the American Dream has become a reality.Others still desire the respect of members of the upper-upper class.

Describe the concept of global systems of stratification.

The______________system is a type of stratification based on the ownership and control of resources and on the type of work people do.

In 2011,the top five percent of households in the United States had a median household income of $311,444 while the bottom twenty percent had a median household income around______________.

Sociologists believe that inequality is harmful for society.

______________ often has life-threatening consequences,such as when a homeless person freezes to death on a park bench.

One of the most important characteristics of systems of stratification is their degree of flexibility.In a closed system of stratification:

______________ occurs when people experience movement either up or down the class structure.

In 2011,more than______________million people lived below the official government poverty level of $22,350 for a family of four.

Describe the poor in the United States,referencing age,gender,and race/ethnicity elements.

The problems of unemployment,underemployment,and poverty-level wages are even greater for teenagers who have poverty rates of______________.

People who are wealthy and well educated and who have high-paying jobs are much more likely to be healthy than are poor people.

According to the sociologist Erik Wright's Marxian model,the______________class consists of business owners and craftspeople that may hire a small number of employees but largely do their own work.

According to Karl Marx,continual exploitation results in workers'______________-a feeling of powerlessness and estrangement from other people and from oneself.It develops as workers manufacture goods that embody their creative talents,but the goods do not belong to them.

______________ poverty exists when people do not have the means to secure the most basic necessities of life.

Sociologist Max Weber's term,______________,addresses how much access individuals have to important societal resources such as food,clothing,shelter,education,and health care.

Discuss consequences of inequality in relation to housing.

According to the sociologist Erik Wright's Marxian model,persons in the______________have substantial control over the means of production and over workers.However,these upper-level supervisors and professionals typically do not participate in key corporate decisions such as how to invest profit.

______________ theorists stress that schools are agencies for reproducing the capitalist class system and perpetuating inequality in society.Parents with limited income are not able to provide the same educational opportunities for their children as are families with greater financial resources.

RaShandra began her career as a high-tech factory worker.Through increased experience and by taking specialized courses in her field,she became an entrepreneur and started her own highly successful "dot­com" business.RaShandra's advancement is an example of______________mobility.