Stratification is a system that puts categories of people in a hierarchy. Social class is just one form of stratification. Stratification may lead to unequal access to resources, political rights and other benefits.

Stratification

Dennis Gilbert's model of class structure relies on income, occupation, and education. 

- There are 6 social classes that are situated within 3 broad categories:
- Privileged classes
- Majority classes
- Lower classes

The Social Class Structure of the US

Ascribed is something that one is given to you at birth. Achieved is something that one must work for and gain later in life. 

- When you are born you automatically enter into the social class of your parents or guardians (ascribed)
- But when you become an adult you may achieve a different social class
- Advantages can help people get to a certain status: wealthy parents

Ascribed or Achieved?

- Upward Mobility
- Downward Mobility
- The American Dream

Social mobility

A social class is a group of individuals that share similar economic positions based on income, occupation wealth and education.

University of Connecticut

These three topics are interrelated because a person's social class commonly impacts that person's inequality and poverty and vise versa, which can be seen in child nodes. 

Social Class, Inequality, and Poverty

- Race
- Ethnicity
- Gender
- Sex
- Sexual Orientation/Sexuality
- Religion
- (Dis)ability status
- Social Class

Examples of Social Identity Categories

Barian, A. et. al. (2020). A Sociology Experiment. https://www.sociologyexperiment.com/ 

A Sociology Experiment

Social Class

Unequal opportunities and rewards depending on social statuses within a society. This includes unequal distribution of wealth, education and more. 

Inequality

a state or condition in which a person or community lacks the financial resources and essentials for a minimum standard of living

- Ways to look at Poverty
- Characteristics of the Poor
- The Working Poor and the Jobless Poor
- Homelessness
- Importance of Affordable Housing

Poverty

Socially constructed groupings of people that are defined by shared physical or biological characteristics. 

Race (as a Social Identity)

Gender can be defined as socially constructed characteristics of women, men, people outside the expected binary. Some examples being norms, roles and relationships among and between groups of women and men.



Gender is a nonexplanitory measure, meaning gender can not be counted as the cause of a difference in population statistics. Learned behaviors or differences in physicality, among other things, can be counted as explanitory information.

Gender

Sex can be defined as the biological and physiological characteristics of a male or female individual. These characteristics include reproductive organs, chromosomes and hormones.

Disability status refers to a person’s disabilities or lack thereof. A disability status refering to a lack of disabilities may include: able bodied, temporarily able bodied, neurotypical.

Disability Status

Religious identity is one's senese of belonging to a religious community and/or culture.

Religious Identity

Sexual orientation (or sexuality) has multiple dimensions and is a person's identity in relation to the gender(s) they are physically and/or emotionally attracted to. It concerns an individuals romantic, emotional, and/or erotic attraction towards others (or the absence of).

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