Functionalist Evaluations Flashcards
Marxists
Marxists reject the view that there is a value consensus in society. Marxists say education is used to promote capitalist ideology (ideas) & the value consensus is manufactured by education. E.g. you are told what is best for you & if you disagree with this you are criticised & punished.
Social Division
Education system creates social division not social solidarity. Only 7% of children are educated in private schools & yet they dominate the top jobs in society.
(Currently 75% of judges & 45% of senior civil servants are privately educated. Sutton Trust) It is argued that those from private schools have better opportunities both in & out of school for educational achievement. (As they possess cultural capital).
Sift and Sorting
Education does not always select the most appropriate people for particular jobs. Social contacts often influence an individual’s employability.
E.g. an ‘old boy’ network exists in law in which jobs are given to those from top private schools; the rich give internships to family friends. (Cameron said he had been helped out by family connections with what he called a “definite leg-up internship” at his father’s stockbrokers; Cameron said it was “fine” to help people you knew.)
