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Stratification (Power and Authority (Power - the ability to influence…
Stratification
Power and Authority
Power - the ability to influence decisions. Can be formal (police,courts)/informal (family/schools) sources of power. Power exercised through sanctions. Functionalists see sources of power as necessary to create social order. Marxists see sources of power as favouring the ruling class.
Authority - having the power and right to make decisions e.e local councils and Parliament. Power can be determined by age, gender, class and ethnicity - these influence life chances. Functionalists say voting gives people power to put people into positions of authority. Weber - traditional authority, rational-legal authority, charismatic authority.
Feminist view :check:Explain how men ca n be dominant, gender pay gap is evidence for this, feminists help women gain more power :red_cross: men have less power than women in aspects of family e.g. custody battles, Parsons says people should have traditional gender roles, women's push for power might be bad for children.
Marxist view :check: Shows inequalities between classes and is evidence by the old boys network, shows how the higher classes have the power to gain positions of power. :red_cross: social class might not be as important as in the past, it ignored gender, the New Right say people in higher classes have more ability and make more effort
Weber :check: His three sources of authority explain authority throughout human history, he can justify why people have the authority to use power, rational-legal authority is a modern and fair way of organising society. :red_cross: Some leaders have more than one source of authority (Hitler), Weber doesn't explain the lack of female authority, Weber doesn't consider the influence of wealth and the power of the ruling class,.
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Is the UK a meritocracy?
Yes - It is one of the world's top economies, talen is motivated by rewards on offer, numbers going to university is increasing, women are becoming more successful.
No - Feminists say there is a glass ceiling
Institutional racism is still a problem
Pay gaps exist for ethnicity, gender and disability
The old boys network still exists
Privately educated people have better life chances
Cultural capital gives the middle class an advantage
Marxists argue schools prepare working class children for working class jobs