social stratification
ranking of people or groups according to their unequal access to scarce resources
social class
segment of society whose members hold similar amounts of resources and share values, norms, and an identifiable lifestyle
bourgeoisie
class that owns the means of production
proletariat
class tha labors without owning the means of production
income
the amount of money recieved by an individual or group over a specific time period
wealth
total economic resources held by a person or group
power
the ability to control the behavior of others, even against their will
prestige
recognition, respect, and admiration attached to social position
false consciousness
adoption of the ideas of the dominant class by the less powerful class
class consciousness
identification with the goals and interests of a soial class
working poor
people employed in low-skill jobs with the lowest pay who do not earn enough to rise out of poverty
underclass
people typically unemployed who came from families that have been poor for generations
absolute poverty
the absence of enough money to secure life's necessities
relative poverty
a measure of poverty based on the economic disparity between those at the bottom of a society and the rest of society
feminization of poverty
a trend in U.S. society in which women and children make up an increasing proportion of the poor
social mobility
the movement of individuals or groups between social classes
horizontal mobility
a change in occupation within the same social class
vertical mobility
a change upward or downward in occupational status or social class
intergenerational mobility
a change in status or class from one generation to the next
caste system
a stratification structure that does not allow for social mobility
open-class system
a syste in which social class is based on merit and individual effort; movement is allowed between classes