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Concept on social stratification
Social class and society
Concept on social stratification
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Is class dead? In this essay I will be discussing theories and arguments from Weber and the Functionalist perspective to both support and disagree with the above question , ' Is class dead '? Class is one of the many controversial topics up for discussion with regards to what impact , advantages and disadvantages it provides for some people and their access to resources. It is still clear that class is pertinent in today 's society as it is apparent it imposes effects on institutions within society such as education , health organisations and law enforcement 's. Social inequality refers to either moving up or down on the class hierarchy. This is possible as the ideology of class is an open one , meaning it is something that has been socially …show more content…
From the 1970 's onward there has been a dramatic increase in businesses specialising in travel and leisure , which has resulted in an increase in the demand of non manual middle class jobs. Moreover, modern society has encountered a decrease in heavy industries such as coal mining and others as such which has also resulted in the low demand for skilled manual labor workers mostly from the working class. In addition to this women have been integrated into employment allowing women to have there own class , rather then it being ascribed to them at birth or being situated on there father or husbands occupation. Social stratification refers to a system which society categorises people into a hierarchy. In some countries it is more apparent that some groups experience larger amounts of power wealth and income, and it is these distinct differences that led to social stratification. Social inequalities are man made meaning they are constructed socially , for example ; the ownership of land and property and the difference between income and power and accessibility of resources. There have been various theories arguing how class stratification should be …show more content…
Functionalists compare society to the biological anatomy, where the institutions within society act like human organs as they all depend on one another and if there were to be a fault in one of them it would have an impact as a whole. Davis and Moore talk about the inequalities apparent in today 's society and explain how they are necessary in order to ensure that the most important jobs are fulfilled by the most capable and intelligent beings such as doctors and members of parliament. They go on to explain how this is done through certain rewards and roles given out through employment. These jobs demand years of studying and training to complete successfully and therefore will be given to the most capable individuals whether they be from the upper or the lower
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.
Functionalist argue that stratification is "necessary and beneficial" to a society to ensure the highest qualified individuals will fill the best societal positions. Inequality in the distribution of desirables exist as a device for ensuring that the most important positions are filled by the most qualified people. Certain jobs are more important than others, and those jobs require special skill and talent. The cycle of unequal opportunity is intensifying, and the United States beneficiaries often slander those who are the most systemati...
Social stratification as defined by Brinkerhoff et al. is “an institutionalized pattern of inequality in which social statuses are ranked on the basis of their access to scarce resources” (Brinkerhoff et al. 152). By scarce resources, many people have to deal with poverty and having a lack of money to buy the things they need in their lives. Social class is defined as “a category of people who share roughly the same class, status, and power and who have a sense of identification with each other” (Brinkerhoff et al. 155). Your social class has to do with your socioeconomic status along with the power and connections you have. Social mobility on the other hand is “the process of changing one’s social class” (Brinkerhoff et al. 153).
Stratification systems, categorized people by class, gender, ethnicity, wealth/income. When people are categorized, start looking at different systems within the social system or social mobility. “The four main systems of stratification have been slavery, caste, estate, and class. Each of these systems allows greater or less flexibility in terms of social mobility. Social mobility is the ability to move up or down within a social stratification hierarchy” (Larkin, 2015). Slavery is a social status began with social norms allowing people to own others. The slaves had no wealth or power while under this social status. Caste systems are all aspects of social status are assigned at births and held forever,
Social and economic class is something we as Americans like to push into the back of our minds. Sometimes recognizing our class either socially or economically can almost be crippling. When individuals recognize class, limitations and judgment confront us. Instead, we should know it is important to recognize our class, but not let it define and limit us. In the essay, “Class in America”, Gregory Mantsios, founder and director of the Joseph S. Murphy Institute for Worker Education at the School of Professional Studies, brings to light the fact that Americans don’t talk about class and class mobility. He describes the classes in extremes, mainly focusing on the very sharp divide between the extremely wealthy and extremely poor. In contrast, George
“No system of distribution can satisfy everyone, since there is no obviously “right” or “fair” way to distribute power, privilege, and prestige” (Nolan. Lenski, 2004: 269). Functionalism is a theory that could explain why Marx’s predictions have not been realized. Functionalism may be defined as the “theory that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability” (Moffit, n.d). Unlike Marxist, functionalist believe that society is abundant due to presence of roles, status and norms into social hierarchy—there isn’t just a separation of dominants and impotent. (Sociologyguide, n.d). Functionalists believe society to be a complex system made up of interdependent and interrelated parts; each part is a vital piece of society. The malfunction of a part could indicate or even provoke disruption within society (faculty.upi,n.d). (potmd,2012) Functionalist agree that
Torkildsen (2011) stated that the nature and definition of 'social class' is generally regarded as being problematic, as class not only relates to income or occupation but also upbringing and family background. "social class is often regarded as grouping on the basis of occupation, which is 'socioeconomic class' rather than social class" (Torkildsen, 2011 p.49). divine
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
Class is often seen as the income or lifestyle that people fit into; but by creating such a vague definition for class, we lose sight of the reasons that the different classes exist. Even more than that, the general population has been led to believe that classes are a thing of the past-something that used to be important, but is now just a term economists use that has no effect our lives.
