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2008:4 Social Distances and Stratification: Social Space in the Czech Republic |
Jiří Šafr, Julia Häuberer (eds.), Marta Kolářová, Kateřina Vojtíšková |
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This volume pursues how the symbolic boundaries contribute to social hierarchies in the stratification space. First, relational notion of inequalities is introduced: a culturalistic approach to class analysis and concepts of social distance. The next three chapters study subjective distance, i.e. interactional willingness related to 22 occupations as researched through the population survey Social Distances 2007. The third chapter focuses on how the mechanisms of closeness (like-me) and looking up (prestige) work to form distance. Prestige is by far the more prevalent; the like-me mechanism only applies slightly among professionals and unskilled workers. Class feelings are expressed only minimally, mostly by the working class. Next chapter examines the existence of subjectively experienced classes. There is a dominant status continuum. Further, four clusters of subjectively perceived classes were found: high professionals, traditionally female lower professionals, semi-skilled manual and routine non-manual workers, and unskilled workers with low prestige. The fifth chapter deals with objective social distance in terms of actual patterns of association in egocentric networks (respondent’s three best friends). Here, the homophily (like-me) is very strong. Associations among 25 occupational categories are ordered primarily along a status continuum, with a distinct gap between white and blue collar.
The volume next explores stratification beliefs and perceptions of inequalities. The sixth chapter is concerned with people’s images of social classes and the attribution of traits to various strata. People with lower status understand class in terms of economic factors, whereas those with higher status define it in terms of cultural factors. The following chapters pursue results from a qualitative study focused on the perception of inequalities. The seventh chapter introduces a description of what the concept of class evokes and what criteria people may employ in understanding social class. Narrators mostly reject the term ‘class’ as such, due to its strong Marxian overtones. The eighth chapter examines lay conceptions and ethno-theories of stratification focused on social categories understood as ‘those above’ and ‘those below’. In assigning a position in the symbolic space, two dimensions are decisive: the material power hierarchy and a person’s symbolic position within society (recognition). In general terms, both studies reveal that corporate class-consciousness (i.e., closed-group solidarity) is not present. Contemporary Czech society may be better described in terms of competitive status feeling, with values of competitiveness on the basis of individual merit. Yet, this is cast into doubt by a widespread impression of undeserved wealth that emerged during the post-communist transition in some striking cases.
Keywords
social stratification, social distance, social interaction, social class, symbolic social space, group identity, social categorization
Summary
The objective of this volume is to explore the symbolic boundaries that contribute to social hierarchies in the symbolic stratification space. Generally, the question of class or status identity formation is addressed through social interaction. The first chapter provides a theoretical introduction to the relational notion of inequality. A culturalistic approach to class analysis-focusing on how cultural practices contribute to the origin of symbolic boundaries and a view of classes as empirical clusters-is introduced, along with a review of different concepts and definitions of social distance. Of special interest is the interactional conception of social distance, in terms of affinity (subjective distance) and different patterns of associations, such as friendship (objective distance) [Laumann 1966].
The next three chapters study subjective social distance, i.e. interactional willingness related to given occupational stimuli, as researched through the population-representative survey Social Distances 2007. In the second chapter, the use and descriptive statistics of a subjective social-distance scales towards 22 occupations is introduced, together with a comparison with other stratification scales (ISEI, SIOPS) and with an evaluation of the usefulness to society of the same set of professions indicating both scales are measuring slightly different aspects. The analysis also finds that the scales of subjective distance are not significantly influenced by either the gender of the respondent or the gender characteristics of the target occupation.
The third chapter focuses on how distinct mechanisms-closeness (like-me) and looking up (prestige)-work to form social distances. The prestige effect is by far the more prevalent (nearly three times stronger). The like-me effect applies only to a limited extent, mainly among the most distinctive social classes of professionals and unskilled workers. So it is impossible to speak of any clear in-group/out-group class favouritism or deprecation that would maintain a firm interclass symbolic boundary. In addition, subjective social distance is an expression of class beliefs. Results of interclass differences (EGP) point to the presence of status sentiment rather than explicit class-consciousness. Only some very slight class feelings are expressed consistently with attitudes about social stratification, mostly by working-class respondents.
The fourth chapter examines the existence of subjectively experienced classes. Matrix of similarity between pairs of occupational stimuli was in the first step transferred to a two-dimensional space. The prestige effect points to a dominant status continuum, in which there is a boundary between blue- and white-collar occupations. Furthermore, occupational stimuli were first clustered into seven groupings. Among these, the highest (high experts) and lowest (unskilled workers) can be considered as distinct subjectively perceived classes. Yet, some subgroups should be regarded as situses. Finally, occupations were grouped into four subjective classes: high professionals, lower professionals in fields dominated by women (pink-collars), skilled or semi-skilled manual and routine non-manual workers, and unskilled workers with low prestige.
