Sociology Chapter 9

Global Stratification

patterns of social inequality in the world as a whole

high-income countries

highest overall standards of living

middle-income countries

average living standard

low-income countries

low living standards; poor people

Problems with old terminology

-After the Cold War, the second world much less defined
-Third World is too economically diverse to be meaningful.

why is the new model that took place of the "Third World" system better?

focuses on economic development rather than political system

high-income nations make up what percent of the land area in the world? and in what region?

47%; northern hemisphere

what percent of world's total income do people in high income countries have?

75%

% of world's land area do middle-income countries make up?

36%

percent of world's land area doe low income countries cover?

18%

what % of income does the richest 20% of the world's population own?

70%

what % of income does the poorest 20% of the world's population own?

2%

global poverty is _______ than among the poor of the United States.

greater

rural economy, mostly agrarian with some industry, short life expectancy (Africa and Asia)

low income society

Shifting from Agrarian to Industrial-based economy

middle-income society

high income countries

-First to develop during industrial revolution two centuries ago
-Enjoy 80% of the world's income
Less than � of world's population
-Control of world's financial markets.
Power to exert self-interest, control of other countries.

A key reason for poverty is that economic productivity is lowest in regions where __________________________________.

population growth is highest

People in rich countries focus on __________ poverty

relative

_________ poverty is important in the global perspective

absolute

What percent of US population is considered poor?

15.1%

one of the most serious challenges facing humanity today

easing world hunger

The gap between the richest and poorest people in the world is almost ____ times bigger than it was a century ago.

4

___ of people in low income countries experience absolute poverty.

1/3

Everyday about how many people die of hunger and water related diseases?

25,000

How many people suffer from chronic hunger in the world.

1.4 billion

Poverty in children

-100 million children in poor countries are forced to work the streets (e.g., beg, steal, sell sex).
-100 million children are orphaned or have left their families and live on the streets.
-Many girls, with little or no access to medical assistance, becom

What percent of the world's 1.4 billion people living near absolute poverty are women.

70%

One person owns another

Chattel slavery

A more common form of bondage

child slavery

Employers hold workers to pay debts

debt bondage

Women married against their will or forced into prostitution.

Servile forms of marriage

third largest source of profit to organized crime

Human Trafficking

The movement of men, women, and children from one place to another for the purpose of performing forced labor

human trafficking

Four explanations of global poverty

1) Technology
2) Population growth
3) Cultural patterns
4) social stratification
5) Gender inequality
6) global power relationships

_______of the people in low-income countries use human or animal power to farm land.

one-quarter

Population for poor countries in Africa doubles every ___ years.

25

cultural patterns as a factor of poverty

People resist innovations (past-oriented)

social stratification as a result of poverty

Low-income countries distribute wealth very unequally (often caste system)

modernization theory

(structural functional approach) model of economic development that explain global inequality in terms of technological and cultural differences between society

dependency/world systems theory

(social conflict approach) model of economic and social development that explain global inequality in terms of the historical exploitation of poor nations by rich ones

colonialism

historical era by which more powerful nations exert political and economic control over other nations

neocolonialism

a newer form of global power relationships that involves indirect political and economic influence/control (such as governmental policies and multinational corporations)

social inequality is greater in ___________ societies than in ___________ societies

agrarian; industrial

critical evaluation of modernization

-Modernization simply hasn't happened in many nations.
-Fails to recognize how rich nations benefit from the status quo of poor nations
-Fails to see that international relations affect all nations
-Ethnocentric: It holds up the richest nations as the sta

From a historical perspective, the dependance theory says that:

People living in poor countries were often better off in the past than they are now

Dependency says that __________ position of rich and poor are linked.

economic

emphasizes importance of colonialism

dependent theory

Wallerstein's Ideas

~The world economy benefits rich nations by generating profits and harms the rest of the world by perpetuating poverty; thus the world economy makes poor nations dependent on rich ones.

Three factors

1)Narrow, export-oriented economies: Poor countries produce only a few crops for export to rich countries.
2)Lack of industrial capacity: Poor countries must sell raw materials to rich countries, then buy finished products at high prices.
3)Foreign debt:

Today's world economy is rooted in the colonization that began....

500 years ago

form the core of the world economy these countries are enriched by raw materials from around the world

rich

these countries are the periphery, providing inexpensive labor and a market for industrial products.

low income

these countries form the semiperiphery, having a closer tie to the core.

middle income

Rostow's Stages of Modernization

~Traditional stage
-Changing traditional views
~Take-off stage
-Use of talents and imaginations
~Drive to technological maturity
-Diversified economy takes over
~High mass consumption
-Mass production stimulates consumption