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Social Inequality: Exercise 1 - Social inequality
Instructions:
Read the passage and click on the correct answer. If wrong, try
again. Scroll down if you do not see the Answer box. Click
here to review the key terms for this exercise.
Social stratification refers
to the way society places categories of people in a hierarchy (in
different social positions). There are three important characteristics
of social stratification. First, social stratification continues through
generations since children often inherit the social positions of their
parents. Second, the hierarchical division of people in societies
exists all over the world, but some societies consider these hierarchies
more important than others. Third, the need for social stratification
is supported by the cultural beliefs of society.
Social mobility (changes in social
positions) occurs in two different ways. One is when a person's social
position changes during the person's life time. This is called intragenerational
social mobility (change within a generation). The other type
of mobility, known as intergenerational social mobility,
occurs from one generation to the next. In other words, it reflects
changes in the social positions of children compared to that of their
parents.
There are a variety of factors
that affect social mobility. Race, ethnicity and gender are some of
the factors that have an impact on mobility. For example, compared
to Hispanics and African Americans, Whites are in a more privileged
position and have higher upward mobility in the U.S.
Some sociologists believe
that social stratification and inequality are important factors
in the operation of society. Sociologist Davis-Moore claims that
social stratification increases productivity and efficiency by creating
hierarchies and attaching different levels of importance to the
roles individuals play in society. For example, being a heart surgeon
requires years of expensive training and experience. Therefore,
society attaches higher rewards and prestige to such highly skilled
professions than to other jobs that require less training.
Instructions:
Read the passage and click on the correct answer. If wrong, try
again. Scroll down if you do not see the Answer box.
