Talking about work through the concepts of class.

Roderick Graham – City College of New York

The Caste System A Caste System- is a social system based

on ascription, or birth. A pure caste system is closed because

birth alone determines one’s destiny, with little or no opportunity for social mobility based on effort.

Caste systems exist in agrarian societies because life long routines of agriculture depend on a rigid sense of duty and discipline.

Characteristics of Caste Systems First, traditional caste groups have specific

occupations, so generations of a family perform the same type of work.

Second, maintaining a rigid social hierarchy depends on people marrying within their own categories; “mixed” marriages would blur the ranking of children.

Third, caste norms guide people to stay in the company of “their own kind.”

Fourth, caste systems rest on powerful cultural beliefs.

The Class System

Class System- social stratification based on both birth and individual achievement.

Categorizing according to their color, sex, or social background comes to be seen as wrong in industrial and post-industrial societies, and all people gain political rights and roughly equal standing before the law.

The Class SystemMeritocracy- social stratification based on

personal merit.

In a class system the belief is that where you end up is based on “merit,” which is the job one does and how well one does it.

Our course will focus on the class system.Our course will focus on the class system.

The Class System: Major Theorists

Karl Marx Max Weber

Marx: Capitalism and Class Conflict 1) Two large groups with different access to the means of production 2) Antagonistic social relations

Marx: Capitalism and Class Conflict What do we mean by owning the means of

production? Owning the resources we need to produce goods

in society

What are the types of ways that someone can own means of production? Money Land Machinery Stocks

Class is only one of several types of stratification groups

The importance of class can be reinforced or undermined by status groups and parties

Weber: Competing Principles of Stratification and Group Formation

Weber: Three Dimensions of Inequality

Weber: Three Dimensions of Inequality

The contribution of Weber is that along with your class, other factors go into determining your place in society

1.The amount of prestige given in society is unequal, and some have more prestige than others (status)

2.The amount of political power in society is unequal, and some groups dominate politics (party)

All three (class, status, party) are important dimensions, but Weber’s main contribution is status

Spheres (types) of Status in the U.S.

Spheres (types) of Status in the U.S.

Marx or Weber In this course, we are focusing on the

relationship between work and family. This means that a Marxian view that focuses

mainly on occupation is the one I will refer to the most.

However, understanding that the world is more complex than that helps us explain our world

Marx or Weber

Ex. We will read about the lifestyles of lower income women. From a Marxian view, all racial groups should have similar views, attitudes, and behaviors. However, it is clear that this is not the case. By using a Weberian understanding, we can see that race/ethnicity is also important.

(Social) Class DefinedClass is a relative social rank in terms of income, wealth, education, status/position, and/or power.  Class is also called “social class.”

Sociologists measure class through income, education, occupation, and also social values. Generally, we combine one or more measures.

Measuring Class - Income Level of income is a rough measure of

class because people with similar incomes generally have similar jobs

Does a professional athlete making $20 million belong in the same social class with a physician making $150,000? Or a plumber and a government administrator?

Growing income disparity…

Differences in net worth between racial groups

Measuring Class – Education The education one receives strongly affects the

kind of work one receives

Also, those with higher levels of education may have different attitudes, beliefs, and lifestyles than those with lower levels of education

Formal education can increase the level of cultural and social capital that a person has

Cultural and social capital can be passed on to offspring

The relationship between education and income

Measuring Class - Values, Attitudes, and Lifestyles Sometimes sociologists measure class through

values and attitudes (although generally not the case)

Attitudes toward family life, raising children, the role of women, etc. vary from class to class.

People in various social classes exhibit markedly different lifestyles.

In your reading of Unequal Childhoods, you will see how class affects parenting styles

Example: Anheuser-Busch Positioning to Social Class Segments

Michelob - Upper-middle-class product position: super

premium price; prestige themes; status/professional backgrounds

Upper-classlifestyle

Upper-middle-classtarget market (12.5%)

Upper-middle-class lifestyle

Middle-classlifestyle

Working-classlifestyle

Middle-classtarget market (36%)

Working-classtarget market (38%)

Budweiser - Middle-class product position:

premium price; achievement, sharing themes; middle-class backgrounds

Busch - Working-class product position:

popular price; sports themes; working-class backgrounds

Measuring Class - Occupation What a person does for a living.

It is an indicator of other signs of class membership: income, personal associations, and status.

For this class, occupation will be our most important measure of class.

Measuring Class – Occupation and Income

Measuring Class - OccupationThe Upper Class Earn at least $185,000 The upper class can be divided into the upper-

uppers and lower-uppers. Lower uppers generally did not inherit their

money and are currently working for their money…

Measuring Class - OccupationThe Middle Class Are most of the population (45%) Separated into upper middles ($100,000 to

$185,000) and average middles ($45,000 to $100,000)

Are the “symbolic” class of the United States…all politicians talk about the middle class

Generally white collar workers Build wealth over time Ethnically and racially diverse

Measuring Class - OccupationThe Working Class Make between $25,000 and $45,000 Have little or no wealth Sudden unemployment and illness is

disastrous Jobs for the working class offer few benefits

Measuring Class - OccupationThe Lower Class 20% of the population Low educational levels Society segregates the lower class (especially

minorities)…through housing in trailer parks and urban ghettos

Lower class families live in inner cities and in the rural south

From Class to Work: Class and JobsOccupation is the main measure of class…in other

words, the work you do is a good measure of class.

Dual Labor Market ThesisThere are two distinct labor markets in America. These two labor markets are associated with two distinct economic sectors.

What is a market? What is an economic sector?

From Class to Work: Dual Labor Market Thesis

From Class to Work: Dual Labor Market Thesis

Minorities and women are disproportionately found in the peripheral/competitive sector. This means they have less benefits and lower salaries.

There is very little movement between these labor markets and sectors.

Although two workers can have the same skills, they may end up in different labor markets, and thus different economic sectors.

From Class to Work: Dual Labor Market Thesis The type of work done in each sector has a

certain effect on the family

Generally speaking, being in the core/monopoly sector puts one in the middle to upper class, while being in the peripheral/competitive sector puts one in the middle to lower classes

Work in the peripheral/competitive sector may make it difficult to raise a family or take care of that family

Conclusion/Wrap-Up Two types of stratification systems - Caste

and Class

Two main theorists of class – Marx and Weber

Four main ways to measure class – income, occupation, education, and lifestyle

Work can fall in the core or peripheral sector