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inequalities and social class - Coggle Diagram
inequalities and social class
functionalism
definig class
Functionalists see society as a system with a lot of moving parts harmoniously , however few attempt to discuss social class
Functionalists see the social stratification as open
With plenty of social mobility to move up and down the social classes
Those who are in poverty or a lower class are there by not working hard enough
And those who are at the top of society is because they have worked hard to earn it
davis Moore thesis
Theory of 'Stratification' first described in 1945
It sees society and its roles structured as the most important roles being allocated to the hardest workers
The highest paid roles are reserved for the best workers
We need to have low paid jobs that force inequality so that people can see these as incentive to work harder
People are attracted to and compete for highly rewarded jobs
Without the potential rewards why would people make the effort and take on responsibility?
Doesn’t see class as relevant as social mobility means everyone can achieve what they need from society
criticisms -
Often highest paid members of society have very little value to society – Think back to Lionel Messi wage compared to nurses
Those who inherit wealth may not need to work but still reap benefits of society – not meritocracy
It is very hard to determine a jobs 'value to society'
Meritocracy can be seen as a myth , it ignore structural ineqaulities of gender , race , ethnicity and class – think Eton and its pathway to prime ministers
It justifies inequality by suggesting it is ok that we have poverty as these people need to work harder
marxism defining class
Marxism theory is all about inequalities with class and how the capitalist social structure oppresses
The system prevents proletarians from overthrowing the bourgeoise and it has systems to in place to stop them
capitalist - oppress workers and exploit them
workers - controlled through ideology and the exercise of power and control
accounting for class inequality
Marxism is a conflict theory – inequality happens because of the class system
There are systems in society that prevent rebelling against this and overthrowing (Marxists see taxation and social structure)
The state is bourgeoise owned , politics and laws are set up in a way to benefit the rich and wealth.
As it is upper class owned the police and army are used to enforce this oppression
Neo Marxism – Beourgious own the media/education so influence this tool of controlling
criticism
It only suggests that inequality can happen to the working class
Karl Marx theory only looks at upper and working class , it does not account for middle class/new class forms
There is class inequality within the working class where others face inequality – sexism , ageism , racism etc
There are groups who are in the working class who do not face inequality – not everyone faces this
Weberian
Weber suggests there are 4 basic categories (however have sub sections within them)
Dominant property – owning commercial class
Middle Class professional people , who sold education and skills
Owners of small businesses and companies
The working class who work with their hands
Weber agrees with Marx , suggesting economic value plays a large role in someone's status in society
Poorer people had to depend on their skills to gain status within society (Those who are richer didn’t rely on this)
Better qualified people had a better position on the job market
Jobs generally dictate class position
Weber also suggests 'life chances' - some groups have more opportunity in life due to family/social status etc
This 'life chances' is how Weber suggests inequality forms as lower-class people do not have these
criticisms
highlights the complex nature of society
Weberian theory proposes Dahl(1967) of pluralism , where everyone can 'jossle' for power and fight to get their voices heard to change. However , this further highlights inequality as it is those who get their voices heard can inflict inequality on others
Webers theory can also be used to highlight gender and ethnic division also. Parker (1974) proposes the idea of 'social closure' where certain groups can marginalize others.