Stratification, Class, and Inequality
Why Inequality Persists
Stratification
Stratification refers to structured inequality in access to wealth, power, and prestige. It is durable because institutions convert advantage into better outcomes over time.
Core terms
Mechanisms of reproduction
Inequality is reproduced through inheritance, residential segregation, school funding, networks, credentials, and differential access to information and safety.
Which is an example of social mobility?
Mobility means movement between social positions.
Correct answer: A person moving from working class to middle class
What best explains why inequality can persist across generations?
Advantages often compound through schools, housing, and networks.
Correct answer: Institutions can convert advantage into further advantage
Views of class inequality
Functionalist view
- Some inequality may be justified by role allocation
- Rewards can motivate performance
Conflict view
- Inequality reflects power differences
- Elites protect their advantages
Name one institutional pathway through which class inequality is reproduced.
Other valid answers include inheritance, networks, housing, and credentials.
Correct answer: school funding
Meritocracy is incomplete
Even when effort matters, unequal starting points and institutional barriers shape who gets to develop and display effort.
What is the difference between class and status?
Class and status overlap but are not identical.
Correct answer: class is economic position and status is social standing