Social Inequality

by Hurst, Charles E.

• ISBN13: 9780205319497
• ISBN10: 0205319491
• Edition: 4th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-06-01
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Summary

Social Inequality is all around us, and its impact on our lives and the social structure of the United States is unmistakable. Changes brought about by technology and globalization have affected international inequality and the socioeconomic position of the Unites States in the world. It is unavoidable that these world-wide changes now occurring will affect all of us. The sixth edition of "Social Inequality: Forms, Causes, and Consequences" is intended as a user-friendly introduction to the study of social inequality. My goal is to convey as simply, but as compellingly as I can, a sense of the pervasiveness and extensiveness of social inequality in the United States within a comparative context, to show how inequality can be explained, how it affects all of us, and what is being done about it. Charles E. Hurst

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
An Introduction to the Study of Social Inequality	1	(12)
Some Controversial Issues of Substance	3	(5)
Issues of Methodology	8	(2)
Organization of the Book	10	(1)
Critical Thinking	11	(1)
Web Connections	12	(1)
PART ONE FORMS OF SOCIAL INEQUALITY
Economic Inequality	13	(22)
Technology and the Shaping of the U.S. Class Structure	15	(2)
Structure of the U.S. Class System	17	(4)
Income Inequality	21	(3)
Is the Middle Class Shrinking?	24	(4)
Wealth Inequality in the United States	28	(5)
Summary	33	(1)
Critical Thinking	34	(1)
Web Connections	34	(1)
Status Inequality	35	(25)
The Theory of Social Status	35	(5)
Bases of Status in the United States	40	(18)
Summary	58	(1)
Critical Thinking	58	(1)
Web Connections	58	(2)
Sex and Gender Inequality	60	(28)
The Status of Women in the Early United States	60	(2)
Present Occupational and Economic Conditions for Women	62	(8)
Microinequities in the Treatment of Women	70	(3)
General Theories of Sex and Gender Inequality	73	(13)
Summary	86	(1)
Critical Thinking	87	(1)
Web Connections	87	(1)
Sexual Orientation and Inequality	88	(12)
The Complexity of Sexuality and Gender	88	(2)
Public Opinions on Homosexuality	90	(3)
Homosexuals as a Status Group	93	(1)
A Socioeconomic Profile of Homosexuals	94	(2)
Negative Consequences of Stigmatization	96	(2)
Summary	98	(1)
Critical Thinking	98	(1)
Web Connections	99	(1)
Racial and Ethnic Inequality	100	(26)
Race, Ethnicity, and Inequality in the United States: A Brief History	100	(4)
Racial Inequality Today	104	(4)
Microinequities in the Treatment of Racial and Ethnic Minorities	108	(3)
The Intersection of Class, Race, Sex, and Gender	111	(4)
Theories of Racial and Ethnic Inequality	115	(9)
Summary	124	(1)
Critical Thinking	125	(1)
Web Connections	125	(1)
Political Inequality	126	(20)
Portraits of National Power Structure	126	(5)
Distribution of Political Power	131	(6)
Interlinkage of Economic and Political Power	137	(3)
Ruling-Class Unity	140	(4)
Summary	144	(1)
Critical Thinking	145	(1)
Web Connections	145	(1)
U.S. Inequality in Comparative Perspective	146	(22)
Differences in Quality of Life	147	(1)
Economic Inequality	148	(8)
Gender Inequality	156	(4)
Racial/Ethnic Inequality	160	(6)
Summary	166	(1)
Critical Thinking	167	(1)
Web Connections	167	(1)
PART TWO GENERAL EXPLANATIONS OF INEQUALITY
Classical Explanations of Inequality	168	(22)
Karl Marx (1818--1883)	168	(9)
Max Weber (1864--1920)	177	(8)
Emile Durkheim (1858--1917)	185	(3)
Summary	188	(1)
Critical Thinking	189	(1)
Web Connections	189	(1)
Modern Explanations of Inequality	190	(24)
Functionalist Theory of Stratification	191	(4)
Social Reproduction Theory	195	(6)
Gerhard Lenski's Synthesis	201	(4)
Labor-Market Theories of Income and Earnings Distribution	205	(7)
Summary	212	(1)
Critical Thinking	213	(1)
Web Connections	213	(1)
PART THREE CONSEQUENCES OF SOCIAL INEQUALITY
The Impact of Inequality on Personal Life Chances	214	(27)
Basic Life Chances: Physical Health	214	(7)
Health-Care Costs and Inequality	221	(2)
Basic Life Chances: Psychological Health	223	(9)
Basic Life Chances: Food and Shelter	232	(3)
Family Relationships and Violence	235	(4)
Summary	239	(1)
Critical Thinking	240	(1)
Web Connections	240	(1)
Crime, Protest, and Inequality	241	(26)
Inequality and Crime	241	(16)
Inequality and Collective Unrest	257	(5)
Explanations of Collective Protest	262	(3)
Summary	265	(1)
Critical Thinking	266	(1)
Web Connections	266	(1)
PART FOUR STABILITY AND CHANGE IN THE SYSTEM OF SOCIAL INEQUALITY
Trends in Mobility and Status Attainment: Openness in U.S. Society	267	(28)
Questions Concerning Openness	267	(1)
Study of Mobility	268	(2)
Comparative Studies of Mobility	270	(3)
U.S. Mobility over Time	273	(3)
Status Attainment: What Determines How Far One Goes?	276	(7)
Mobility and Attainment Process among African Americans	283	(3)
Patterns of Mobility and Attainment among Women	286	(5)
Some Observations on Studies on Status Attainment	291	(2)
Summary	293	(1)
Critical Thinking	293	(1)
Web Connections	294	(1)
Justice and Legitimacy: Assessments of the Structure of Inequality	295	(18)
U.S. Attitudes about the Distribution of Income and Wealth	297	(1)
What Is a Just Distribution?	298	(3)
Bases for the Legitimation of Structured Inequality	301	(10)
Summary	311	(1)
Critical Thinking	312	(1)
Web Connections	312	(1)
Social Inequality and Social Movements	313	(33)
The Early Labor Movement	313	(10)
The Civil Rights Movement	323	(10)
The Women's Movement	333	(9)
Inequality, Context, and Social Movements: A Synthesis	342	(2)
Critical Thinking	344	(1)
Web Connections	344	(2)
Addressing Inequality and Poverty: Programs and Reform	346	(41)
Addressing the Problem of Inequality	347	(3)
The Conundrum of Defining Poverty	350	(4)
Levels of and Trends in Poverty	354	(1)
Perceptions of the Poor	355	(7)
Poverty Programs	362	(6)
Flaws in Recent Programs	368	(8)
Reform in Public Assistance	376	(5)
Suggestions for Reducing Inequality	381	(2)
Summary	383	(2)
Critical Thinking	385	(1)
Web Connections	386	(1)
Glossary of Basic Terms	387	(4)
References	391	(41)
Index	432