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

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.

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.

 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.

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

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.