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Social Class Inequalities (trends in income distribution (income in…
Social Class Inequalities
social class
sociologists believe that social class differences and the inequalities in wealth and income associated with them have a significant effect on the life chances of social groups
measuring or operationalising social class
sociologists want to address class differences in all areas of social life in order to identify reasons why inequalities come about
advertisers want to target particular social groups in order to max. sales
governments and sociologists tend to approach social class as an objective reality that results in observable patterns of behaviour an inequalities in areas such as health, education.
National Stats Socio-economic Classification
higher professional
managerial
white collar clerical workers = middle class
blue collar = working class
trends in income distribution
income in Britain is unequally distributed
between 1979 and 1997 = income inequality between rich and poor in Britain widened until it was as its most unequal since records began at the end o 19th century
the poorest sections of the population actually pay more tax as a proportion of their income than the rich because of indirect taxes such as VAT on food
functionalists & new right = unequal distribution of wealth is good for society as it encourages hard work
marxist = unfair distribution is created by the rich few - for whom it is beneficial
trends in wealth distribution
wealth is distributed much more unequally than income
work and employment
top of work hierarchy
financial rewards
higher status
greater power
greater oppurtunities
higher levels of job satisfaction
functionalists and new right
social class inequalities in the workplace merely reflect the meritocratic nature of modern societies such as UK
people who have worked hard in the educational system to aquire skills and qualifications deserve greater rewards than those who failed
marxist
class inequalities in the workplace, perform two functions; the wages of routine workers are deliberately kept low by the capitalist class in order to enhance profit; the managerial executives and professionals who run capitalist enterprises are highly rewarded because they are the agents o the bourgeoisie or capitalist class
weberian
stratification in the workplace is caused by status inequality
poverty
wilkinson and pickett
poverty brings various socio-economic disadvantages; debt, poor diet, health and disability
absolute poverty = lack the basics or essentials required for a healthy standard of living such as food, water, shelter
relative poverty = the condition in which people lack the minimum amount of income required to maintain the average standard of living that the majority in a particular society take or granted
households below average income
the consensual measure of poverty
deprivation index = damp free home, fresh fruit and veg, waterproof coat
social mobility
inter-generational mobility
mobility between generations
intra-generational mobility
movement between classes by someone during the course of their lifetime
Goldthorpe
1:2:4 Rule Of Relative Hope
the lower, middle and upper class boys of moving up social ladder - middle class twice as likely as lower class
criticism
feminists - only focuses on boys - women are now important wage earners
education
at all stages of education, students from working class backgrounds achieve less than their middle class counterparts
private school students are a third of all members of parliament
health
if you are from a manual working class background, you are generally more likely to die younger, age faster and encounter more long term chronic physically and mental illness than someone not from working class