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- Sociology 1251
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- Social Problems Final
Social Problems Final
Sociology 1251 with Ray at University of Connecticut
About this deck
By: Heather Zisk
Textbook:
Social Problems (11th Edition) (Text Only)
Created: 2010-12-01
Size: 71 flashcards
Views: 169
Textbook:
Social Problems (11th Edition) (Text Only)Created: 2010-12-01
Size: 71 flashcards
Views: 169
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HOW TO THINK ABOUT RACIAL AND ETHNIC INEQUALITY
- DOMINANT GROUP: those holding superior power in society
- changes w/ transfer of power
- RACIAL STRATIFICATION: a system of inequality in which race is the major criterion for rank and rewards
APPROACH
- structural
- racial problems have structural foundations
RACIAL AND ETHNIC MINORITIES
- MINORITY GROUP: group that is dominated by a more powerful group
- RACES: socially defined - racial categories are always changing like on the census
- ETHNIC GROUPS: distinguished by national origin, language, religion, & culture
WHAT IS RACE?
- there is no biological evidence to demonstrate differences among races
- race doesn't exist outside of the U.S. - it's not universal
- we pretend that it's real
- our perception of others is self-induced
- history also helped to contribute to its creation
DICHOTOMY
- in U.S. racial classification is based on a black-white dichotomy
- if someone is biracial, they are not a part of either
- belief that shouldn't mix races
AFRICAN AMERICANS
- migration to North exposed Blacks to new forms of poverty (urban poor) & other social problems
- structural discrimination: live, work
LATINOS
- largest minority group
- Chicanos, Mexican Am., Central & South Am., Puerto Rican, other Hispanics, Cubans
ASIAN AMERICANS
- diverse population: Chinese, Filipinos, Japanese
NATIVE AMERICANS
- rank at the bottom of most U.S. socioeconomic indicators
EXPLANATIONS OF RACIAL AND ETHNIC INEQUALITY
- DEFICIENCY THEORIES:
- biological: belief that the inferiority of some racial groups is the result of flawed genetic traits
- cultural: the lifestyle/culture of minority groups is flawed & responsible for a group's inferiority status
- disadvantage: who is to say that 1 lifestyle is better than another?
OTHER EXPLANATIONS OF RACIAL AND ETHNIC INEQUALITY
- BIAS THEORIES: blame the prejudiced attitudes of majority members for the secondary status of minorities
- STRUCTURAL DISCRIMINATION THEORIES: focus on the institutionalized patterns of discrimination (like discrimination in workforce) as the sources of the secondary status of minorities
DISADVANTAGES OF THEORIES
- ignores the structural foundation of racism & focuses on individuals
DISCRIMINATION AGAINST AFRICAN-AMERICANS AND LATINOS
- unequal treatment...
- income, education, employment, type of employment, health
CONTEMPORARY TRENDS IN U.S. RACIAL AND ETHNIC RELATIONS
- growing racial strife
- more racially based groups & activities
- social & economic isolation in U.S. inner cities
- new form of poverty based off of race & gender
- no access to food, jobs, healthcare, or education
DO YOU THINK THAT WE HAVE OVERCOME RACISM?
- NO: still have a majority of whites; where minorities are not represented and are targeted
- YES: in order to elect President Barak Obama, who is biracial, society looked past skin color to see his skills and qualities
IS COLOR BLINDNESS THE MANIFESTATION OF A NON-RACIST SOCIETY?
