Functionalist Theories Of Statification

Question 1

What is Durkheims view on soctiey?

Answer 1

Society is more than the people in it - things that happen in society affects our opinions and actions

Social features are social facts, things that exist in society, eg music and fashion

🌱 people come and go but these stay constant = society is more important that people

Question 2

How is social cohesion maintained?

Answer 2

Theough shared rituals and activities

Watching the same tv = shared consensus

Major sporting events unit society eg. The Olympics

Question 3

What is social inequality?

Answer 3

A condition in which members of society have different amounts of wealth, prestige or power

Question 4

What is stratification

Answer 4

Structured ranking of groups that give unequal economic reward and power in society

Question 5

What is an ascribed status ?

Answer 5

The social position given to people without regard to their characteristics

Usually given at birth

Question 6

What is an achieved status?

Answer 6

Social position given to a person largely through his/her own effort

Question 7

What is parsons view on stratification

Answer 7

The order of society is based on the valued consensus
👀 if values are set people are ranked in terms of their actions
👀 more successful = high rewards

> > stratification is inevitable, as there is a need for valued consensus

Question 8

What is an Marxist view of Parsons arguemnt

Answer 8

Stratification causes disagreement between people - any apparent valued consensus is ruling class ideology, to make the working class accept unequal rewards

Question 9

What is Davis and Moores view on stratification

Answer 9

Believe it is a system that allocated people into jobs & status = it is universal and necessary 😶 functional necessity
🌷 society needs to fill the top jobs with the most talented and hard working = if everybody was paid the same their would be no incentive to work hard
🌷 people that put the most time and effort in get the best pay & working condition = high reward is motivation

Question 10

General evaluation of Davis and Moores view

Answer 10

✔️ it is attractive to those who have positions of power and wealth
❌ kendall et al - they ignore structural inequality eg. Social facts like racial discrimination, inadequate school funding

Question 11

How does Tumin criticise Davis and moore

Answer 11

1. They assume higher positions are most important, working class jobs are just as important
2. Differences in pay is due to power differences, not importance
3. Motivation?? Stratification could discourage those at the bottom as those at the top could creat barriers to block opportunity
4. Stratification is not integrative, it causes hostility, suspicion and distress

Question 12

Do functionalist have a positive or negative view of class inequality and why?

Answer 12

Positive ; it motivates people of all social classes to aspire and enjoy higher rewards

Question 13

What does functionalist strongly believe about?

Answer 13

Meritocracy; their is an equal opportunity for talented individuals to rise from any social class

Higher social classes should be highly rewarded; as they are there through merit

Their in an open social mobility = the talented will rise

Question 14

1st lot or evaluation of functionalist views on social class and meritocracy

Answer 14

❌ bowles and Gintis - meritocracy is a myth, as it hides the continued failure of working class to attain qualifications 
❌ those at the bottom of society are held back by structural constrains eg poverty 
✔️ Goldthrope - there is a long range of mobility 
✔️ rise in women success provide evidence that it is the ability that counts 
❌ elite self recruitment - it is who you know = attain ruling class

Question 15

2st lot or evaluation of functionalist views on social class and meritocracy

Answer 15

❌ statistics show rhat middle class get more benefits than the working class, for example;
1. Harrow, top school, costs £28,000. The national minimum wage is £20,000
2. They follow the correspondence principle eg wearing business suits to school
3. Use the elaborate code = sophisticated language
4. Sugarman, working class value immediate gratification = less likely to succeed
Middle class value delayed gratification = success

Question 16

How has functionalist influenced new right views

Answer 16

The view that the lower class are held back by their cultural differences eg laziness

Is adopted by the new right

Question 17

What does charles murray say?

Answer 17

The underclass have different cultural values than the rest of society

They embraces an alternative subculture with deviant values

Question 18

What does peter saunders say with an influence of postmodernism?

Answer 18

Sees society as divided less in ways of class but in terms of consumption; SELF RESTRATIFICATION as occured;

1. people seeking a way to satisfy their consumption needs
2. People that rely on the government

Question 19

What social policys have been made in light of this?

Answer 19

• bedroom tax and new controls on job allowance, reduce the underclass

1 trickle down theory - cutting taxes for the rich so they have more money to boost the economy = better

Question 20

Evaluation of new right views

Answer 20

❌ the media shows that their is “undeserved” higher wages given, eg. Top bankers who are to blame for the 2008 economic crash
❌ highest wages are given to footballers & celebrities - are these the most important jobs
❌ breen and Goldthrope - sauders ignores how the poor and unemployed find themselves trapped in a cycle of deprivation and lack of opportunity

Question 21

What does feminist say about functionalist views

Answer 21

Women face factors such as the glass ceiling effect

This goes against meritocracy

Question 22

What does marxist say about functionalist views

Answer 22

Their view is nothing more than ruling class ideology and false class consciousness

Question 23

How is Brooklen Beckham an contemporary example?

Answer 23

He has got an Ascribed Status, shows middle class do naturally have no opportunity to succed

• got an internship at burrbury, which was open to the public
  2,500 people applied

Question 24

How is UCL social cleansing a contemporary example?

Answer 24

If you do not have the money to afford to live in london you cannot go

Working class have material deprivation = less chance of success

Douglas

Question 25

In the last 40 years 7 different classes have emerged, give 2 examples

Answer 25

1. Precariat - bottom if society

2. Elite - highest 6%

Question 26

What has happened in the past 40 years in classes?

Answer 26

People who were in the working class jumped, as their is two new classes below them

People who were in the middle class find themselves worse iff in the spectrum

Elitism is very exclusive

🌱 society and its class system is much more complex

Question 27

What us Spencer’s view on society?

Organic anology

Answer 27

Everybody works together for the common good - like body parts

We cannot survive alone, we need the other parts of society to support us