The fifth chapter deals with objective social distance in terms of actual patterns of association in egocentric social networks (respondent’s three best friends). The homophily, or like-me, effect is very strong and persistent over time in determining friendship: About one half of Czechs have a best friend of the same class or with same educational level. Moreover, one quarter of friendship networks (ego and three best friends), comprise a class-homogeneous environment. Furthermore, analysis of the association among 25 occupational categories, employing multidimensional scaling of a proximity matrix of friendship pairs, showed that interactional patterns are ordered primarily along a status continuum, supplemented with a dimension of gender characteristics, with a distinct gap between white and blue collar.
The volume next explores stratification beliefs and perceptions of inequalities. The sixth chapter is concerned with people’s images of social classes and the attribution of traits to various strata. People with lower status understand class in terms of objective economic factors (wealth, income, profession), whereas those with higher status define it chiefly in terms of cultural factors (education, social standing, lifestyle). Concerning trait attribution (laziness, ignorance, selfishness, irresponsibility), no hostility was found toward either the upper strata or the benefits recipients
(underclass). Generally, only members of the upper class and the lower or working class view themselves relatively better than do other classes.
This issue is pursued in greater detail in the following part, using narrative data from a qualitative study focused on the perception of inequalities. In-depth interviews were conducted with thirty men and women, with various educational backgrounds and social statuses, living in Prague or Liberec. The seventh chapter introduces a description of what the concept of class evokes and what criteria people employ in understanding social class. Narrators of higher
status reject the term ‘class’ as such, because of their sense of its strong Marxian overtones. However, they do not hesitate to group themselves in specific strata. Most respondents see themselves as belonging to the middle strata or class. This demonstrates the existence of status sentiments in the form of membership in the middle strata, as well as the absence of concrete class boundaries.
The eighth chapter examines lay conceptions and ethno-theories of social stratification, focused more generally on non-a priori social categories and not necessarily in terms of labour market position, understood as ‘those above’ and ‘those below’. These concepts often combine a number of criteria, such as ethnicity, gender, wealth, societal usefulness, morality. Most narrators maintain an identity of ordinary, middle class people. When assigning other people to a position in the symbolic space, two dimensions are decisive: the material and power hierarchy and a person’s symbolic position within society (recognition). Perceived inconsistency of these dimensions is assumed to
be illegitimate.
In general terms, both studies reveal that substantial corporate class-consciousness is not present. Contemporary Czech society may be better described in terms of competitive status feeling, with values of competitiveness inherent to all strata/classes and a widespread awareness of the permeability of the stratification system based on individual merit. Yet, this is cast into doubt by a widespread impression of undeserved wealth that emerged during the post-communist transition in some striking cases.
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2009:1 The First Elections to the Senate. An Analysis of the 1996 Elections to the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic |
2008:5 The Perception and Construction of Social Distance in Czech Society |
2008:4 Social Distances and Stratification: Social Space in the Czech Republic |
2008:3 Evolution and Determination of Educational Inequalities in the Czech Republic between 1955 and 2002 in the European Context |
2008:2 Actors of Local Development - Orlicko |
2008:1 The Political Awareness of Citizens: Theories, Measurements and the Role of Political Awareness in the Study of Political Attitudes |
2007:11 A Permanent or Temporary Change? The Arrangement of Gender Roles in Families with Fathers Participating in Childcare |
2007:10 Participation and Partnership in Local Public Administration |
2007:9 Family Friendly Working Conditions in an International Comparison |
2007:8 The Political Impact of Suburbanisation |
2007:7 Fathers, Mothers and Caring for Children after Divorce |
2007:6 The Foreign Migration of Scientists and Researchers and the Tools for Influencing Migration |
