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Socioeconomic Stratification
Socioeconomic Stratification
The Concept Of Sociol Stratification
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My social location consists of being a female that is white, heterosexual, and cis-gendered. I have a cis-gendered, white partner and he and I visually present as a couple that would conform to gender identity roles within society (even though we actually do not). I am able-bodied, I am still considered a youth at 23 years old, and I guess I am considered middle-class. It is hard to identify my class as I am both of a lower-class and a middle-class since I am a student living off of student loans and have accumulated a lot of debt yet I am in a position of power since I have been giving the opportunity to go to post-secondary education directly after high school.
I think one of the differences I have noticed within the class is my educational background. I had discussed on a few occasion how I have come from a university background, which I notice makes me difference on a few difference levels. I have the more obvious difference in that I am seen as someone that has had more access to education and this might reflect an opinion that my opportunities have come from an intersection of...
Give an example from your life that exemplifies how intersections of some of your multiple statuses (e.g., gender, race, class, age, etc.) affect your social experience.
I am an African, black female who grew up in a predominantly white environment around my living space, and attended a predominantly white private school. In relation to class, I have been fortunate and privileged enough to be placed in a living environment that allowed me to receive the best education,
My entire life I have been a middle class white male. I was born into this identity and most likely will die in this identity. My entire family fits into the same class of society. I could probably wear a sign that read, “Average American” and no one would ever tell me that I was not. The neighborhood that I grew up in is middle class, and a majority of the neighbors that I have are also white and of the same class. When I was younger, me and my friends would play video games at my house until my mom would tell us to go outside. It seemed like the summers lasted longer then. This is probably because we spent everyday looking for something to do, whereas these days I spend my summers looking for ways to get out of doing what I am supposed to do.
Also gender is an important factor in America social class. Men will be affected differently and women will be affected differently by the class system. In the class system there is inequality between genders and that greatly affects the social mobility of the genders. Men usually hold more important jobs in businesses while women will work under them. For instance in a article by Richard Hogan, it conveys, “How gender relations within the family are reproduced (emulated), at work, in class relations between secretaries and their bosses.” (Hogan 2001: 68). In families the female is usually taking care of the house, children, etc., while the male has a job and earning money. In this example it explains that the boss has a job and is earning money, while the secretary is taking care of the bosses work. This limits the social mobility of females since they always have to work under someone in most cases and they will earn less money than males. Women also take their husband’s social class position when they are married to them. Hogan explains, “Firstly women have been subsumed into class analysis through being identified with the household unit defined by the male partner 's social class position.” (Hogan 2001: 147). This displays that a female has no identity of her own since they take their husband’s social class position it is linked to them. Yet, females still have some kind social class and some social mobility in the class
In learning about different ways that we as a society categorize and divide people, it is essential to understand what about people it is that we feel the need to label and differentiate between. When a person is born into this world, there are certain statuses that they automatically obtain, called ascribed statuses (Henslin 98). These statuses determine each person’s social location in society. This includes gender, race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, and ability. Each person has their own unique social location, and is affected in a different way than the next person may be. As a white, queer, cisgender, middle class, female, in relatively good health, I have always been relatively privileged.
A gang is a loosely organized group of individual people who join forces for social reasons. Or anti-social reasons depending on how one looks at it. A person may join a gang for numerous reasons. These reasons include the need for “identity, discipline, recognition, love, money, and belonging.” 5 “Today there are approximately 274 Blood and Crip gangs in Los Angeles County alone.” 1 The gangs that are often in the news are usually made up of African-Americans. “African-Americans first formed street gangs in the late 1920s and early 1930s on the east side of Los Angeles near Central and Vernon Avenues. They were also forming in the downtown area of Los Angeles around the same time.” 4
Bobbie Harro states in “The cycle of socialization” (2000), “No one brings us a survey, in the womb, inquiring which gender, class, religion, sexual orientation, cultural group, ability status, or age we might want to be born. These identities are ascribed to us at birth through no effort or decision or choice of our own” (p.16). I was born into a system, just like everyone else, where I was judged and labeled due to the social categories that I identify with. What I have experienced throughout my schooling has shaped and molded my sense of self and the way that I view myself in terms of my gender and race/ethnicity. I live in a world where I have been both praised and ridiculed for these differing characteristics that seem to define me, but
The social location we grew up in is not what we wanted for our children this was decided when we got We receive privilege’s that others do not, because of race, social class, education, and gender, even age and the way we present ourselves. Also as a white, married, middle-class, mother, in my thirties, I get respect from a stranger, whether it be at the store, restaurant, or out at a movie theater. I 'm approachable, or non-threating look. My husband also gets these perks, and even more than me because he is a man.
