07
Forestpath/Fotolia
Chapter
How is poverty defined in Canada? 133
while there is no “official” definition of poverty in Canada, Statistics Canada uses
three measures of low income—the low income cut-off (LICO), the low income
­measure (LIM), and the market basket measure (MBM).
What is the class structure in Canada? 141
there are six different social classes in Canada: upper class, upper middle class,
middle class, working class, lower class, and underclass.
What social policies have been created to ease poverty? 144
Working Income Tax Benefit, Old Age Security/Guaranteed Income Supplement,
National Child Benefit, minimum wage
get the topic:
What Is Social Stratification?
Chapter 7
146
Income Distribution 133
Wealth Distribution 134
How Is Poverty Defined in Canada? 134
Social Mobility 140
Functionalism 141
Conflict Theory 141
Symbolic Interactionism 142
Feminist Theory 142
Social Policy: Welfare for the Poor 144
Social Policy: Minimum Wage 145
Theories
Functionalism 141
•social class is connected to a person’s ability to negotiate the social
world
•intelligence, drive, and personal choice influence a person’s social class
•all people are different, so it makes sense that differences in social
class exist
Conflict Theory 141
•social mobility rarely occurs in a dramatic way
•generally, one’s parents and the opportunities they can provide determine social class
•the higher our socioeconomic status, the less we believe social class
matters
Symbolic Interactionism 142
•social class and our understanding of it are relative to our personal
belief system
•because people in the lower class have fewer financial
resources, they are probably more concerned with “bread and
butter” issues
•more prosperous people might try to legitimize their prosperity by
pointing to individual explanations for their success
Feminist Theory 142
•poverty is more frequent among women than among men
•the social structure, which is patriarchal, makes it more difficult for
women to earn as much as men
Key Terms
income is the money received for work or
through investments. 133
residual poverty is chronic and multigenerational poverty. 134
wealth is all of your material possessions. 133
power is the ability to carry out your will and
impose it on others. 136
quintile is one of five groups of households,
ranked by income. 133
transitional poverty is a temporary state of
poverty that occurs when someone loses a
job for a short time. 134
marginal poverty is a state of poverty
that occurs when a person lacks stable
employment. 134
power elite is a small group of people who
hold immense power. 136
prestige is the level of esteem associated
with one’s status and social standing. 136
upper, or elite, class is a social class that
is very small in number and holds significant
wealth. 137
upper middle class is a social class that
consists of high-income members of society who are often well educated but do not
belong to the elite membership of the super
wealthy. 137
middle class is a social class that
consists of those who have moderate
incomes. 138
working class is a social class generally
made up of people with high school diplomas
and lower levels of education. 138
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lower class is a social class living in
poverty. 138
underclass includes the homeless and
people living in substandard
housing. 139
social mobility is the ability to change social
classes. 140
intragenerational mobility occurs when an
individual changes social standing, especially
in the workforce. 140
intergenerational mobility refers to the change
that family members make from one social class
to the next through generations. 140
horizontal mobility refers to moving within
the same status category. 140
cycle of poverty refers to the vicious circle
in which poor children are likely to remain poor
as adults. 140
vertical mobility refers to moving from one
social status to another. 140
structural mobility occurs when social
changes affect large numbers of people. 140
exchange mobility is a concept which
suggests that, within a country, each social
class contains a relatively fixed number of
people. 140
meritocracy argument states that those
who get ahead do so based on their own
merit. 141
feminization of poverty refers to the
fact that, around the world, women
experience poverty at far higher rates
than men. 142
Sample Test Questions
These multiple-choice questions are similar to those found in the test bank that accompanies this textbook.
1. How does prestige affect one’s social standing?
2. How is mobility restricted in Canadian society?
3. What is the relationship between social class and education?
4. Which social policies are available to Canadians with low income?
5. How does the concept of exchange mobility conflict with the beliefs
of conflict theorists?
Where to Start Your Research Paper
For more information on current poverty in Canada:
www.campaign2000.ca.
www.ccsd.ca/pubs/recastin.htm.
To see what people are doing to break the cycle of poverty, go to
www.makepovertyhistory.ca.
For a report on income inequality in Canada:
www.conferenceboard.ca/hcp/details/society/income-inequality.aspx.
For more information on working in homeless shelters, including a
complete list of shelters, go to www.raisingtheroof.org.
Social Class in Canada
­manufacturing plant is most likely a member of which social class?
a. Urban underclass
b. Working class
c. Middle class
d. Lower class
ESSAY
147
1. People with seasonal jobs most likely experience
a. residual poverty.
b. absolute poverty.
c. marginal poverty.
d. transitional poverty.
2. Which of the following is not a member of the Canadian power elite?
a. Economic elite
b. State elite
c. Sports elite
d. Media elite
3. Which of the following is true of the upper, or elite, class?
a. Most members are newly wealthy.
b. They have higher rates of teen pregnancy.
c. They make up 1 percent of the country’s population.
d. They are generally regarded highly for their specialized skills.
4. A doctor transferring from one hospital to another is an example of
a. intergenerational mobility.
b. horizontal mobility.
c. vertical mobility.
d. exchange mobility.
5. A high school graduate who works on an assembly line in a
For more information about minimum wage, go to Service Canada, at
srv116.services.gc.ca/dimt-wid/sm-mw/menu.aspx?lang=eng.
For an article about minimum wage in Canada—now and historically—go
to www.cbc.ca/money/story/2009/01/23/f-money-minimum-wage.html.
Remember to check www.thethinkspot.ca for additional information, downloadable flashcards, and other helpful resources.
ANSWERS: 1. c; 2. c; 3. c; 4. b; 5. b
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