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Max weber theory on social class
Concept of social stratification
What Is The Concept Of Social Stratification
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Apart from the natural differences, human beings are also differentiated according to socially approved criteria that are upheld. Haralambos, Holborn and Heard (2004:p 1) stated that social stratification is a form of social inequality that represents distinct social groups which are ranked about the other in terms of factors such as prestige and wealth. Social Stratification draws attention to unequal positions occupied by individuals in society. In the modern industrial world the stratification system that has been dominant is a class system. Sociologists such as Karl Marx, Max Weber, Davis and Moore have all added their perspectives to social stratification. Perspectives of social stratification include the functionalist perspective, the conflict perspective and Weber’s class stratification. Class stratification proposed by Max Weber best describes social stratification in the English speaking Caribbean. Weber believed that social stratification results for competition for scarce resources in the society. Like Marx, Weber believed that class is based on power and the distribution of that power, Weber proposed that power is not limited to economic dimension but also involves social and political dimensions as well. Empirical studies in the Caribbean have mainly focused on class distinction, status hierarchy and power. Class, status, party and power are dimensions Max Weber class stratification perspective that is most relevant in the English speaking Caribbean.
Haralambos, Holborn and Heard (2004:12-14) defined a class as a group of individuals who share a similar position in a market economy, and by virtue of that fact receive similar economic rewards. Class in a modern society is perceived based on achieved criteria as oppos...
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Gaspard-Richards Denis, Deochan Vashti, and Berkley Bennie, Introduction to Sociology SOCI1002 (SY14G), (Bridgetown, Barbados: University of the West Indies, 2005), 165-200.
Haralambos, M., M. Holborn and R. Heald, Social stratification–a Marxist perspective. In Sociology: Themes and Perspectives (6th edn.).London: Harper-Collins. (2004). pp. 9–14.
Nasser Mustapha, Sociology for Caribbean Students, (Kingston: Ian Randle Publishers, 2009), 200-216.
Puja Mondal (2013)‘Social Stratification: Meaning, Types, and Characteristics’. Yourarticlelibrary.com. (March 16, 2014) http://www.yourar1ticlelibrary.com/sociology/social-stratification-meaning-types-and-characteristics-sociology-2446-words/6199/
Sociology 318 (2002) ‘Class, Status, and Party'. Uregina.ca/~gingrich/318n2202.com. (March 20, 2014) http://uregina.ca/~gingrich/318n2202.htm
America is supposedly where all men are created equally, yet society has created a hierarchy based on socioeconomic standing and political power. Theorists Karl Marx and Max Weber has applied their theories of social class on the model of social stratification; a system in which society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy. According to Karl Marx, the main classes of society are the bourgeoisie and the proletariat; those that are the owners of the means of productions and those who work for it. On the other hand, Max Weber argued that there is a multidimensional ranking rather than a hierarchy of clearly defined class. America has created a social system in which those of middle and lower classes tend to struggle to decrease the gap within
The class system has been in place within humanity since the very birth of economic trade. It is a fact of life that others will seek self-betterment and gain power to provide for those that they love and their own personal interest. Throughout the years the implementation of a social class system has helped to differentiate the types of economic situations as nation and serve as a system to work toward the betterment of the society as a whole. However, as the world became more productive and the gaps between the higher classes and lower classes increased the efficiency of the social class system and the decisions made from the individuals within it has been called into question. Kalen Ockerman opened the channel to question if the class system is the helpful institution that benefits of all its citizens or if the lower classes are not getting the support and attention they deem necessary.
(p1) Broadly speaking, class is about economic and social inequality… (p6) We have a tendency for groups of advanced people to congregate together, and groups of disadvantaged people to congregate so that inequalities persist from generation to generation.
Class for the purpose of this paper is the concept that those who are better off are of what can be considered to be upper class and those that lack financial means are of the lower class. Mantsios says that there is an absence of discussion in reference to the distinctions of classes (697). In a study performed by Susan Ostrander, in regards to the term “upper class” one woman responded “‘I hate to use the word ‘class.’ We are responsible, fortunate people, old families, the people who have something’” (697). Yet it appears to be opposite that those who are in this lower class realize the plight they suffer. As one student from Fremont High School noted, “‘The owners of the sewing factories need laborers. Correct…It’s not going be their own kids… You’re ghetto,’ said Fortino unrelentingly to her. ‘So Sew!’”(Kozol 645). The student who knew that he was more than likely to be stuff in his place was willing to point out this fault of the system. This topic which more than likely the well-off woman would stray from rather because she had life easier than Fortino will in his lifetime.
