theories of class inequality Flashcards
functionalist sociologist?
- parsons
- davies and Moore
parsons?
social inequality is functional and inevitable, social systems should be meritocratic in order to maintain a functional society. A meritocratic society is a system where talent and effort is rewarded.
davies and Moore ?
- society must ensure the most important roles are filled with the most talented (role allocation
- society is meritocratic education allows everyone to compete therefore those with th best qualifications so should get the best jobs
- some people need to fill lower class jobs therefore paid less
functionalism evaluation?
- those of lower class do not have the connection in order to achieve the best roles in society
- education is not always fair as labelling exists
- do lower status jobs deserve less pay?
new right sociologists?
- most associated with Charles Murray
1. marsland
2. saunders
what do the new right believe ?
blames inequalities on outcomes on the inadequate norms and values of the underclass
marsland?
the welfare state in the UK affects the behaviour on those dependant on welfare by reducing their need for independence
saunders ?
those dependants on state welfare to survive tend to have a ‘culture of fatalism’ which prevents them from investing time into their futures
evaluation for new right?
charlesworth - studied deprivation and found despite the clear effects which poverty had on peoples physical and mental health most still had strong moral values and didn’t commit crime even though it would be an easy option
marxist sociologists?
- Marx
- bowels and gintis
Marx ?
bourgeoisie - ruling class
proletariat - workers
the bourgeoisie exploit their workers in oder to earn more money. workers are therefore are not getting paid the full value of their labour this is called the surplus value which the owner keeps rather than giving it to the workers that produced it
bowels and gintis?
the hidden curriculum is used to control the proletariat as it creates submissive workers, teachers them acceptance of hierarchy and maintains inequality
evaluation of marxism ?
- deterministic underestimates peoples free will
- capitalism have survied and developed whereas communist societies have caused suffering and have largely failed
weber sociologists?
- weber
- barron and norris
weber believes ?
weber agrees with Marx that ownership is most important in class divisions however he argued that class divisions aren’t just based on economic factors but also linked to qualifications and skills people have. he identified status and power as other aspects of social stratification
barron and norris?
dual labour market theory, primary market consists of secure highly paid jobs, secondary labour market is made up of insecure poorly paid jobs, the WC are more likely to be in secondary labour market therefore more likely to experience inequality
evaluation of weber ?
- functionalists would challenge this idea that status can contribute to inequality they argue there are equal opportunities and we have meritocracy
- marxists argue that class is still the main source of power and inequality
what do postmodernists believe?
that class is ceasing to matter in contemporary society
postmodernist sociologists?
- Jameson
- polhemus
Jameson?
argues class divisors in society are a product of late capitalism but cannot be explained by economic dimensions alone
polhemus?
the existence of multiple identities means that old social class identities are no longer meaningful in a postmodern world.
evaluation of postmodernism ?
there are still inequalities in society postmodernists are playing this down too much
