Khan 301-310 Cultural Transmission and Social Inequality

Cultural Transmission

• Cultural transmission describes how culture is learned across generations through practices like child-rearing and exposure to cultural elements.

Social Inequality

• Resources are distributed unevenly in society. For example, the top 20% of Americans hold 72% of the country's wealth, while the bottom 20% control only 3%.
• Social class (upper, middle, lower) is often determined by income.
• Higher social classes tend to have better access to education, healthcare, and housing.
• Certain population groups (ethnic/racial minorities) experience higher degrees of inequality, with lower incomes, less education, and reduced access to healthcare.
• Gender also plays a role, with women often facing a gender pay gap and fewer opportunities for advancement in companies (glass ceiling).
• Social exclusion and segregation in neighborhoods can lead to feelings of disempowerment and potentially criminal activities.
• Government schemes (e.g., food stamps) and social interventions are ways to improve access to education and healthcare, and promote societal integration.
• Health disparity is the difference in health outcomes often closely linked to social and economic factors, rather than biological ones.

Upward and Downward Mobility

• Social classes are a way to categorize society, including:
  • Lower class: manual labor, low-paying jobs
  • Middle class: professionals, better-paying jobs
  • Upper class: extremely wealthy business people and families
• Social mobility is the movement of individuals or groups within the social hierarchy. This can be horizontal (within the same class) or vertical (up or down the social hierarchy). Examples include an accountant moving to a different accounting firm (horizontal) or a restaurant manager becoming CEO of a fast-food chain (vertical).

Social Mobility - Intra- and Intergenerational

• Intra-generational mobility is when social class changes during a person's own lifetime.
• Inter-generational mobility is change in social class between generations. For example, a working-class parent and a working-class child.

Absolute and Relative Poverty :

• Absolute poverty is a minimum level of resources needed for survival ($1-2/day in developing countries).
• Relative poverty is the condition of having less income than others in the society, often measured as a percentage below the median income ($80/day in the U.S.).

Social Reproduction

• Social inequality tends to replicate across generations.
• Wealthy families generally tend to stay wealthy, and poor families stay poor.
• Social institutions like education, and the economy also contribute to social reproduction.
• Social capital (useful networks of relationships) is a resource that can be used to access greater economic and social opportunities.

Social Networks

• Social networks represent relationships among people.
• They can be a valuable resource, providing social support and access to tangible resources.
• Social capital can positively affect individual well-being.

Social Stratification

• Social stratification refers to the categorization of population groups into socioeconomic strata based on factors like occupation, income, wealth, and social/political power.
• Social stratification exists in all societies, though the form it takes can vary.
• Common forms of stratification are upper, middle and lower classes; in turn each class can be subdivided into strata (upper stratum, middle stratum, lower stratum)
• The four principles underlying stratification are that it is defined as a property of society rather than individuals, is reproduced across generations, is universal but variable, and involves qualitative judgments about social status.

Social Exclusion

• Social exclusion is when individuals are prevented from participating in mainstream society.
• These individuals have reduced access to resources, and opportunities, and may experience discrimination.
• Social factors (like race, gender, education, and income), can contribute to social exclusion.

Residential Segregation

• Residential segregation is where groups of people separate into different neighbourhoods based on factors such as race or income.

Global Inequality

• Significant disparities in wealth and resources exist globally.
• Factors like life expectancy, access to essential resources (like clean water), and income distribution reflect these disparities. For example, life expectancy in Congo is 51 compared to 84 in France/Japan.
• The top 20% of individuals have 82.7% of global income while the bottom 20% have 1.4% of global income.

Political Isolation

• Segregated communities may experience political isolation and have diminished political influence, because their political interests don't overlap with other communities

Environmental Justice

• Environmental justice is the fair treatment and involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.
• Environmental hazards are disproportionately experienced by communities of color, low-income neighborhoods and marginalized communities. These communities often have fewer environmental benefits and more burdens (e.g. waste facilities).

Health Disparities

• Health disparities exist that are linked to social, economic, and environmental factors.
• These factors impact healthcare access and overall health outcomes disproportionately among specific groups.

Intersectionality

• Intersectionality recognizes that various forms of oppression (e.g. sexism, racism) tend to intersect and result in unique experiences for certain individuals and groups.

Research Methods (Study Types)

• Cross-sectional: Examines a population at a single point in time.
• Cohort: Follows a group of people over a period of time.
• Longitudinal: Data collected repeatedly from the same subjects over time.
• Case-control: Compares two groups with different outcomes to identify factors related to the outcome.
• Clinical Trial: Examines the effectiveness of treatments or interventions.
• Observational Study: Researcher does not control any variables.
• Quasi-Experimental: Researcher only partially controls variables.
• Factorial design: Allows the researcher to study the effects of multiple independent variables and their interactions.

This quiz explores the concepts of cultural transmission and social inequality. Participants will learn how culture is passed between generations and the effects of social class on access to resources like education and healthcare. Additionally, the quiz examines the impacts of gender and race on social inequality.