© 2007 mcgraw-hill higher education. all rights reserved. sociology eleventh edition richard t....

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.

SociologyEleventh Edition

Richard T. Schaefer

Chapter 11:

Racial and Ethnic Inequality

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.Slide 2

Racial and Ethnic Inequality

Minority, Racial, and Ethnic Groups Prejudice and Discrimination Sociological Perspectives on Race and E

thnicity Patterns of Intergroup Relations Race and Ethnicity in the United States Social Policy and Race and Ethnic Inequ

ality: Global Immigration


Minority Groups

Racial group: group set apart from others because of obvious physical differences

Ethnic group: group set apart from others primarily because of its national origin or distinctive cultural patterns

Minority group: subordinate group whose members have significantly less control or power than members of dominant or majority group


Minority Groups

Properties of minority groups include Experience unequal treatment Share distinguishing cultural characteristics Membership not voluntary Have strong sense of group solidarity Generally marry others from same group


Race

Racial group: minorities set apart from others by obvious physical differences Each society socially constructs which

differences are important while ignoring other characteristics

Social Construction of Race People define group as a race based in part

on physical characteristics and on historical, cultural, and economic factors


Recognition of Multiple Identities

In 2000 census, 7 million people in U.S. reported they were of two or more races

Dominant group has power to define itself legally and define a society’s values Stereotypes: unreliable generalizations

about all members of a group that do not recognize individual differences within the group


Table 11-1: Racial and Ethnic Groups in the United States, 2004

Note: Percentages do not total 100 percent and figures under subheadings do not add up to figures under major headings because of overlap among groups (e.g., Polish American Jews or people of mixed ancestry, such as Irish and Italian). Hispanics may be of any race. White ancestry data and percentages are from the 2000 census.

Sources: Author based on American Community Survey 2005, 2007a, 2007b, 2007c; Brittingham and de la Cruz 2004;United Jewish Communities 2003.

continued


Figure 11-1: Racial and Ethnic Groups in the United States, 1500–2100 (Projected)

Sources: Author’s estimate; American Community Survey 2006; Bureau of the Census 1975, 2004; Grieco and Cassidy 2001;Thornton 1987. Data for 2005 and 2100, African Americans and Asian and other are for non-Hispanics.

continued


Ethnicity

Ethnic group: group set apart from others based on national origin or distinctive cultural patterns

Distinction between racial groups and ethnic groups socially significant In U.S., stratification along racial lines more

resistant to change than stratification along ethnic lines


Prejudice

Prejudice: negative attitude toward an entire category of people Ethnocentrism: tendency to assume one’s

culture and way of life are superior to others Racism: belief that one race is supreme and

others are innately inferior Hate crime: criminal offense committed

because of the offender’s bias against a race, religion, ethnic group, national origin, or sexual orientation


Figure 11-2: Categorization of Reported Hate Crimes

Source: Reported for 2005 in 2006. Department of Justice 2006b.


Discriminatory Behavior

Discrimination: denial of opportunities and equal rights to individuals and groups because of prejudice or arbitrary reasons Discrimination persists even for educated

and qualified minority members Glass ceiling: invisible barrier blocking

promotion of qualified individuals in work environment because of gender, race, or ethnicity


Figure 11-3: U.S. Median Income by Race, Ethnicity, and Gender

Note: Data released in 2006 for income earned in 2005. Includes only people working full-time, year-round, 25 years old and older. White refers to non-Hispanic Whites.

Sources: DeNavas-Walt et al. 2006; for Native Americans, author’s estimate based on Bureau of the Census 2003b.

men women men women


The Privileges of the Dominant

Privileges dominant groups enjoy at expense often overlooked McIntosh found the list of unspoken

advantages for Whites in U.S. include Belonging at meetings Cashing checks and using credit cards Could access lawyers and doctors Facilitated parenting

White people in U.S. take membership in the dominant racial group for granted


Institutional Discrimination

Institutional discrimination: denial of opportunities and equal rights that results from operations of society Commission on Civil Rights identified

Requiring English be spoken at work Preference in law and medical

school admissions Restrictive employment-leave policies

Affirmative action: positive efforts to recruit minority members or women for jobs, promotions, and educational opportunities


Functionalist Perspective

Nash’s 3 functions that racially prejudiced beliefs have for dominant group Moral justification for maintaining

unequal society Discouraging subordinate groups from

questioning their status Encouraging support for existing order


Functionalist Perspective

Rose outlined dysfunctions associated with racism Society that practices discrimination fails to

use resources of all individuals Discrimination aggravates social problems Society must invest time and money to

defend barriers to full participation Racial prejudice and discrimination

undercuts goodwill and diplomatic relations between nations


Conflict Perspective

Exploitation theory: racism keeps minorities in low-paying jobs and supplies dominant group with cheap labor (Box, Blauner, and Hunter)

Too limited to explain prejudice in its many forms

Racial profiling: arbitrary action initiated by an authority based on race, ethnicity, or national origin rather than on behavior


Interactionist Approach

Contact hypothesis: in cooperative circumstances, interracial contact between people of equal status in cooperative circumstances will cause them to become less prejudiced and to abandon old stereotypes Trend in U.S. is to increase contact

between individuals from dominant and subordinate groups


Taking Sociology to Work

Prudence Hannis: Liaison Officer, National Institute of Science Research, University of Québec Explain the connection between Native

Americans’ ethnicity and their health. In speaking of empowering First Nation’s

women, what sociological perspective do think Hannis is drawing on?


