The Structure of Social Stratification in the United States

Stratification structure refers to the hierarchy of social classes in society. This book describes the class structure in the United States, focusing on the way people's class location influences their opportunities. To do this, Beeghley emphasizes three themes. The first theme is that power influences the distribution of resources in the United States. The second theme is that the social structure influences rates of events, mainly because it determines people's range of choices. The third theme is that social psychological factors influence how individuals act on, and react to, the situations in which they find themselves. One purpose of this book is to help students understand social inequality from a new angle of vision. This orientation implies that social facts are not always what they seem to be, an insight that is fundamental to sociology.

Table of Contents:
Preface. 1.Sociology and Stratification. Theoretical Perspectives on Stratification. Karl Marx. Max Weber. Kingsley Davis and Wilbert Moore. Ralf Dahrendorf. Gerhard Lenski. A Strategy for the Study of Stratification. Historical and International Dimensions of Stratification. Levels of Analysis and Stratification. Power and Stratification. 2.Social Class and Stratification: Occupational Prestige and Class Identification. Occupational Prestige. Occupational Prestige in the United States. The Meaning of Occupational Prestige. Racial/Ethnic and Gender Differences in Occupational Prestige. The Stability of Occupational Prestige over Time. The Stability of Occupational Prestige across Societies? Class Identification. Patterns of Class Identification. The Meaning of Class Identification. A Note on Employed Married Women. 3.Social Class and Stratification: Mobility and Status Attainment. Social Mobility. Social Mobility in the United States. Social Mobility in Other Nations. Social Structure and Mobility. The Reproduction of the Class Structure. International Variations in Mobility. Status Attainment. Status Attainment in the United States. Status Attainment in Other Nations. The Individual and Status Attainment. A Vignette. Socialization and Status Attainment. 4.Gender and Stratification. Dimensions of Gender Stratification. Gender Stratification in the United States. Gender Stratification in Other Nations. Some Consequences of Gender Stratification. Authority and Gender. Victimization and Gender. The Individual and Gender Stratification. Women's Choices. Discrimination against Women. Social Structure and Gender Stratification. The Decline of Gender Stratification. The Continuation of Gender Stratification. 5.Race/Ethnicity and Stratification. Dimensions of Racial and Ethnic Stratification. Racial and Ethnic Stratification in the United States. Racial and Ethnic Stratification in Other Nations. Some Consequences of Racial and Ethnic Inequality. The Individual and Racial and Ethnic Stratification. Public Place Discrimination. Discrimination by Organizations. Social Structure and Racial and Ethnic Stratification. Historical Variations in Racial and Ethnic Group Mobility. Racial and Ethnic Stratification Today. 6.Political Participation and Power. Types of Political Participation. Voting. Partisanship. Unruliness. The Rate of Voting. Voting in the United States. Voting in Other Nations. The Role of Money in Elections. The Cost of Winning. Money, Winning, and Reelection. Where Does the Money Come From? Two Examples. Social Structure and Political Participation. The Structure of Voting. The Sources of Partisanship. Money and Anomie. 7.The Rich. The Characteristics of the Rich. Counting the Rich. The Basis of Great Wealth. Top Wealthholders. The Historical Trend in the Distribution of Wealth. The Kuznets Hypothesis. The Colonial Era. The Nineteenth Century. The Twentieth Century. The Trend Since 1980. The Origin and Expansion of Wealth. Power and Wealth Inequality. Social Class and Lifestyle. 8.The Middle Class. Social Class and Job Perquisites. Private Pensions. Medical Insurance. Sick Leave. Disability Insurance. Vacation and Personal Leave Time. Top Level Perquisites. Power and Job Perquisites. Social Class, Income Inequality, and Income Transfers. Social Class and Income. Trends in Income Inequality. Tax Expenditures and Income Inequality. Power and Income Inequality. Social Class and Lifestyle. 9.The Working Class. Social Class and Occupation. Working-Class and Middle-Class Occupations. Social Class and Job Setting. Social Class and Job Security. The Human Consequences of Unemployment. A Note on the Meaning of Work. Economic Deprivation. Psychological Stress. Familial Disruption. Social Class and Lifestyle. On the Working Class. 10.The Poor. Dimensions of Poverty. Poverty in the United States. Poverty in Other Nations. The Measurement of Poverty. Are the Poor Really Poor? Public Assistance and Poverty. Characteristics of Public Assistance Programs. The Paradox of Public Assistance. The Benefits of Poverty. The Individual and Poverty. Age. Race and Ethnicity. Family Characteristics. Low-Wage Job Skills. Work Experience. Social Structure and Poverty. The Long-Term Fall in the Poverty Rate. The U.S. Poverty Rate Today. Concluding Comments. 11.The United States in Global Context. Poverty and Inequality in the United States and Developing Nations. Inequality in the United States and Western Nations. Some Practical Strategies for Reducing Inequality. 12.Reflections on the Study of Stratification. Objectivity in the Study of Stratification. Research Methods in the Study of Stratification. Paradox in the Study of Stratification. Appendix: Hypothesis Discussed in The Structure of Social Stratification in the United States. References. Index.