...Race and Social Class I don’t believe there is a true relationship between race and social class. I think we need to explore beyond race to find the true relationship to social class. I believe that the relationship we should be focusing on is the one between social class and education. Races and cultures that put a higher value on education tend to produce more members of society that move from a lower social class to a higher social class or retain their social class from one generation to another. Also, I believe that the movement between social classes becomes more available within a society that does not apply a caste system on its members. Ultimately, it is an individual’s personal responsibly to determine their outcome. This goes beyond race, social class, and culture. I believe America has equal opportunity, but not equal outcomes. As Martin Luther King famously said in his “I Have a Dream” speech, “be judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” We are unique individuals and have an opportunity to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. These rights are natural rights that are given to us by God. Today the President of the United States is of mixed White and Kenyan heritage. Any remnants of a caste system, perhaps from the days of Jim Crow and the laws of “separate, but equal” are but all behind us in America. If you look at the achievement gaps in the Jersey City, NJ public schools, there is a significant gap in the graduation...
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...Conflict theory as a social science perspective consider stratification very negative and establishing more inequality in society that benefit the elite class over the working class. Karl Marx have originated the idea of the conflict theory suggesting that its based on the continuous competition between class to reach more power and more social advantage. At the top the hierarchical stratification we find the capitalist class, the bourgeoisie who owns the most important means of production, through which they exploits the working class through there method of control selling good for more than their actual value including material and labor and making sure the working class have no type of power control or access to resources they always ensure...
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...Social Class – a term widely used in sociology to identify specific groups of people through economic considerations that emphasize groups differences on the grounds of wealth, income and status – Craig & Beedle (2008). 2 examples – Social Stratification – individuals are located within a framework of social power of which they may or may not be aware. Class stratification is a form of social stratification in which a society tends to divide into separate classes whose members have different access to resources and power – Breen & Rottman (1995). 2 examples – Social mobility – social mobility can be described as changes in an individual's social position which involve significant alterations in his or her social environment and life conditions – Spaaji, R (2011) 2 examples – Sex – The term sex refers to the biological differences between males and females – Garrett (1987). 2 examples – men are stronger than women. Gender – gender refers to the socially determined personal and psychological characteristics associated with being male or female (masculinity & feminity). – Garrett (1987) 2 examples – Gender Ideology – Gender ideology refers to attitudes regarding the appropriate roles, rights and responsibilities of men and women in society. 2 examples – Race – the term 'race' is associated with the view that there are biological differences between people with differently coloured skins or other bodily differences (CREDO, 2005). 2 examples...
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...Determinants of class position This photo of two men on a street in New Orleans uses visual appearance to contrast the social class of two people: a man in casual, possibly work-soiled clothes (note hardhat), and a man with a briefcase in a suit and tie. In so-called non-stratified societies or acephalous societies, there is no concept of social class, power, or hierarchy beyond temporary or limited social statuses. In such societies, every individual has a roughly equal social standing in most situations. In class societies a person's class status is a type of group membership. Theorists disagree about the elements determining membership, but common features appear in many accounts. Among these are: * Relationships of production, ownership and consumption * A common legal status, including ceremonial, occupational and reproductive rights * Family, kinship or tribal group structures or membership * Acculturation, including education Classes often have a distinct lifestyle that emphasizes their class. The most powerful class in a society often uses markers such as costume, grooming, manners and language codes that mark insiders and outsiders; unique political rights such as honorary titles; and, concepts of social honour or face that are claimed to only be applicable to the in group. But each class has distinctive features, often becoming defining elements of personal identity and uniting factors in group behaviour. French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu suggests...
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...There is much debate in sociology about whether class is still important. Many argue that class is no longer important as an individual’s identity and life chances are based more status and cultural factors such as lifestyle, values, intelligence, education and the like, the post-modernists state that class has ceased to be the prime determinant of identity and suggest that societies are now organised around consumption rather than production, consequently people now identify themselves in terms of what they consume rather than in terms of social-class position. Class identity has therefore fragmented into numerous separate and individualised identities. Others argue that class is still a central influence on people’s lives, that it affects their life chances (health, education, voting, social mobility etc.), they argue that class inequality exists and that such inequalities are widening rather than narrowing. Early theories such as Functionalist theory argue that inequality is functional for society since it makes sure that those who show the most potential talent are encouraged to develop this talent through higher education and training, with the promise of higher incomes when they qualify (deferred gratification). They state that in order for society to function properly, society must make sure that people fully use their talents. Inequalities stem from the fact that society values different roles in different ways, based on the shared norms and values of a society. Davis...