2007:5 The Representation of Different Forms of Family and Working Life in Women’s and Men’s Magazines |
2007:4 Czech Labour Market: Changing Structures and Work Orientations |
2007:3 The Relationship between Changes in the Labour Market and Private, Family and Partnership Life |
2007:2 The Institutional Background of Czech Sociology before the Onset of Marxism |
2007:1 Educational Aspirations in a Comparative Perspective. The role of individual, contextual and structural factors in the formation of educational aspirations in OECD countries |
2006:14 Work and Family Roles and How They Are Combined in the Lives of Czech Parents: Plans versus Reality |
2006:13 The Representation of Parenthood and Childlessness in Selected Women’s and Men’s Magazines |
2006:12 Social Solidarity from the Perspective of the Czech Public |
2006:11 Science as a public matter: science policies and the media |
2006:10 The Issue of Minorities in the Czech Republic: Community Life and the Representation of Collective Interests (Slovaks, Ukrainians, Vietnamese, and Roma) |
2006:9 Social Standing and Lifestyle in Czech Society |
2006:8 The Image of Science in Czech Public Opinion |
2006:7 Social Capital. Concepts, Theories, and Methods of Measurement |
2006:6 Basic Features of the Membership Base of KDU-ČSL |
2006:5 Non-Marital Fertility in the Czech Republic after 1989: The Social and Economic Context |
2006:4 The Phenomenon of Childlessness in a Sociological and Demographic Perspective |
2006:3 Participation, Democracy and Citizenship in a European Context |
2006:2 Autonomy and Cooperation: Effect of the Municipal System Established in 1990 |
2006:1 Socio-economic Values, Policies, and Institutions in the Period of the Czech Republic’s Accession to the European Union |
2005:06 Civil Society in the Regions of the Czech Republic |
2005:05 Civil Society and Civic Participation in the Czech Republic |
2005:04 Work/Life Balance in the Czech Republic: Policy, Time, Money, and Individual, Family, and Company Practices |
2005:03 Regional Elites 2004 |
2005:02 Political Behavior in Metropolitan Areas in the Czech Republic between 1990 and 2002 – Patterns, Trends and the Relation to Suburbanization and Its Socio-Spatial Patterns |
2005:01 Measuring Value Orientations with the Use of S.H. Schwartz’s Value Portraits |
2004:11 The Formation of Group Mentalities in the Czech Republic after 1989 |
2004:10 Hierarchy as the Strength and the Weakness of Communist Rule. The Legacy of Communist Rule IV: A Volume of Papers from the Seminar Held in Prague on September 11-12, 2003 |
2004:9 Czech National Identity after the Break Up Czechoslovakia and before Accession to the European Union |
2004:8 Life Strategies of Businesswomen and Businessmen at the Turn of the Millennium |
2004:7 Attitudes towards Marriage, Parenthood and Family Roles in the Czech Republic and in Europe |
2004:6 Life Satisfaction: Family,Work, and Other Factors |
2004:5 What Faith? Contemporary Czech Religiosity/Spirituality in the Perspective of Qualitative Sociology of Religion |
2004:4 Structural Tensions in the Interface between the Labour Market and Social Policy in the Czech Republic |
2004:3 Metropolitan Areas in the Czech Republic – Definitions, Basic Characteristics, Patterns of Suburbanisation and Their Impact on Political Behaviour |
2004:2 International Violence Against Women Survey – Czech Republic/2003: Sociological Research on Domestic Violence |
2004:1 Elections to the European Parliament in 2004 – An Analysis of Electoral Participation and Party Support in the Czech Republic |
2003:12 Hierarchy as a Strength and Weakness of Communist Rule |
2003:11 How the Czech Public Views the Elites the Political and Economic Elites |
2003:10 The Reconstruction of Communist Rule at the End of the 1980s |
2003:9 Women’s Civic and Political Participation in the Czech Republic and the Role of European Union Gender Equality and Accession Policies |
2003:8 Pre-election polls, election results, and validity of measurement before the 2002 elections |
2003:7 Party Preference Surveys, Their Application in Society and the Issue of Quality |
2003:6 The Transformations of Czech Socio-economic Values at the Turn of the Century |
2003:5 Objective and Subjective Assessments of the Financial Accessibility of Housing in the Czech Republic during the 1990s |
2003:4 Entry into Marriage and Unmarried Cohabitation in the Czech Republic since 1989 in Connection with Education |
2003:3 Work and Job Values in CEE and EU countries |
2003:2 Intergenerational Biographic Configurations of the Inhabitants of the NISA Euroregion |
2003:1 Structurally Generated Growth of Inequality |
2002:13 Public Opinion Surveys – Theoretical Aspects and Practical Application |
2002:12 Group Mentalities |