- NO: racism does not just deal with color...there are whites who are racist against other whites (ex. Irish, Jews)
- plus, racism can exist in every structure of society and can be tied to ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender
OPTIONAL ETHNICITIES FOR WHITES ONLY? (ARTICLE)
- White Americans: 1) option of whether to claim any specific ancestry, or to just be "White" or American 2) choice of which of their European ancestries to choose to include in their description of their own identities
- symbolic ethnicity: ethnicity is individualistic & w/o real social cost for the individual...voluntary...not something that influences their lives unless they want it to
- racial minorities: lives are strongly influenced by their race or national origin
OPTIONAL ETHNICITIES FOR WHITES ONLY? (ARTICLE CONTINUED)
- all ethnicities aren't equal; all aren't symbolic, costless, & voluntary
- experiences of Whites and non-Whites are different
- Black students have the positive attraction of being around other Black students who share some cultural elements, as well as the need to band together w/ other students in a reactive & oppositional way in the face of racist incidents on campus
OPTIONAL ETHNICITIES FOR WHITES ONLY? (ARTICLE CONTINUED)
- if your understanding of your own ethnicity & its relationship to society & politics is 1 of individual choice, it becomes harder to understand the need for programs like affirmative action, which recognize the ongoing need for group struggle & group recognition, in order to bring about social change
MASCULINE & FEMININE TRAITS
- MASCULINE: strong, aggressive, able-bodied, assertive, protective, confident, dominant, powerful, controlling
- FEMININE: compassionate, caring, maternal, weak, emotional, calm, sensitive, supportive, passive, nurturing, vulnerable
WOMEN & MEN ARE DIFFERENTIATED & RANKED
- GENDER STRATIFICATION: the ranking of the sexes in such a way that women are unequal in power, resources, & opportunities
- INTERSECTIONAL approach: don't look at women as one general/universal group...consider race, class, gender
IS GENDER BIOLOGICAL OR SOCIAL?
- biological basis for gender roles:
- males & females are different from the moment of conception
- influenced by the way you're built/look like, how people grow up, bone structure, how they were taught
- not constant across time & place
- people are so set in heterosexual ways: for a same-sex couple, we wish to know who is the male & who is the female
- now we view beyond 2 genders: masculine women, feminine men, transvestites
SOCIAL BASES FOR GENDER ROLES
- society transforms females & males into socially interacting women & men...women & men are socialized differently
- blue vs. pink when born
- as kids, given different toys
- problems w/ binary model
- compulsory heterosexuality
WHAT CAUSES GENDER INEQUALITY?
- Gender Role Approach: socialization of gender by parents, teachers, & peers
- Gender Structure Approach: external social structures & capitalism
- ex. job market: jobs are defined in terms of gender; have stereotypical masculine or feminine traits
GENDER ROLE APPROACH
- children at home
- formal education: curriculum, textbooks, teacher-student interactions, sports, female role models, counseling
- children taught what is appropriate for men & what is appropriate for women
GENDER STRUCTURE APPROACH
- language: ex. in referring to humans we use "he"; derogatory names like slut
- interpersonal behavior
- mass communications media: ex. ads catered to women or men
- religion: ex. who can have authority
- law: ex. favor males; for instance rape laws used to be to protect a woman's chastity but if the woman wasn't a virgin then the law would not help
- politics
STRUCTURED GENDER INEQUALITY
- OCCUPATIONAL DISTRIBUTION: dramatic increase in participation of women in labor force
- when compared to men, typical female worker has job w/ poor pay, little control over her work, & little advancement opportunity
- if man & woman have same education level & job, then man advances/succeeds more/receives more pay
- earnings gap: woman earns 80 cents for every dollar man earns
- intersection in workplace: women have increasing presence BUT we don't see different divisions within women
COSTS & CONSEQUENCES OF SEXISM
- capitalists benefit: they make more $ by paying women less than men
FIGHTING THE SYSTEM
- feminist movement in the US
- women's struggles in the 21st century...intersection is the best way to fight the system
WHAT DOES FEMINIST MEAN TO YOU?
- activist who works for equality of both sexes
- fights for woman's cause/rights
- analyzes things in a more sensible/personal way
- has a critical lens
- goes beyond gender
HOW DO YOU THINK CHILDREN SHOULD BE RAISED IN REGARD TO GENDER ROLES & EXPECTATIONS?