Table 11-2: Sociological Perspectives on Race and Ethnicity


Patterns of Intergroup Relations

Groups can relate ranging from friendships and intermarriages to hostility Extreme behaviors include

Genocide: deliberate, systematic killing of entire people or nation

Expulsion: forced removal of people from region or country

Four patterns identified – amalgamation, assimilation, segregation, and pluralism


Patterns of Intergroup Relations

Amalgamation: when majority group and minority group combine to form a new group

Assimilation: process by which person forsakes his or her own cultural tradition to become part of a different culture


Segregation

Segregation: physical separation of two groups of people in terms of residence Apartheid: Republic of South Africa

severely restricted the movement of Blacks and non-Whites

Pluralism: mutual respect among various groups in a society for one another’s cultures


Research in Action

11-1: Interracial and Interethnic Friendships How common are interracial and interethnic

friendships where you live or go to school? What might explain the gap between the

percentage of Whites claiming to have a close friend who was Black and percentage of Whites who listed a close friend of another race or ethnicity?


Race and Ethnicity in the United States

U.S. is multiracial, multiethnic society Population changed dramatically since 1620s Immigration, colonialism, and in the case of

Blacks, slavery, determined racial and ethnic makeup of present-day society


Figure 11-4: Census 2000: The Image of Diversity

Source: Brewer and Suchan 2001:20.


Racial Groups

African Americans African Americans currently largest minority

group in U.S. Black power: rejected goal of assimilation

into White middle-class society Native Americans

2.2 million Native Americans represent diverse array of cultures distinguishable by language, family organization, religion, and livelihood


Racial Groups

Asian Americans Asian Americans comprise one of fastest

growing segments of U.S. population Asian Americans often held up as model or

ideal minority group – despite prejudice and discrimination, succeeded economically, socially and educationally without resorting to confrontations with Whites


Racial Groups

Vietnamese Americans Chinese Americans Japanese Americans

Issei: first generation of Japanese immigrants

Korean Americans


Figure 11-5: Major Asian American Groups in theUnited States, 2005

Source: Author’s analysis of 2005 American Community Survey.


Racial Groups

Arab Americans Arabic language single most unifying force,

but dialects vary Up to 3 million people of Arab ancestry

reside in the United States Cannot be characterized as having

specific family type, gender role, or occupational pattern


Figure 11-6: Distribution of the Arab American Population by State

Source: Data for 2000 reported in Bureau of the Census 2003c.


Ethnic Groups

Latinos Largest minority in the United States

More than 40 million Hispanics in U.S. Latino population outnumbers African American

population in 6 of 10 largest cities Share heritage of Spanish language and culture Educational difficulties because English is a

second language contribute to generally low economic status


Ethnic Groups

Mexican Americans Largest Latino population

Puerto Ricans Second largest segment of Latinos in U.S. American citizens

Cuban Americans Immigration rose following Cuban Revolution

in 1959


Figure 11-7: Major Hispanic Groups in the United States, 2005

Source: Author’s analysis of 2005 American Community Survey.


Research in Action

11-2: Growing Up Latina Did you attend a high school where Latinos

or other immigrant students studied side by side with White non-Hispanics?

Latina high school students clearly think they are handicapped in their efforts to fit in with mainstream adolescent culture. Might they feel the same way when they are 25 or 35 years old?


Ethnic Groups

Jewish Americans Constitute almost 3% of population U.S. has largest concentration of Jews Anti-Semitism: anti-Jewish prejudice

White Ethnics Ancestors came from Europe Symbolic ethnicity: emphasis on ethnic

food or political issues rather than on deeper ties to one’s ethnic heritage


Figure 11-8: World Immigration Since 1500

Source: Allen 2007: 20.


Global Immigration

The Issue Worldwide, immigration at all-time high

About 146 million people move from country to country

Increasing number of immigrants puts pressure on job opportunities and welfare capabilities


Global Immigration

The Setting Migration of people not uniform across time

or space 7 of world’s wealthiest nations shelter about

one-third of migrant population Since 1960s, U.S. encouraged immigration of

relatives of U.S. residents and people who have desirable skills.

Fear and resentment of growing racial and ethnic diversity are key factors in opposition to immigration


Global Immigration

Sociological Insights Immigrants adapt well to life in U.S. For receiving society, alleviates labor

shortages For sending nations, relieves the economy

and generates remittances Conflict theorists note how much of the

debate over immigration is economic Feminist theorists not that women immigrants

face addition challenges


Global Immigration

Policy Initiatives Growing public perception U.S. lost control of

its borders Entire world feels overwhelming impact of

globalization on immigration patterns Debate over immigration reflects deep value

conflicts in cultures of many nations Hostility to immigrants and refugees reflects

racial, ethnic, and religious prejudice and a desire to maintain the dominant culture


Figure 11-9: Legal Migration to the United States, 1820–2010

Sources: Author’s estimates for the period 2000–2010; Bureau of the Census 2005a:11; Immigration and Naturalization Service 2002.

© 2007 mcgraw-hill higher education. all rights reserved. sociology eleventh edition richard t....

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