SCC Social Issues and Inequality 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which concept describes the compounding disadvantage experienced when a person belongs to multiple marginalized groups simultaneously?
- Social stratification
- Intersectionality (Correct answer)
- Status inconsistency
- Relative deprivation
Correct answer: Intersectionality
Intersectionality, coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw, explains how overlapping identities (race, gender, class) create compounded forms of discrimination.
Question 2: The Gini coefficient is used to measure which of the following?
- Poverty rates in developing nations
- Income inequality within a society (Correct answer)
- Social mobility between generations
- Unemployment rates by race
Correct answer: Income inequality within a society
The Gini coefficient ranges from 0 (perfect equality) to 1 (maximum inequality) and is the standard measure of income distribution.
Question 3: According to conflict theory, social inequality primarily exists because:
- It motivates people to fill important roles in society
- Powerful groups use their position to maintain advantages (Correct answer)
- Natural talent differences lead to different outcomes
- Individuals make free choices that determine their status
Correct answer: Powerful groups use their position to maintain advantages
Conflict theorists argue that dominant groups use economic, political, and social power to preserve their privilege at the expense of subordinate groups.
Question 4: Which term refers to informal, unpaid work such as childcare and housework that is disproportionately performed by women?
- Secondary labor
- Reproductive labor (Correct answer)
- Surplus labor
- Domestic consumption
Correct answer: Reproductive labor
Reproductive labor encompasses caregiving and domestic tasks that sustain households but are not compensated through wages.
Question 5: A neighborhood where environmental hazards like toxic waste sites are concentrated near communities of color is an example of:
- Urban sprawl
- Environmental racism (Correct answer)
- Redlining
- Gentrification
Correct answer: Environmental racism
Environmental racism refers to the disproportionate siting of hazardous facilities in communities of color, a core concern of the environmental justice movement.
Question 6: Which of the following best describes the 'feminization of poverty'?
- Women are more likely to report being poor than men
- Women and children make up a disproportionate share of the poor (Correct answer)
- Poverty causes women to adopt traditional gender roles
- Female-headed households earn more than male-headed ones
Correct answer: Women and children make up a disproportionate share of the poor
The feminization of poverty refers to the trend in which women, especially single mothers, represent a growing share of those living in poverty.
Question 7: Structural unemployment differs from frictional unemployment in that it:
- Occurs when workers are between jobs voluntarily
- Results from a mismatch between worker skills and available jobs (Correct answer)
- Is caused by seasonal fluctuations in labor demand
- Reflects short-term economic downturns
Correct answer: Results from a mismatch between worker skills and available jobs
Structural unemployment arises when technological change or industry shifts make certain skills obsolete, leaving workers permanently displaced.
SCC Social Issues and Inequality 2
Which concept describes the compounding disadvantage experienced when a person belongs to multiple marginalized groups simultaneously?