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...The British social class system simply relates to, as in a class society, a set of concepts based and centred on models of social stratification. This, in which, people are grouped into separate sets of hierarchal social categories – these being known as the lower class, working class, middle class and upper class. The lower class is typified by poverty, homelessness, and unemployment. The working class are those minimally educated people who engage in “manual labour” with little or no prestige. The middle class are the “sandwich” class. These white collar workers have more money than those below them on the “social ladder,” but less than those above them. The upper class have much money, which leaves them with much leisure time for cultivating a variety of interests. A number of sociologists have attempted to define social class. It is not an easy concept to describe. Marx and Engels (1848) defined social class as being divided into 'The Bourgeoisie' who owned the land and factories. They exploited the lower working masses that were termed, 'The Proletariat'. Marx's (1848) view was that social class was linked to the conflict between the two classes. Marx and Engels (1848) defined social class in relation to the ownership of means of production Weber (1946), on the other hand, divided social class into power, wealth and prestige. Social class was based on social order. Power was distributed according to a set of formal rules. Weber (1946) stated that 'class' was based on individuals'...
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...Bisola Mary Bello SPEA –V 443: Social Class Assignment. August 11th 2014 3:21 AM. 1. Discuss and explain PEW’s definition of social class in America and how it pertains to income, society and culture. The definition of social class according to Pew research and based on the results of their survey is the stratification of individuals based on income, education level, financial satisfaction, occupation wealth and prestige. Based on those factors individuals are grouped into levels of socioeconomic class namely: upper class, upper-middle class, lower-middle class, and lower class. For the sake of their survey, Pew research grouped together the individuals in the lower-middle class and lower class into one group. Any observer of American society would quickly note that there are large variations in wealth, material possessions, power and authority, and prestige in our society. They would also note differences in access to education, healthcare and leisure. Income is one of the biggest measures or indicator of socioeconomic status. In the United States there is inequality in the distribution of income. Those in the upper class aka the elite represent the smallest percentage of the population yet they hold majority of the income. The opposite can be said for their friends at the end of the spectrum, they make us the largest part of the population and have the least amount of the income. According to Leonard Beeghley a household income of roughly $95,000 would be typical...
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...The social class now a day will have influence in their vote, but what is most influential is Income, and Aspiration. For instance a rich, upper class person will always vote for the Government that will tax them least, they do have a good income and everything they need, and they care lees for people who have much less. The upper middle class are the one who also objects to taxation, they often pay a lot of tax and resent it being 'wasted' on useless spending. However, many of these same people rely on the Government for their highly paid jobs, so there is a dichotomy here. They will classify spending money on the Health Service, and qualify 'waste' as money spent on anything they themselves don't approve of. Immigration (with no distinction of what kind of immigration they are talking about) is often touted as the basis of all the country's ills, the erroneous assumption being that the Government pays for all illegal immigrants and asylum seekers to live in hotels. They know that it would cost them more of their income to pay for Health Services privately than they pay in tax, but they still aspire to improve their lot. All political parties try to convince the public they have the perfect balance between prudent public spending and reasonable levels of taxation. Will vote for the party that sounds best on the day. The working class, that mass of group that keep the wheels of the nation running, the factory workers, the builders, the bakers, the plumbers, carpenters...
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...In all social groups class plays a major role in the attainment of children in education. At all age groups in the education system it is apparent that working class children achieve lower attainment than children from a middle class background. It is suggested that the system is biased and designed for white, middle class children disregarding the needs of the working class and ethnic minority children. However most researchers believe that there is a similar ‘range of ability’ in every social class which could mean that class differences in educational achievement are not due to class differences in intelligence but more to do with other factors in society such as low expectations and low aspirations, lack of deferred gratification and economical issues all of which are more apparent in the working class. Children from working class backgrounds tend to experience economical hardship more so than any other class; this is often linked to material deprivation which these children are exposed to throughout their life. Material deprivation in social class five has been closely linked to the underachievement of working class pupils in schools since the 1960s when sociologists claimed that a child’s attainment could be linked to a lack of something which was then found to be a kind of deprivation. A lack of money and the things that money could buy combined with a lack of skills and the absence of a good attitude contributed to a child’s achievement in school. These children are...
