Social Inequality: Forms, Causes, and Consequences (8e)

A user-friendly introduction to social inequality

 

This text is a broad introduction to the many types of inequality– economics, status, political power, sex and gender, sexual orientation, race, and ethnicity– in U.S. society and in a global setting.

 

The author provides a wide range of explanations for inequality and, using the latest research on the multiple impacts of inequality, surveys in detail the personal and social consequences of social inequality. 

 

Learning Goals

Upon completing this book, readers will be able to:

• Understand that inequality is multidimensional
• Understand that it is essential to understand the explanations of the various forms of inequality in order to further a resolution to any inequality’s undesirable consequences
• Understand the discussion of inequality in its broader, historical cultural and international context

In this Section:

1) Brief Table of Contents

2) Full Table of Contents

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1) Brief Table of Contents

 

Chapter 1: An Introduction to the Study of Social Inequality

Chapter 2: Class, Income, and Wealth

Chapter 3: Poverty and Welfare

Chapter 4: Status Inequality

Chapter 5: Political Inequality

Chapter 6: Sex and Gender Inequality

Chapter 7: Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Inequality

Chapter 8: Racial and Ethnic Inequality

Chapter 9: Classical Explanations of Inequality

Chapter 10: Contemporary Explanations of Inequality

Chapter 11: The Impact of Inequality on Personal Life Chances

Chapter 12: Social Consequences of Inequality

Chapter 13: Social Inequality and Social Movements

Chapter 14 Social Mobility and Status Attainment

Chapter 15: Justice and Legitimacy: Assessments of the Structure of Inequality

 

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 2) Full Table of Contents

 

Chapter 1: An Introduction to the Study of Social Inequality

Some Controversial Issues of Substance

Issues of Methodology

Organization of the Book

 

Part 1: Extent and Forms of Social Inequality

 

Chapter 2: Class, Income, and Wealth

The Everyday Reality of Class

Two Views of U.S. Class Structure

Technology and the Shaping of the U.S. Class Structure

Income Inequality

Is the Middle Class Shrinking?

Wealth Inequality in the United States

Confronting Economic Inequality

The Global Context and the Impact of Globalization

 

Chapter 3: Poverty and Welfare

Historical Roots of U.S. Poverty Perspective

Explanations and Racialization of Poverty and Welfare

Cultural Values and the Poor

Myths about the Poor

Who Are the Poor?

Flaws in Pre-1966 Assistance Programs

Welfare Reform and Current Poverty Programs

An Assessment of the Reform Act of 1996

U.S. Poverty and Welfare in Comparative Perspective

 

Chapter 4: Status Inequality

The Theory of Social Status

Spheres of Status in the United States

Inequality in Appalachia

The Importance of Social Status in the Global Arena

 

Chapter 5: Political Inequality

Portraits of National Power Structure

Distribution of Political Power

Interlinkage of Economic and Political Power

Ruling Class Unity

Power Inequality in the Work Experience

Power Inequality in a Global and Globalizing Context

 

Chapter 6: Sex and Gender Inequality

The Status of Women in the Early United States

Balancing Work and Home

Sex Segregation in Occupations

Earnings and Gender

Microinequities in the Treatment of Women

General Theories of Sex and Gender Inequality

The Global Context and the Impact of Globalization

 

Chapter 7: Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Inequality

The Complexity of Sexuality and Gender

Public Opinions on Homosexuality

Gays and Lesbians as Status Groups

Discrimination, Legal Confusion, and Sexual Orientation

A Socioeconomic Profile of Lesbians and Gays

Negative Consequences of Stigmatization

Sexuality in the Global Context

 

Chapter 8: Racial and Ethnic Inequality

The Meaning and Creation of Race

U.S. Racial and Ethnic Relations: A Historical Sketch

Racial and Ethnic Inequality Today

White Privilege and the Relational Nature of Racial Inequality

Microinequities and Microaggressions against Racial and Ethnic Minorities

The Intersection of Class, Race, Sex, and Gender

Theories of Racial and Ethnic Inequality

The Global Context, Immigration, and Globalization

 

Part 2 General Explanations of Inequality

 

Chapter 9: Classical Explanations of Inequality

Karl Marx (1818–1883)