One’s cultural identity consists of their race, gender, socioeconomic status, age, religion, and so on. Being aware of your own cultural identity is just as important as being aware of other’s. People’s cultural identity defines who they are, the privilege (or lack of privilege) they receive, and how society views them. It is important to understand that White individuals have more privileges than individuals of color. White individuals do not experience detriment and difficulties due specifically to their skin color and instead receive advantages. White privilege is defined as benefits that white individuals have that people of color do not (Kendall, 2012). The following walks through my personal cultural background, how it was shaped, defined, and developed, and limitations to my personal competencies.
Do you see gender as an essential aspect of your “self”? Why/why not? How about your race? How do these social identities/classifications influence your role identities? Use your sociological knowledge from class to provide and informative analysis/discussion.
Traditionally, members of our society feel most comfortable when they’re able to categorize people into boxes based on their identity. People use these unrealistically small boxes to divide up every person they meet between man or woman, rich or poor, and White/Black/Hispanic/Asian etc. Regardless of a person’s desire to participate or not, society will include them in this system of division. Although race, class, and gender are all components in my identity, I, personally, view gender as the most influential.
One of the cornerstones of society is the ability to categorize and differentiate between groups of people. Historically, this dissecting and classifying of individuals has been crucial to understanding social order, and who has power within society. One of the most pervasive forms of this in modern times has been the discourse surrounding race and gender. In society, each person has a complex and unique access to power. Power is fixed within society, and determines which groups of people have more control and influence over others. These relationships to power are determined by combinations of factors such as race, gender, and sexuality. In order to unpack these terms, it is crucial to examine the social construction of these identities, and how these identities lead to the creation of different privileges and disadvantages.
Intersectionality is defined as the process of gender that is not an isolated status that we experience, but instead it intersects with other identities, such as race, class, sexuality, ability, ethnicity, body size, etc. (Prohaska, 2015). Intersectionality happens with everyone. In my instance, I am a white, middle-class, lesbian, able-bodied, 20 year-old, female, who lives in a heteronormative society. That is my identity, and each component of that is experienced in part with the others, they all intersect. I am able-bodied, so I am expected to take care of myself and rise up to my gender expectations. As a 20 year-old female I am perceived to be timid or shy, reserved, go out regularly, dress a specific way, wear make up, enjoy shopping, and even cooking. I am also expected to look presentable, even when dressing down, to do well in school, and living in a heteronormative society I am expected to have or be looking for a boyfriend. As a lesbian society perceives me to me assertive, more masculine, to look and act more man like, and to not like girly
“The United States will serve as the social laboratory. From this, it is possible to recognize how the organizing principles of class, race, and gender express themselves in the U.S. society. It is important to use quantitative data from the U.S. Census Bureau and social science research to pursue this analysis” (Larkin, 2015). It is also known that women make up a huge portion of the poverty rate in the United States of America. Although, men do struggle as well but typically society tends to show more mercy on them. According to our textbook Our Social World: An Introduction to Sociology “A man who has a bachelor’s degree will earn $25,000 more than a female with a similar degree. Women with a master’s degree earn $32,500 less than men with a similar degree” (Larkin, 2015). When speaking about race and ethnicity in class I learned that although it makes a huge difference in society it is extremely important to know the difference between the both. “Race is grounded in physical attributes that have social meaning, whereas ethnicity is a cultural-historical identification with a group. Once racial and ethnic categories are established, generalizations develop within the society concerning these groups” (Larkin, 2015). Men are usually known to be the provider and protector of the household, where females had to be the caretaker and supportive one.
Many people have interesting stories of where they come from. Some may find mine to