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...Social class, which is usually determined by a combination of one’s income, education, and occupation, may be less visible than other types of difference. However, in many countries where individualism is valued, it is common to believe that all people are created equal and that the same opportunities are available to everyone who has the innate talent and is willing to put in the effort. However, this position ignores the challenge of overcoming the social, educational, and networking resources of class origins. For example, the U.S. General Accounting Office reported that suburban school districts spend up to 10 times more on their public school systems than urban districts (U.S. GAO, 1997). This exercise is designed to help you to understand how social class could affect a person’s life experience due to differences in access and resources. Although social class in childhood does not necessarily determine status across one’s life span, it may limit educational and career options. This may make it more difficult for a person to achieve his or her career and personal goals. Of course, individuals within a social class can have very different experiences, due to a variety of factors. DIRECTIONS Complete the following two columns by thinking about what is apt to be the more common experience of a child growing up in Justin’s or Clark’s situation. Considering that Justin represents a child born into the lower socioeconomic class and Clark represents one born into the upper...
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...A social problem that arises from social class consists of the problem that social class is only related to those people who are in paid employment. Nevertheless, social class does not apply directly to the entire population. Unfortunately, it does not include people who are not in paid employment due to the lack of an occupation. Without an occupation, individuals cannot be assigned to a social class. However, individuals without a job tend to record the details of their most recent job when attempting to determine the social class. It is a huge issue if the individual has never had a job because there is no previous job to use. These certain people are assigned to a “not stated” group in the social class system. Wealth is the most significant factor in determining social class. Without an income, it is rather difficult to determine what class an individual belongs to which can be considered a social problem....
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...Valle English 101, Evans Correlation between Social Class & Education Today, criticism exists between the correlation between social class division and linguistics which suggest to a reflection of United States’ educational system. Presently in the U.S. the controversy lies between society, where a fine line that divides and correlates education and social class. Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis, a group of scholar researchers, concluded in their article Bowles and Gintis on Schooling in the United States that being born into a specific social class could potentially determine the future of a person’s academic potential, life goal achievements, and more specifically their respective social class. In my opinion, however, education and linguistics do not adhere to predictive social classes. Education and more specifically linguistics are being suggested as an inferiority of our school system. What is known as Ebonics or AAE (African American English) is widely used though out the modern United States; not only AAE is used today but other forms of slang like those used in Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and other social media. Geneva Smitherman and others also suggest certain dialects such as AAE do not reflect nor lack control over education, but it is rather an enriched language of diverse cultures. Moreover Bowles and Gintis argue that students’ “lack of control over his or her education” reflect their respective social class. According to Basil Bernstein, another scholarly...
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...Social class is the key factor influencing a child’s education attainment. There are major differences between the levels of achievement of the working class and middle class. Generally the higher the social class of the parents the more successful a child will be in education. Social class inequality begins in primary school and becomes greater as you move up through the education system with the higher levels of the education system dominated by middle and upper-class students. There are many other factors that can explain differences in educational achievements for different social classes, these include material explanations which put the emphasis on social and economic conditions, cultural explanations which focus on values, attitudes and lifestyles and factors within the school itself. Material factors such as poverty, low wages, diet, health and housing can all have important direct effects on how well individuals do at school. Material deprivation such as this helps when explaining the pattern of working-class underachievement in education. Douglas (1964) found that poor housing conditions such as overcrowding and insufficient quiet can make study at home difficult meaning they cannot complete homework and may not pass exams. In working class families, low income or unemployment may mean resources such as computers and text books cannot be bought which will restrict the amount of studying the child can do. They may also not be able to attend school trips that could...
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...the past and will continue to rise, is social class. Throughout history, in any government, has faced the issues of social class and the stratifications that break up the population. Focusing on the issue, I conducted an interview with my father that opened my eyes to the similar views we both hold on social class and also helped me realize things I hadn’t before. In my own opinion, social class can be viewed from a functionalist point of view. Social class is inevitable and inescapable due to the need for the levels of social classes to be filled in order for a society to function. The function of society would ultimately fail if the social class system didn’t exist due to people...
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...How does social class affect education? Education is available to all people from different social class background, but not everyone is able to accomplish high level of education. The level of education an individual acquires is based on an individual’s position in the social class hierarchy. Depending on which social class a person falls in affects person’s education level and quality of education. An individual from higher social class spectrum will be more likely to have a better education than an individual from lower social class spectrum. A person’s home background, resources available, and access to take advantage of opportunities tells whether or not a person is capable of getting good education. An individual that has ability to...
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