2002:11 The World of Hierarchies and Real Socialism. The legacy of communist rule II: volume of contributions investigating of social hierarchies |
2002:10 Social Context of the Lives of Women Working in Management Positions |
2002:09 Parties in the Parliament. Why, When and How do Parties act in Unity? |
2002:08 Life strategies of women managers: case study |
2002:07 Region and Politics |
2002:06 The World of Hierarchies and Really Existing Socialism |
2002:05 Housing Careers in the Czech Republic 1960 - 2001 |
2002:04 Re-emigrants and Socially Shared Values |
2002:03 Satisfaction with Housing among the Czech Population |
2002:02 The Family Origin on the Evolution of Educational Inequalities in the Czech Republic after 1989 |
2002:01 The Rise and Evolution of the New Elites in the Czech Republic (from the end of the 1980´s to the spring of 2002) |
2001:12 Who´s afraid of Hierarchies? The Legacy of the Communist Government |
2001:11 11th September. International On-line Communication Research |
2001:10 Fertility and Family Differentiation in Europe |
2001:09 The rise or decline of political regionalism? Changes of voting patterns in period 1992 to 1998 - the comparison of the Czech Republic and Slovakia |
2001:08 Cross-cutting Cleavages in the Czech Republic. A Comparison of the National Level with a Specific Regional Example |
2001:07 Roma Issues: An Obstacle to Entry of the Czech Republic into the European Union? |
2001:06 ISSP- The Environment |
2001:05 Distribution of Earnings and Income in Transitional Czech Republic |
2001:04 The Bearers of Development of the Cross-Border Community on Czech-German Border |
2001:03 Rent Subsidies in the Czech Republic: A Comparison of Selected Models |
2001:02 The Role Of Political, Social and Cultural Capital in Secondary School Selection in Socialist Czechoslovakia, 1948-1989 |
2001:01 Income maintenance policies, houshold characteristics and work incentives in the Czech republic |
2000:07 Work and Family Experience of Young Female Doctors |
2000:06 Development of the Czech Social Structure in the Years 1988-1999 |
2000:05 Party identifikation in the Czech republic |
2000:04 What makes inequalities legitimate? An International Comparison |
2000:03 Religion and Supernature in Society |
2000:02 Transformation and Modernization of Society on Examples of Selected Institutions |
2000:01 The Housing Policy Changes and Housing Expenditures in the Czech Republic |
1999:11 Geografic Analysis of the Czech Republic Borderland. |
1999:10 Rise and Decline of Right-Wing Extremism in the Czech Republic in the 1990s. |
1999:09 Perceived and fair inequalities: development in the nineties and further coherences |
1999:08 The Czechoslovak citizens' attitudes towards democracy in 1968 |
1999:07 The Czech Middletown Citizens |
1999:06 A Man in a Family – Democratisation of Private Sphere |
1999:05 Development of the Policy of Equal Opportunities of Men and Women in the Czech Republic within the European Integration Context |
1999:04 Actors of Over-frontier Community Development in the Czech - German Borderland |
1999:03 Acquaintances of Local Political Leaders |
1999:02 Housing Market, its Regional Differences and Relations to Social Structure |
1999:01 The Fluctuation of Public Opinion between Years 1990 and 1998 |
1998:06 Modernizační kontext transformace, strukturní a institucionální aspekty |
1998:05 Deputies of the First Czech Parliament (1992-1996) |
1998:04 |
1998:03 Transformation of Czech Family |
1998:02 Results of a Czech-Slovak Comparison: Actors of Social Transformation and Modernisation. Attitudes of Individuals an Institutions to Social Transformation |
1998:01 Trh s bydlením a jeho sociální souvislosti - situace v Praze a Brně |
1997:08 The Family and Change of Gender Roles |
1997:07 The territorial dimension of public administration reforms in East Central Europe |
1997:06 Czech Women in the Labor Market Work and Family in a Transition Economy |
1997:05 |
1997:04 Mass Privatization, Distributive Politics, and Popular Support for Reform in the Czech Republic |
1997:03 |
1997:02 |
1997:01 Political, Organizational and Policy Transformation at the Municipal Level: The Case of Liberec |
1996:12 Osidlování českého pohraničí od května 1945 |
1996:11 Individuální kontakty obyvatel na česko-německé hranici |
1996:10 Socio-Economic Changes in the Czech Republic with an Appendix concerning the 1996 Elections´ Results |
1996:09 Národní identita |
1996:08 Politics, Skills and Industrial Restructuring. Introductory Findings on Local Institutions of Human Resources Development in Czech Machinery Indrustry |
1996:07 Subjective Mobility and Perception of Life Chances in Eastern Europe. Empirical evidence against a Marxist view of relationships between subjective and objective mobility |
1996:06 Zpráva o vývoji sociální struktury české a slovenské společnosti 1945-1993 |