- raise boys & girls the same
- have children pick out their own toys and be who they want to be
- issues: kids can blame their parents when they get older; parents will be concerned that their children will be made fun of by others
- solution: have parents teach their children to stop judging others
GRINDING ON THE DANCE FLOOR (ARTICLE)
- explores the gendered dynamics of grinding
- men initiated more often & more directly than women, whose behaviors were shaped by a sexual double standard & hetero- relational imperative
- enacts a gendered dynamic that reproduces systematic gender inequality by limiting women's access to sexual agency & pleasure, privileging men's pleasure & confirming their higher status
GRINDING ON THE DANCE FLOOR (ARTICLE CONTINUED)
- grinders on the dance floor encounter the same challenges of conveying both their openness to grinding and protecting themselves from potential damage to their self-image
- sexually agentic women are judged more harshly then men
- women should only want to engage in sexual behaviors w/ someone in an attached relationship
- women dance in groups - men don't due to fear that will be labeled as homosexuals, so they enter the dance floor in individualistic, goal-oriented terms-to initiate
GRINDING ON THE DANCE FLOOR (ARTICLE CONTINUED)
- women face the Madonna-whore dichotomy in which they must present themselves as sexy & sexually competent to be desirable for grinding but, in taking part in grinding, risk being seen as immoral
- women may face greater impediments to making their disinterest understood by sexual partners
- in these encounters, men & women, accountable to onlookers, are also doing gender & doing heterosexuality in ways that mirror patterns of inequality in the family, in the workforce, & in culture
SOCIAL DEVIANCE
- socially constructed (differs from person to person, time to time, situation to situation)
- integral part of society
- violations of social norms
- relative/subjective
- role of power...poor kid steals to not be hungry vs. rich kid steals b/c greedy
- stigma/labeling...if labeled as deviant, more deviant behavior results
GAY AND LESBIAN COMMUNITY: AN OVERVIEW
- SEXUAL PREFERENCE: implies a sense of choice...voluntary/social
- SEXUAL ORIENTATION: implies a deterministic view...biological
ROOTS OF HOMOSEXUALITY
- DEBATE: does homosexuality have genetic or social origins?
- growing scientific literature provides evidence for biological basis
- however, the true issue is how society reacts & views homosexuality...discrimination occurs & needs to be stopped
HOW MANY GAYS AND LESBIANS?
- numbers are unknown because many never reveal their sexual orientation...due to not wanting to be discriminated against
DISCRIMINATION
- variance from the societal norm of heterosexuality is not a social problem, but the societal response is
- 3 types of oppression: ideological, legal, occupational
IDEOLOGICAL OPPRESSION
- homophobia: the fear & loathing of homosexuality & homosexuals
- when people believe gays are immoral:
- they belittle their lifestyle
- tell jokes
- deny housing, jobs, memberships
- engage in hostile or violent acts
- role of religion
LEGAL OPPRESSION: THE LAW, COURTS, & POLICE
- Sodomy Laws:
- prohibit anal & oral sex b/n consenting adults
- 23 states still have sodomy laws
- sodomy laws are used by people in power to harass gay men
FACTS
- Am. Psychiatric Association declassified homosexuality as a mental disorder
- 2003: the Supreme Court overruled the Texas sodomy law & brought the US in line w/ other developed countries in stating that what consenting adults do in the privacy of their own homes is none of the gov't's business
MILITARY
- discriminates against homosexuals
- 14,000 dishonorably discharged as homosexuals leading to many lawsuits
- President Clinton: "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy
FAMILY RIGHTS
- only a few states allow same-sex marriage
- some counties & cities recognize "legal domestic partners," allowing same-sex couples to receive limited spousal benefits
POLICE ACTION
- police use a variety of techniques to harass homosexuals
- inattentive to hate-motivated violence against lesbians & gay men
- homosexuals are the most frequent victims of hate-motivated violence
OCCUPATIONAL DISCRIMINATION
- gov't doesn't provide gay employment discrimination statistics
- many homosexuals fear disclosure of sexual orientation may cost them their jobs
- discrimination against homosexuals in workplace is common
FIGHTING THE SYSTEM: HUMAN AGENCY
- coping strategies:
- secret gays: homosexuals who conceal their sexual orientation
- gay activists: homosexuals who openly identify themselves as such
CONFRONTING THE SYSTEM
- Stonewall Inn, Greenwich Village, NYC June 28, 1969
- riot when police raided
- birth of modern gay rights movement
- gave impetus to gays to publicize police harassment, job discrimination, & other indignities
WHAT BEHAVIORS AND/OR PEOPLE ACCORDING TO YOU SHOULD BE DEFINED AS DEVIANT IN OUR SOCIETY?
