Paper 2- Social stratification Flashcards
Factors affecting a person’s life chances:
- Wealth
- Status (social standing or prestige an individual is given by other members of the community or society)
- Income
- Power
Social inequality:
The unequal distribution of wealth resources (e.g. money and power) and life chances in education, employment and health.
Types of stratification systems:
- The feudal system (cloed system)- the King being at the top, below him, nobles and lords. Ranked in estates, social mobility was impossible, estates were inheritted. This creates inequality, wealth is unequally distributed.
- The Apartheid (closed society)- stratification based on race in South Africa. Black people were seen as inferior to white people, so where lower than them in the system. Segregated in all areas of life; education, public buildings and transport. They did not have the same oppurtunities as white people e.g. poor housing and education.
Social mobility in Britain:
Functionalists would argue that we live in an open society as social moblity is possible if a person works hard enough. E.g. Alan sugar who achieved upward social mobility. However an article by the Independant found that w/c pupils are not applying to leading universities in the UK, so upward social mobility is limited in the Uk.
Davis and Moore (1945)- stratification:
They are Functionalists and used the work of other sociologists:
- Role allocation takes place in society to different roles- some are functionally important (essential for society, e.g. a doctor)- these are meritocratic
- These roles have a high status and rewards to attract the best and skilled people to them
- Stratification is necessary to ensure that the most talented peopple get the best jobs
Karl Marx- Social class
Marx used the work of other sociologists:
* Proletraiat (w/c) and Bourgeiosie (u/c)
* Bourgeiosie: powerful and own means of production
* Proletariat are exploited and experience alienation- class conflict (different classes have different interests, resulting in conflict)
* Borgeouisie impose the ‘ruling class ideology’ on the w/c- creating a false class consciousness
* Lumpenproletariat (unemployed, homeless, commit crimes)- at the bottom
Conclusion: Marx ignore sthe fact that social mobility is possible, Alan Sugar was w/c but was able to work up the social ladder. He is now a ‘Sir’. Some argue that the m/c is growing because people are becoming more affluent and sharing a similar lifestyle to that of m/c groups.
Max Weber- social class:
Weber used the work of other sociologists.
* Classes are formed in the labour market- classes is a group of people who have similar life chances
* 4 main classes: Property owners, proffesionals, petty bourgeiosie, working class
* Classes based on economic factors, staus and power
* M/c is expanding, not getting smaller like Marx says, there will not be a proletariat revolution
Conclusion: He argues that there are 4 classes, however in contemporary society there are 7, due to changes in social and cultural capital.
Fiona Devine (1992)- Affluent workers revisited:
She used intensive (unstructured interviews).
- Revisited Luton to see how far the w/c had changed, compared to Goldthorpe’s study
- Found that the w/c lifestyle had not changed much as Goldthorpe had suggested- no evidence of a ‘new w/c’
- Hone life not purely ‘home-centered’ and privatised
- Interviewees did not have a purely instrumental attitide to work, plenty evidence of solidarity
Sylvia Walby (1990)- patriachy:
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Walby was a Femenist and used the work of other sociologists.
* Patriachy- male dominated society, women are exploted
* ‘Six pillars of patriachy’
* Paid work, house work, culture, sexuality, male violence against women and the state
* Patriachy has changed- used to be private (only in the home) and is now public (present in the workplace)
* Young women have more equality due to the rise of femenism- however they still suffer from public patriachy
Factors affecting life chances- gender:
- Women have a higher life expectancy- more elderly female pensioners
- Child-bearing- distrupts employment patterns
- More likely to be lone parent- they have dependent children
However, there has been changes such as the Sex discrimination act in (1975), where women are represented in mangerial positions and the Equal pay act (1970)
Factors that affect life chances- ethnicity:
- South Asian and black people are among the highest rates of unemployment
- Pakistani and Bangladeshi women have the highest unemployment rates
- According to Marxists- the Bourgeiosie **recruit EM during economic boom **and fire them when capitalism no longer needs them- they are the reserve army of labour
However, the Race relations act 1976 made it illegal to discriminate against ethnicity in employment, education nd criminal justice. Furthermore, after** Stephen Lawrence** being stabbed in an unprovoked attack by a gang of white youths and the MacPherson report, awareness of racism in the metropolitan police was brought and institutional racism was spoke more about.
Factors affecting life chances- sexuality:
- Many people are unaccepting of the LGBTQ community, LGBTQ people may face stigma and discriminationin their daily lives. According to Stonewall :
- 17% of LGBT people who have visited a cafe, restaraunt, bar or nightculb in the last 12 months have been dicriminated against based on their sexual orientation
- 21% of LGBT people have experienced hate crime
- Mental health and suicidal rates are very high for them
Equality Act 2010, illegal to discriminate against someone’s seuality
Factors affecting life chances- Age:
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- Ageism still exists- a person of 60 does not get the same employment opppurtunities
- Unemployment rate of 16-24 is higher than any other age group- young people may be seen as inexperienced
- Young peoplpe are more likely to be labelled negatively
Equality Act 2010- protects people from age discrimination at work and in a public place
Factors that affect life chances- religion:
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- Stereotypes placed on certain religions- they may get labelled negatively and recieve a master status
- Muslims recieve the highest level of hate crimes- 47%
Race Relations Act 1976 makes it illegal to discriminate against one based on religion in employment, educationa and criminal justice
Max Weber- Power and Authority:
- Power is based in coercion (use of threat/violence) or authority.
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There are 3 types of authority:
1. Charismatic authority (inspiring people)- e.g. a religious leader, Mandela and campaigns such as the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign.
2. Traditional authority (based on tradition)- e.g. a religious leaders
3. Rational legal authority (based on a set of rules & laws)- w.g. a judge
