Previous edition: 2012.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

PART I: Basic concepts -- 1. Inequality and opportunities -- 2. Explaining inequality -- 3. Understanding inequality -- 4. The structure of inequality and social -- PART II: Applications -- 5. The upper class and the elite -- 6. The middle class and workers -- 7. Poverty -- 8. Social mobility -- 9. Education and inequality -- 10. Gender inequality -- 11. Race and ethnicity -- 12. Culture -- 13. Inequality across the globe -- 14. Public policy and social change.

Inequality: a contemporary approach to race, class, and gender offers a comprehensive introduction to the topics animating current sociological research focused on inequality. Contemporary, engaging, and research-oriented, it is the ideal text to help undergraduate students master the basic concepts in inequality research and gain a deeper understanding of the ways in which race, class, and gender interact with systems of social stratification. Following an introduction to theories and research methods used in the field, the authors apply these concepts to areas that define inequality research, including social mobility, education, gender, race, and culture. The authors include up-to-date quantitative evidence throughout. The text concludes by examining policies that have facilitated inequality and reviewing the social movements that in turn seek to reshape those structures. Though primarily focused on the United States, it includes a chapter on stratification across the globe and draws on cross-national comparisons throughout. --Provided by publisher.