Larkin, Timothy. (2015). Our Social World: An Introducation to Sociology. Chapter 8: U.S. Organizing Principles of Stratification—Class, Race, and Gender. http://lc.gcumedia.com/soc102/our-social-world-an-introduction-to-sociology/v1.1/#/chapter/8.
Social inequality is characterized by the existence of unequal opportunity for various social positions or statuses within a given group or society. It is a phenomenon that has a long history as social inequalities has a wide range of varieties. From economic, gender, racial, status, and prestige, social inequality is a topic often disputed by classical theorists. Sociologists Karl Marx, Max Weber, W.I. Thomas, and Frederic M. Thrasher have formed varying thoughts on this recurring phenomenon. Marx believed that social inequality synthesized through conflicts within classes and in modern society those two classes were the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. In contrast, Weber disputes Marx’s simplistic view of the conflict and theorizes that social
Structural-functionalist Kingsley Davis and Wilbert Moore concluded that stratification of society is inevitable because: for society to function its positions must be filled, some positions are more important than others, the more important positions must be filled by the more qualified people, and to motivate the more qualified people to fill these positions they must offer greater rewards. (2012:228) Example of Davis and Moore conclusion is if someone apply for a job as a teacher, they need to be highly qualify in area such as education and experience. For that person to be interest in the job, employer need to offer benefit like retirement plan, vacation time, health insurance, etc… Unlike the position as a teacher, if someone is applying
Despite the typically imaged definition of socioeconomic class being based entirely on the wealth of the individual, there are many complex social factors at play as well. Not only does it stem from Max Weber’s concept of Socioeconomic class (wealth, status, and power), there is a mobility to it as well. Anyone can permanently or temporarily
First, the chapters cover stratification. According to study.com “Social stratification refers to a system by which a society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy. In the United States, it is perfectly clear that some groups have greater status, power, and wealth than other groups.” According to the textbook “Stratification is unequal distribution of valued
Manza, Jeff and Michael Sauder. 2009. Inequality and Society: Social Science Perspectives on Social Stratification. New York: Norton.
According to Black?s definition, stratification is ?the vertical aspect of social life?, ?any uneven distribution of the material conditions of existence? (Black 11), in other words the discrimination of wealth. Stratification can be measured in quantity, delineated in style and viewed from two perspectives, as a ?magnitude of difference in wealth? (Black 11) and as the level to which the setting is stratified. Moreover, stratification explains not only law, its quantity and style, but also other aspects of social life. The relationship Black is mostly interested in is the positive correlation between stratification and law, meaning the more law, the more stratified the setting is. When utilizing this proposition by inserting other variables of social ...
It is perpetuated by the way wealth, power, and prestige are distributed and passed on from one generation to the next
Throughout history an even today, Caribbean scholars contend that Caribbean relations are characterized by an interplay of race, class and gender. Clarke agree with this statement and said that, “The social structure of the Caribbean region is based on differences associated with class, race or colour, ethnicity and culture (Clarke, 2013). These three (3) components of race, class and gender affect each other in one way or the other. In other word, one’s class position may be dependent on his or her race or gender or one’s gender may determine his or her class position in society. It is important to note that the interplay of race, class and gender in the Caribbean differs from island to island. This essay will discuss the extent to which
Social class assumes different definitions based on an individual’s view on the topic. The definition may take the 20th Century assumption of sociological strata and one portrayed by the imperialist understanding of class. The sociological perspective of social class highlights an individual’s or group’s classification, as well as their position in societal standing, as predetermined by history, economy, and the role that they are expected to play as a result of being in that stratum (Jereb and Ferjan 155). While social class may take different interpretations, the interpretation adopted in this study is that of social strata that one occupies in a socially stratified society. The argument here is that social class is increasingly becoming less important in our society.
Kerbo, H. R. (2012). Social stratification and inequality: class conflict in historical, comparative, and global perspective (8th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.