Social stratification systems and inequality

Social Stratification

Indicate the determinants of social status and class in the United States

The three primary determinants of social status and class in the United States are money, power, and culture. Of course, while these three qualities are often interrelated, and possessed by the same individuals, they are not necessarily synonymous. For example, Wall Street investment bankers may have money, and political lobbying power, but they do not possess the same level of power as a Senator or Congressperson. While many politicians have used their affluence to catapult them to the higher echelons of power in the U.S., few have the wealth of a Warren Buffett. Conversely, some figures (such as Lady Gaga or John Stewart) might not have formal power or the greatest wealth in the nation, but command a substantial cultural following and media power.

Identify the characteristics of the different social classes in the United States

Class in the United States is usually divided into the poor, middle, and upper classes. The poor have no assets, and are often dependent upon social welfare simply to 'get by.' Existence is a hand-to-mouth affair, and one health or economic crisis can entirely destroy a poor family, financially. The middle class have some assets, but also have some debt, and have slightly more power in terms of their ability to influence people in power in a social fashion and gain a foothold in the upper class (usually through education or investment). However, it is rare that members of the middle class break into the institutions of the elite. The upper class has great wealth and also connections at the nation's major educational, financial, and political centers.

Structure-functionalism and conflict theory on stratification and class

Conflict theory views class conflict as inevitable -- all three classes have mutually competing interests. The upper class wishes to limit access by the middle class to better places to live and go to school, and thus limit the middle classes' occupational advancement. The middle class defines itself culturally 'against' the lower classes' values as a way of protecting its fragile legitimacy. This stands in profound contrast to a functionalist view of how society 'helps' the poor through social welfare programs, and offers opportunities for advancement through education and hard work to members of all classes, in the form of the public school system.

Differentiate between race and ethnicity

Race refers to the socially constructed physical, genetic characteristics of a person. Ethnicity refers to the group he or she identifies with in a cultural fashion. For example, a person may be Caucasian racially, but identify in terms of his or her ethnicity as an Italian-American -- versus his or her Irish-American friend who is also classified according in same 'racial' category.

These identifications are not necessarily inevitable: although it seems as though race (like gender) is an easily-identifiable social characteristic, it is important to remember that many years ago Irish and Italian people were not considered truly 'American' or 'white' and only gradually, through a historical assimilation process were these differences erased in the cultural mindset. In Italy, regional conflicts are rife, but not nearly as manifest between Italians in the United States. 'Racial' and 'ethnic' identification is a fluid and ever-changing process, and with greater organizational diversity within the U.S., hopefully discrimination in modern institutions of commerce, politics, and culture will begin to die out, along with the aid of anti-discrimination legislation.