1996:05 Tripartita jako model prostředkování zájmů v politickém systému České republiky |
1996:04 Národnostní a etnické vztahy v českém pohraničí - obraz Čecha, Němce, Rakušana a Roma ve vědomí obyvatel |
1996:03 The Making of Post-Communist Elites in Eastern Europe. A comparison of political and economic elites in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland |
1996:02 Sudetoněmecká otázka v názorech a postojích obyvatel českého pohraničí |
1996:01 Demografické chování obyvatelstva České republiky během přeměny společnosti po roce 1989 |
1995:08 Česká republika v roce 1994. Politická ročenka |
1995:07 Problém normativity a policejní represe v předlistopadovém Československu |
1995:06 Industriální vztahy a sociálně politické orientace českých dělníků a manažerů |
1995:05 Rozdíly v chování regionálních populací a jejich příčiny |
1995:04 Women, Work and Society |
1995:03 Trh práce a jeho potenciál |
1995:02 Etnické a národnostní vztahy v pánevní oblasti severních Čech (s důrazem na romskou problematiku) |
1995:01 In Search of Explanations for Recent Left-Turns in Post-Communist Coutries |
1994:09 Česká republika v roce 1993. Politická ročenka |
1994:08 Large-Scale Privatization: Social Conflict and Consensus |
1994:07 Economic Inequalities Old and New: The Czech Case |
1994:06 Prostředky kauzálního modelování v sociologii. Shrnující pojednání o postupech a přehled základních pojmů |
1994:05 Regionální diferenciace sociálních problémů v České republice |
1994:04 A Historical Comparison of Social Structures in the Czech Republic in 1984 and 1993 |
1994:03 Přeshraniční souvislosti sociálních změn v oblasti české části euroregionu Chebsko |
1994:02 Social and Political Transformation in the Czech Republic |
1994:01 Lotus Organizátor. Uživatelská příručka |
1993:09 Sociální a mzdové problémy zaměstnanců malých a středních soukromých podniků |
1993:08 Sociální postavení rodiny jako základního činitele a adresáta sociální pomoci |
1993:07 Changing Conditions - Changing Values? Changes in the position and perception of education during the post-communist transformation: the case of the Czech Republic |
1993:06 Perceptions of Justice. Principles of Distributive Justice in Comparative Perspective |
1993:04 Revolution for Whom? Analysis of selected patterns of intragenerational mobility in the Czech Republic |
1993:04 Revolution for Whom? Analysis of selected patterns of intragenerational mobility in the Czech Republic |
1993:03 RODINA ´89. Determinanty ekonomického úspěchu v první fázi postkomunistické transformace. Česká republika 1989-1992 |
1993:02 RODINA '89. Determinanty ekonomického úspěchu v první fázi post-komunistické transformace. Česká republika 1989-1992 |
1993:01 Microsoft Word verze 5.5. Uživatelská příručka |
1992:09 Historical Comparison of Social Stratification Types in Czechoslovakia 1967-1991 |
1992:08 Rodina '89. Úloha mentálních schopností a sociálního původu ve formování vzdělanostních aspirací |
1992:07 The Zero Generation of Small Business Owners in Czechoslovakia |
1992:06 Time Use of Small Business Owners. Results and Methodological Comments |
1992:05 Perception of Changing Inequality in Czechoslovakia |
1992:04 Vybrané kapitoly z uživatelské příručky Microsoft Word verze 5.0 |
1992:03 Politické strany a hnutí v Československu |
1992:02 Politische Partien und Bewegungen in der Tschechoslowakei |
Prague in the New Central Europe. International conference 2-4 June 1990 |
1991:09 Vybrané kapitoly z uživatelské příručky Microsoft Word verze 5.0 |
1991:08 Nultá podnikatelská generace |
1991:07 Rodina '89. Zdroje vzdělanostních nerovností |
1991:06 Hodnotové orientace československé mužské mládeže a jejich vztah k obraně vlasti |
1991:05 Gender and the Employment of Higher Education Graduates in Czechoslovakia |
1991:04 Územní vztahy, územní a státoprávní uspořádání České republiky v názorech obyvatel |
1991:03 Social Problems of Participation in the Changing Czechoslovak Economy |
1991:02 K postavení žen v československé společnosti |
1991:01 Socialist Czechoslovakia - System Error and Premises for Change |
1990:06 Názory na rozvoj soukromého podnikání |
1990:05 Growing interest in informal work - consequences for time use research. XIIth World Congress of Sociology, Madrid 1990, Thematic Group 1, Time Use Research |
1990:04 Value-satisfaction Model and the Value of Innovation |
1990:03 Who Gains and Who Loses in a Socialist Redistribution |
1990:02 Ženy a volby '90 |
1990:01 Beyond Educational Inequality in Czechoslovakia |
1989:02 Československá varianta Mezinárodní standardní klasifikace zaměstnání (ISCO) |
1989:01 Family Effect on Educational Attainment in Czechoslovakia, Hungary and the Netherlands |
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