The Structure of Social Stratification in the United States

Structure of Social Stratification in the United States, The, 5/E

Leonard  Beeghley, Universityof Florida

ISBN-10:      0205530524

This text examines the structure of stratification in the United States, focusing on the way one's class location influences his or her life opportunities.

Beeghley uses three themes to illustrate social stratification: How power influences the distribution of resources in the United States; how social structure influences rates of events; and how social psychological factors influence how individuals act on, and react to, the situations in which they find themselves.

As with every edition, this text has been thoroughly updated. Below are a few highlights of the new edition:

• The most recent research findings in each chapter.
• Important new data on the extent of income and wealth inequality in the U.S.
• Increased emphasis on class conflict as the mechanism by which resources are distributed.
• A new section on Modernity, The American Dream, and Anomie in the opening chapter.
• New discussions of who gets to vote, the practice of gerrymandering, and the technology for counting votes in Chapter 6 (Political Participation and Power).
• A new section explaining poverty and inequality around the world in Chapter 11 (The United States in Global Context).