Functionalist Theory Of Social Inequality

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Online Activity 3 Inequality is very complicated. To eliminate this complexity, we must consider the interrelationships between inequalities. Considering class, race, and gender is important because we may find inequality in the interrelationship between these dimensions. Functionalists believe that behavioral patterns that characterize society exist because they are useful to society. They believe that because social inequality is universal, inequality must help society to survive. This society provides more rewards for its more responsible, more demanding and more responsible positions. If the most qualified people have the most important positions, society will be better. For example,if you finish high school, go to college, and then enter law school and become a lawyer, your income and status should reflect the skills required by your profession. On the contrary, if you withdraw from high school and work as a janitor, you will still contribute to society, but your contribution is not so important and therefore not worth as much as the lawyer's income and status. …show more content…

They emphasize that conflict rather than function is the basis of social stratification. In each society, groups fight with each other in order to obtain a greater share of limited social resources. Whenever a group gains power, it uses that power to extract its content from the group below it. It also uses social institutions to keep other groups vulnerable and self-possessed. According to conflict theorists, class conflict is the key to understanding social stratification because society is far from a harmonious system and it is good at allocating more resources to more qualified members. Unlike functionalists, conflict theorists believe that there is a clear conflict under the surface of seemingly calm societies - usually through political concessions such as minimum wage laws, workplace safety legislation, employment equality

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