- people who cause harm to society
- rapists, cheaters, robbers
- look at the consequences & how much harm was done by the individuals
- subjective question: differs from individual to individual & depends on the context
WHO MAKES CHOICES REGARDING WHAT IS DEVIANT?
- government & lawmakers...those who are higher up in the system....we elect these people to make decisions
DEFINITION OF CRIME
- no consensual definition...varies from individual to individual, country to country
- could be violation of norms/laws or anything that disrupts social order
CRIME IN SOCIETY
- most of the time, crime is defined as a breaking of the law
- groups & individuals differ in their definition of crime...don't agree on laws
- the social & political nature of crime (class bias)
- the making/history of the law
- manifestation of group conflicts
CRIME RATES (MAIN SOURCE OF DATA)
- Uniform Crime Reports: official crime statistics
- problems:
- focus on traditional crimes
- omit white-collar, organized, & political crimes
- underreport extent of crime
- data collection inaccuracies
- tells who was arrested/punished but doesn't tell why some were arrested & others weren't
- biased...only recently have class, race, gender, & age been taken into consideration
OTHER MODES THAT GO BEYOND UNIFORM CRIME REPORT
- Self Report
- most people admit to minor crimes, like drug use on college campuses, that don't involve a victim
- advantages: clear conscience, can get real story, get to know mind of criminal
- disadvantages: can be misleading, inaccurate data, subjective nature, different definitions of crime
- Victimization Survey
- most effective mode of collecting data
- advantages: get to hear the victim's side of the story
- disadvantages: if victim was killed, then he can't fill out the survey
OFFICIAL CRIME RATES HAVE DECLINED SINCE 1990
- general economic prosperity
- demographic changes (characteristics of a population)
- declining crack epidemic
- incarceration boom: more cops, lights at night, stricter laws
- greater efforts to reduce crime at local levels
- concerted crackdown on guns
DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF PEOPLE ARRESTED FOR CRIME
- SEX
- AGE
- SOCIAL CLASS
- RACE
SEX/GENDER
- higher rates of male arrests than female arrests
- women are twice as likely to be arrested for property crimes
- men are more likely victims of violent crimes
- rate of imprisonment for women is growing faster than for men
- reasons: male is still mainstream, women are becoming more involved in society/women having more job opportunities & visibility, way justice system perceives women has changed over time
AGE
- peak arrest age for violent crimes occurs b/n age of 16 and 19
- mainly for alcohol/drug-related crimes
SOCIAL CLASS
- those arrested are mostly the poor, the undereducated, & the unemployed
- reasons: poor/unemployed don't believe that they are being treated fairly so take their frustration out on others, trying to provide for their families so engage in acts like stealing, less expensive to catch, more surveillance
- if a person is rich, there is less vigilance in their segregated rich neighborhoods, so they don't get caught as easily
RACE
- blacks are 12% of population but constitute 38% of arrests for violent crimes & 31% of property crimes
- there is also intersection b/n race & class: most minorities are poor
CATEGORIES OF CRIME
- TRADITIONAL STREET CRIMES: property & violent crimes like burglary, larceny, auto theft, robbery, rape, assault, & murder
- CRIMES AGAINST THE MORAL ORDER: victimless crimes like gambling & recreational drug use
- ORGANIZED CRIME: a business operation that seeks profit by supplying illegal goods & services
- depends on the corruption/cooperation of police & government officials for survival & continued profitability
CATEGORIES OF CRIME CONTINUED...