Max Weber (1864–1920)

Emile Durkheim (1858–1917)

Herbert Spencer (1820–1903)

Marx, Weber, and Globalization

 

Chapter 10: Contemporary Explanations of Inequality

Functionalist Theory of Stratification

The Social Construction of Inequality

Theories of Social Reproduction

Labor Market Theories of Earnings Inequality

Theories of Global Inequality

 

Part 3: Consequences of Social Inequality

 

Chapter 11: The Impact of Inequality on Personal Life Chances

Basic Life Chances: Physical Health

Basic Life Chances: Psychological Health

Basic Life Chances: Food and Shelter

Life Chances in a Global Context

 

Chapter 12: Social Consequences of Inequality

Inequality and the Measurement of Crime

Street Crime and Inequality

White Collar Crime, Corporate Crime, and Punishment

Hate Crimes and Inequality

Social Inequality and Environmental Equity

Inequality, Trust, and Societal Well Being

Social Consequences on a Global Scale

 

Chapter 13: Social Inequality and Social Movements

The Labor Movement

The Civil Rights Movement

The Women’s Movement

 

Part 4: Stability and Change in the System of Social Inequality

 

Chapter 14 Social Mobility and Status Attainment

U.S. Mobility over Time

Comparative Studies of Mobility

Status Attainment: What Determines How Far One Goes?

Mobility and the Attainment Process among African Americans

Patterns of Mobility and Attainment among Women

 

Chapter 15: Justice and Legitimacy: Assessments of the Structure of Inequality

U.S. Attitudes about the Distribution of Income and Wealth

What Is a Just Distribution?

Bases for the Legitimation of Structured Inequality

 

• New studies have been added to the analyses in all of the chapters in Parts One, Three, and Four.
• Updated statistics on poverty, income, wealth, and government programs have been incorporated throughout the text (ex. pg. 58).
• New examples have been drawn from recent news on education, race, sexuality, wealth, and law.
• More extensive discussions of white privilege, the racialization of welfare, gender identity, bullying, and the significance of education, have been added.
• New sections have been added on the impact of inequality on trust and stability in society, and theories of global inequality.
• To deepen the global dimension of the text, discussions on understanding globalization from a classical theoretical perspective, and the personal and social effects of inequality in a global context have been added.
• Analyses of how inequality is reproduced over time have been expanded, including a discussion of how recent governmental and economic actions during an economic downturn can affect inequality.
• New “nutshells,” or brief applications, have been incorporated on the significance of language as a status identifier, soft power in a global setting, gays in the military, and the economic value of housework (ex. pg. 173).
• New critical thinking questions have been added (ex. pg. 275).
• New photos have been added.
• “Mini-cases” are now included throughout the text (ex. pg. 312).

• The four parts of the text cover the types of inequality, explanations of inequality, consequences of inequality, and dynamics in and attempts to address inequality and poverty. 
• Two chapters address classical and contemporary theories about stratification show how inequality is a complex and multidimensional problem that is structural and socio-historical.
• A significant focus on providing the latest research on different forms of inequality and policy provide a basis for drawing conclusions.
• Two chapters on inequality's real-life consequences impress upon the reader the concrete significance of social inequality in the lives of everyone.
• Detailed presentations and vignettes throughout the book relate abstract studies to real-life situations dealing with inequality.
• End-of-chapter critical thinking questions and Internet exercises utilize current information and data about inequality that is available online (ex. pg. 41).
• “Nutshells” provide brief, often controversial, aside discussions of specific issues that can be used as a basis for class discussions (ex. pg. 32). 

Charles E. Hurst is emeritus professor of sociology, having taught at The College of Wooster for 38 years.  His research has focused on issues of poverty and inequality in the U.S., the use of social theory to understand contemporary social issues, and the nature of Amish society.  He has also served as a consultant to various countywide social agencies.  He is author of Living Theory:  The Application of Classical Social Theory to Contemporary Life, and co-author of An Amish Paradox:  Diversity and Change in the World’s Largest Amish Community, which won the Dale W. Brown 2011 Book Award for outstanding scholarship in Anabaptist and Pietist Studies.  

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