Using a concise and easy-to-understand style, this guide provides an integrated approach to the implications of social class, race and ethnicity, and gender—explaining how each relates to economic, social, and political inequality. Its straightforward perspective views the considerations of race and gender as central to a full appreciation of the composition and dynamics of class systems. A significant and effective organization incorporates fresh conceptualizations, new research findings, and data, with the fundamentals of social stratification.