What is social class? It is a term used to describe a large group of people who share similar social or economic positions in society based on wealth, income, job status, education, skills or power in the political sphere. Class is not just about what you own or earn but also who you know. Class affects not only how we feel about ourselves, but how others judge and consequently treat us. Those at the top of the class structure, the elite, have more power than those in the middle and even more power than those at the bottom who are of lower class. Education is a highly valued commodity in our world. In his commentary on society Freud, claimed, “ No feature, however, seems better to characterize civilization than its esteem and encouragement
Globalization and capitalism have changed the world we live in today. Many would debate that this is a good thing, and others will argue that it is not. Such social economic forces have extended the gap for communication and economic developments, while at the same time causing sorrow, and epidemic competition amongst people. Usually, the most vulnerable populations are the ones with the most sorrow and agony. Durkheim’s theory of social function depicted that society is structured, and people must have a functional specialization as part of an organism. He believed that people who earn more were rewarded for their scarce talents within a difficult job. However, people in poverty were necessary and given a share needed to keep society functioning. The theory of social function has now lost much of its vibrancy due to flaws with the crude explanation of the functionalist perspective. This can be applied to the global world today, where it is said that nations are provided by talents and resources that are produced for the global economy.
Social stratification can have a big impact on poverty. Social stratification consists of social and economic institutions. These institutions generate inequality and further poverty. It creates hierarchy and classes within society. The hierarchy that forms can put people at disadvantages. This disadvantage can lead to poverty and the inability to get out of poverty.
Inequality is the result of private property, as well as many other factors but let’s just focus on this one. Private property, as said by Ferguson and Millar, represents a huge improvement in society because private property leads to higher degrees of social organization and efficiency. This means that the ownership of private property creates an incisive to work and will create a more efficient way to work, only to acquire more private property. Social stratification is the noticeable, or sometimes unnoticeable, inequality between people, or better yet classes. People that have large amount of private property, or tangible items, generally are ranked higher than other people in regard to class. Class structure is usually defined by three classes, but I will define it by five classes. To begin I will start with the most elite class, the upper class. The upper class in mainly consisted of CEOs and distinct politicians that usually make $200,000 or more. The next class is the middle class which can be broken down further in two more defined class, the upper-middle class and the lower-middle class. The upper-middle class is generally consisted of professionals with a graduate degree making an average of $72,000 to $100,000. The lower-middle class is mainly consisted of professional support and sales with a bachelors degree making $32,000 to $50,000. The next
Stratification is a term that is used to describe structured social and systemic inequalities among groups of people that result in unforeseen consequences of social processes (Conley 240). Social stratification is used in societies to explain inequalities of resources and goods, which are unequally disturbed among members of society. Members in society are ranked according to their status in America we use a class system, when in people are organized in low, middle, high and upper classes. Individuals in the lower class have limited access to the resources in society, in contrast the upper class control most of the resources. Social stratification is functional in society.