What is social class?
A large group of people who rank closely to one another in wealth, power, and prestige.
What are the three components of social class?
Property (wealth), power, and prestige
What is property?
Material possessions such as land, money, businesses, stocks, cars, and buildings.
What is wealth?
The total value of everything someone owns minus their debts.
What is income?
A flow of money received, usually from wages, salary, business, rent, interest, or investments.
What is the difference between wealth and income?
Wealth = net worth, while income = money coming in over time.
What is power in sociology?
The ability to carry out your will even over resistance.
What is prestige?
The respect or social regard given to a person or occupation.
What is status consistency?
When a person ranks similarly on all three dimensions of social class (wealth, power, prestige).
What is status inconsistency?
When someone ranks high in one area but low in another.
Give an example of status inconsistency.
A Ph.D. working as a barista (high education, low income/prestige).
Why are status inconsistent people often more politically active?
Because the mismatch in status can create frustration and stronger opinions about society and change.
What is social mobility?
Movement up or down the social class ladder.
What is intergenerational mobility?
A change in social class between generations.
Example of intergenerational mobility?
A factory worker’s daughter becoming a lawyer.
What is structural mobility?
A large-scale change in social class caused by changes in society or the economy.
Example of structural mobility?
The growth of the tech industry creating high-paying jobs.
What is exchange mobility?
When some people move up while others move down at the same time.
How was the original poverty line calculated?
Based on a bare-bones food budget multiplied by 3.
How does family size affect the poverty line?
Larger households have a higher poverty threshold.
What is the power elite?
Wright Mills’ term for the small group of top leaders in business, military, and politics who make major decisions.
What is anomie?
A feeling of normlessness or disconnection from society’s usual rules.
Status consistency vs inconsistency?
Consistency = ranks align; inconsistency = ranks conflict
Wealth vs income?
Wealth = what you own; income = money earned over time
