Social Inequality

All chapters conclude with "Summary," "Critical Thinking," and "Web Connections."

1. AN INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF SOCIAL INEQUALITY

Some Controversial Issues of Substance

Issues of Methodology

Organization of the Book

PART ONE: EXTENT AND FORMS OF SOCIAL INEQUALITY

2. ECONOMIC INEQUALITY

The Everyday Reality of Class

Two Views of U.S. Class Structure

Technology and the Shaping of U.S. Class Structure

Income Inequality

Is the Middle Class Shrinking?

Wealth Inequality in the United States

The Global Context and the Impact of Globalization

3. STATUS INEQUALITY

The Theory of Social Status

Spheres of Status in the United States

Inequality in Appalachia

Globalization and Axes of Social Status

4. 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

5. SEX AND GENDER INEQUALITY

The Status of Women in the Early United States

Present Occupational and Economic Conditions for Women

Microinequities in the Treatment of Women

Theories of Sex and Gender Inequality

The Global Context and the Impact of Globalization

6. SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND INEQUALITY

The Complexity of Sexuality and Gender

Public Opinions on Homosexuality

Homosexuals as a Status Group

Discrimination, Legal Confusion, and Sexual Orientation

A Socioeconomic Profile of Homosexuals

Negative Consequences of Stigmatization

Globalization and Sexuality

7. RACIAL AND ETHNIC INEQUALITY

The Meaning and Creation of Race

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

Racial and Ethnic Inequality Today

Microinequities in the Treatment of 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 TWO: GENERAL EXPLANATIONS OF INEQUALITY

8. CLASSICAL EXPLANATIONS OF INEQUALITY

Karl Marx (1818-1883)

Max Weber (1864-1920)

Emile Durkheim (1858-1917)

Herbert Spencer (1820-1903)

9. CONTEMPORARY EXPLANATIONS OF INEQUALITY

Functionalist Theory of Stratification

Theories of Social Construction and Reproduction

Labor-Market Theories of Income and Earnings Distribution

The Recent Focus on Process Identification

PART THREE: CONSEQUENCES OF SOCIAL INEQUALITY

10. THE IMPACT OF INEQUALITY ON PERSONAL LIFE CHANCES

Basic Life Chances: Physical Health

Basic Life Chances: Psychological Health

Basic Life Chances: Food and Shelter

11. DEVIANCE, PROTEST, AND INEQUALITY

Violence in the Family

Inequality and the Measurement of Crime

Street Crime and Inequality

White-Collar Crime, Corporate Crime, and Punishment

Hate Crimes and Inequality

Structured Inequality and Collective Protests

Social Inequality and Environmental Equity

12. SOCIAL INEQUALITY AND SOCIAL MOVEMENTS

The Labor Movement

The Civil Rights Movement

The Women's Movement

Inequality, Context, and Social Movements: A Synthesis

PART FOUR: STABILITY AND CHANGE IN THE SYSTEM OF SOCIAL INEQUALITY

13. SOCIAL MOBILITY AND STATUS ATTAINMENT

Questions Concerning Openness

U.S. Mobility over Time

Comparative Studies of Mobility

Status Attainment: What Determines How Far One Goes?

Mobility and Attainment Process Among African Americans

Patterns of Mobility and Attainment Among Women

14. 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

15. ADDRESSING INEQUALITY AND POVERTY: PROGRAMS AND REFORMS

Addressing Inequality

The Conundrum of Defining Poverty

Levels of and Trends in Poverty

Perceptions of the Poor and Theories of Poverty

Poverty Programs

Flaws in pre-1996 Assistance Programs

Welfare Reform

Suggestions for Reducing Inequality