The
reputational
method is always the best method for determining social class. Social classes in the United States are usually divided into three classes—upper class, middle class, and lower class. The subjective method is used to define social class by income, occupation, and education.
The American Class System
Sociologists use three techniques to determine social class:
the reputational method, the subjective method, and the objective method
.
| A B | Reputational Method Technique used to rank individuals according to social class. This is done by asking individuals in the community to rank other community members based on what they know of their characteristics and life style. |
|---|
The reputational method is
suitable only in small communities, and the results cannot be generalized to other communities
. The subjective method is problematic because people do not usually place themselves in the upper or lower classes.
The reputational method is
based on what class other members of the same social group think that subject belongs to
. Often a small set of group members are selected by sociologists to rank the other group members in terms of class relative to the group.
SSS: Subjective Social Status measures include
perceptions of one’s social standing using categories
such as “working class” or “middle class,” or perceptions of one’s social position relative to others based on income, educational attainment and occupational prestige.
What are the three main assumptions of stratification?
Three main assumptions underlie the concept of stratification: (1) people are divided into ranked categories; (2) there is an unequal distribution of desired resources, meaning that some members of society possess more of what is valued and others possess less; and
(3) each society determines what it considers to be
…
Functionalist sociologists rely on measures of socioeconomic status (SES)A measure based
on occupation, education, and income
favored by functionalist sociologists as an indicator of social class position., such as education, income, and occupation, to determine someone’s social class.
Operationalization of Social Class:
There are multiple ways in which one can operationalize social class. For example, one can use
home ownership, fathers’ education
, and fathers’ occupational SES score as separate indicators of social class.
It has assigned the quintiles from lowest to highest as lower class, lower middle class, middle class, upper middle class, and upper class.
What are the two basic types of stratification systems?
Two basic types of stratification systems exist today:
caste systems and class systems
. Systems of stratification range from closed, in which movement between ranks is difficult, to open, in which individuals are able to move between ranks.
What is the movement of people or families within or between different levels in the society?
Social mobility
, movement of individuals, families, or groups through a system of social hierarchy or stratification.
| 1. Several studies find that the strongest and most consistent predictor of a person’s health and life expectancy is Socialclass. | 2. Which component of social class is consistently the strongest single predictor of good health? Education . |
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What is reputational method?
The reputational approach is essentially
a sociometric
.
technique applied to a specific segment of the community
. Usually it involves requesting a group of about fifteen. “knowledgeables” (also known as “experts,” raters,” “in- formants,” or “judges”), representative.
Social stratification refers to
a ranking of people or groups of people within a society
. … The existence of a system of social stratification also implies some form of legitimation of the ranking of people and the unequal distribution of valued goods, services, and prestige.
In what kind of situation is the reputational method involves?
Reputational method:
individuals in the community are asked to rank other community members based on what they know of their character and lifestyle
.