- WHITE COLLAR CRIME: individuals who have $ & white collar jobs who engage in acts like embezzlement, bankruptcy, fraud
- CORPORATE CRIME: business enterprises that are found guilty of crimes like for not caring about workers' safety or by exposing people to toxins
- POLITICAL CRIME: illegal acts intended to influence the political system
VICTIMLESS CRIMES
- detection, arrest, & prosecution of victimless criminals is an enormous & expensive task
- about half of the prison population is incarcerated for drug offenses
UNJUST SYSTEM OF JUSTICE
- laws
- police
- judicial process
- all are inherently racist/sexist etc.
CONSEQUENCES OF A BIASED JUDICIAL SYSTEM
- Af. Am. are 3 times more likely than whites to be arrested
- minority youths are treated significantly worst than whites
- federal prison sentences are almost 50% longer for Af. Am. than whites
CORRECTIONAL SYSTEM
- 23% of the world's inmates are in the US...which means that we are spending a lot of money
- disproportionate # of inmates are racial & ethnic minorities
- biased against the poor & the powerless...from who gets arrested to good lawyers/defense to punishments
UNJUST IMPOSITION OF THE LABEL "CRIMINAL"
- the poor & racial minorities are disadvantaged at every stage of criminal process
- consequences of deviant label for the powerless
- consequences of being imprisoned...when get out can't survive...excluded from activities such as voting...can't have certain jobs...so commit new crimes to get back in prison
HOW DID YOU DEFINE CRIME?
- if action was against the law...legal aspect
- if you were caught you would get into trouble?
- if there was a victim
- universal aspect
- moral aspect
- social acceptability
WANTED MEN IN A PHILADELPHIA GHETTO (ARTICLE)
- recent increase in policing, supervision, & imprisonment; concentrated in poor black neighborhoods
- for young men, avoiding jail has become a daily preoccupation
- instills fear of being captured (chased, searched, questioned, arrested)
- men believe that they are "wanted"
- climate of suspicion
- men live as suspects/fugitives
- results: discrimination in labor market, health costs, obstacles to housing, large-scale disenfranchisement, have trouble participating in the lives of their families
WANTED MEN IN A PHILADELPHIA GHETTO (ARTICLE CONTINUED)
- children learn at an early age to watch out for the police & to prepare to run
- those taken into custody discover that people, places, & relations that he formally relied on, & are integral to maintaing a respectable identity, get redefined as paths to confinement
- men w/ warrants don't protect themselves from crimes perpetrated against them; there is an inability to turn to the police
- more intimate relations may pose a threat: people closest to you are potential informants
WANTED MEN IN A PHILADELPHIA GHETTO (ARTICLE CONTINUED)
- cultivate unpredictability to avoid confinement
- Foucault's Theory of Power: modern punishment is organized on principle of the panoptic system of inspection, surveillance, & graded rewards/punishments; individuals are carefully monitored
About this deck
By: Heather Zisk
Textbook:
Social Problems (11th Edition) (Text Only)
Created: 2010-12-01
Size: 71 flashcards
Views: 169
Textbook:
Social Problems (11th Edition) (Text Only)Created: 2010-12-01
Size: 71 flashcards
Views: 169
About StudyBlue
STUDYBLUE makes things that make you better at school.
Things like online flashcards with photos and audio.
Things like personalized quizzes and friendly reminders about when (and what) to study next.
Think of it as a digital backpack™: access to all of your study materials online and on your phone.
STUDYBLUE exists to make studying efficient and effective for every student, for free. Join us.
“I have used this website for three exams, and I see a huge difference in my test results.”
Naj
Naj