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sociology social stratification full summary
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this is a full summary and overview of social stratification as taught in sociology from a grade 9 student.
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Sociological views on social stratification : Introduction to social Strat :Functionalist refers to how society is divided up into different groups which have different life chances. into a hierarchy
occurs in every society and is necessary to its functioning. form of social inequality as members are ranked above one another due to : Status, Wealth, Income and Power.
Some essential jobs in society require higher levels of skill, talent, and sacrifice, Keywords
so come with high incomes and more social status. Open system > movement up or down between strata layers is achievable
some social inequality is inevitable because people will always be treated Social mobility > movement between strata layers.
Karl Marx and Class
differently according to their merits and what they contribute to society.
Working class are exploited by the Bourgeoisie.
Anyone can achieve status as we live a meritocracy and the government provides
argued society has been through 4 different class systems :
opportunities for us all. Decline in inequality? 1. Primitive communism (tribes)
David and Moore : social stratification is a universal necessity for a well - Pupil Premium : money from 2. Ancient Society (slavery)
functioning society and the roles in the hierarchy match those that we need. government eg free school meals. 3. Feudal Society (kings, barons, knights and peasants.)
Marxist - Increase in minimum wage 4. Capitalism (most exploitive)
based on class exploitation which results from the bourgeoisie accumulating - Education has improved in capitalist society, ruling class control means of production and suggest this is
wealth and economic power at the expense of the proletariat. - Food bank usage has massively normal.
not inevitable or necessary. increased ( 11% of all household, up from → workers have false class consciousness so accept their position at the bottom of
reproduces the class system. (through inheritance) 5% previously.) society
Feminist Equal Pay act - men and women have Proletariat
patriarchal society : men are always at the top and have the power. same salary for same job - don't own or control means of production
women are restricted in society ( Dual burden , Glass ceiling ) so lower down. Sex discrimination act - unlawful to - work in factories and use resources, however do not own any of them.
Webber discriminate against someone because of - can only sell their labour.
argued four main classes: sex. Bourgeoisie
1.Property owners 2. professionals 3. petty bourgeoisie 4. working class
people could face inequality and stratification in multiple areas of society.
status is affected by your life chances. Waley
Social stratification. - own means and production and the things that come from them.
control profits by driving up prices and lowering wages.
Townsend CRITISISM : if class inequality really existed, then why do so many working class
society is patriarchal and 6 structures reinforce this:
identified 3 ways of defining poverty : members of society still become successful and aren't exploited.
1, Paid work 2. Patriarchal cultures 3.Patriarchal relations 4. Sexuality
1. The state standard - gov uses figure to decide if 5. Male violence to women 6. the state Feminist disagree as Marxism ignores all other inequalities in society such as gender and
people get universal credit. only focuses on class inequality.
Rowntree
2. Relative deprivation - how poor someone is in New right and Functionalist argue capitalism is key to the functioning of society and it
1889-1901 in York
comparison to others in country creates opportunities for social mobility.
FINDINGS : main cause of poverty was illness and unemployment.
3. Relative income - poverty line people can't pull themselves out of poverty. 30% of population were Measuring social stratification :
questionnaire to measure extent of poverty in below poverty line. 21 shillings was poverty line. Social class is often based on occupation because an individual's occupation is usually
Devised "deprivation index" covering large > shocked UK and changed opinions toward the poor closely linked to their income, social status and life chances.
amount of variable including housing, clothes, claimed people can't help being poor. large families cause poverty. 1. Registrar General's classification
food , lifestyle and activities. Murray UK gov way to determine class.
+ representative of all poor and no chance for bias 3 principles for welfare Reform : from 1911 - 1998
on subjects. 1, people respond to rewards and punishments 2,People are distinguishes manual effort and non-manual occupations.
- no in depth answers (closed) and open to responsible for own actions 3,People not born moral - will try and manual : skilled semi-skilled or unskilled Working class
interpretation. avoid work. Non-manual : skilled , intermediate and professional. Middle class
- doesn't allow for difference in lifestyles e.g. vegans. argued welfare system made it easy to disobey law and not get a job. 2. National statistics socio-economic classification
- measured on societal inequalities rather than requested complete removal of welfare programmes and replace replaced registrar
poverty. with locally managed solutions by councils. based on occupation advantage : covers whole adult population including
Devine Weber and Class unemployed
- disagreed with Lockwood's agrees with Marx that ownership and non-ownership of property is the most important bias in group together similar occupations based on:
theory of "privatised class division. - rewards from work such as benefits and pay
instrumentalism." argued class divisions aren't just based on economic factors but also factors such as skills and - employment status (employee or self-employed)
- agreed people's lives were qualifications. - level of authority and control - including responsibility for other workers.
not as communal as in Interested in issues such as development of capitalism and social class. 3. Great British Class System
previous generations, they identified status and power (alongside class) as other aspects of stratification. defines social class as:
were not as isolate. class - Proletariat : poor and deprived
- evidence of working-class classes formed in marketplaces eg labour market. - Traditional Working class : often older
families being increasingly class is a group of people with similar access to life chances such as health and education. - Emergent service workers : lots of cultural capital and often young.
affluent and aspirational. called these "marker situations" where people compete for economic gain : those who achieve - Technical middle class : new. lots of money. don't really socialise
- interviews with manual may have no savings but still gain and withhold status. - New affluent workers : young. good money. higher cultural capital
workers in the late 1980s identified four main social classes based on same life chances and same market situations ; - Established middle class : high level of social, cultural and economic capital
1. Property owners 2. Professionals 3. Petty bourgeoisie 4.Working class. - Elite : most privileged. lots of money. high economic, cultural and social capital
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