Functionalist Theory Of Social Inequality

Question 1

Who are the key thinkers of functionalism and what are they interested in?

Answer 1

Emile Durkheim - industrialisation, urbanisation
Talcott Parsons - 1950s USA : considerable affluence (wealth) enjoyed by many

Question 2

What do functionalists believe to be the structure of society?

Answer 2

Parsons explains that to understand society, it needs to be broken down into different sections. Society as a whole, institutions, status roles, norms and values

Question 3

What is social order?

Answer 3

Society is based on social solidarity, value consensus, collective conscience in regards to norms, values, rule, goals

Question 4

What do functionalists believe to be the organic analogy?

Answer 4

-Society will evolve, similar to living organisms, as they evolve to have more complex organisms.
-both societies and living organisms = system of interrelated parts, needs e.g nutrition for an organism and socialisation for society
-functions: contributions that meet overall system’s needs

Question 5

What is anomie?

Answer 5

When the changes in life happen too quickly so people get confused on how they should act or behave. They forget hat is acceptable and society becomes dysfunctional

Question 6

What are the four explanations for class inequality?

Answer 6

-social class inequality is inevitable
-social inequalities create social order
-social class inequalities are functional for society
-social class inequalities are a reflection of anomic conditions

Question 7

1. Social class inequality is inevitable and necessary

Answer 7

Parsons suggests this. Ranking society is based on value consensus about what society values and there is generally an agreement about who deserves the highest rewards.

Question 8

What are the 5 values Parsons suggests?

Answer 8

Kinship (family)
Achievement
Possessions
Personal qualities
Authority

People with more of these qualities = higher in the system of stratification. Those who are highly valued are highly rewarded

Question 9

2. Social class inequalities create social order

Answer 9

Durkheim : class stratification exists because it is functional or beneficial to social order. Modern society is characterised by a specialised division of labour where people have different skills, functions and abilities. Value consensus also means members accept the legitimacy of stratification. Stratification is beneficial because it sets limits on competition and aspirations. We cannot compete for everything, and therefore order is maintained by stratification

Question 10

3. Social class inequalities are functional for society

Answer 10

Davis and Moore - all societies should ensure that their most important positions are filled with the most talented people. The most important jobs need the highest rewards. Stratification encourages all members of society to work to the best of their ability. Some jobs are functionally more important = high rewards for doctors and surgeons due to training, time and effort. High rewards are encouraging = complete to a high standard. Society sorts people into most suitable roles based on innate intelligence.

Question 11

4. Social class inequalities are a reflection of anomic conditions

Answer 11

Durkheimian: concept of anomie = class inequalities are dysfunctional. In order for society to remain stable, there needs to be a healthy level of inequality but this may cause instability. (Unemployment, decease in GDP)
Anomie to explain this = social and economic change = society becomes confused and looses a sense of aspiration, sense of morality or desire to contribute to society. = society can slip into poor standards of living, with little hope to improve situation

Question 12

What are the 4 explanations for gender inequality?

Answer 12

1. The result of biological differences
2. The result of socialised roles which are necessary for society
3. Women’s expressive role is crucial for primary socialisation and personality stabilisation
4. Gender inequalities in work are inevitable

Question 13

1. Gender inequalities are the result of biological differences

Answer 13

Murdock : social roles are socially constructed and reinforced which stems from biological differences : men’s stronger physique makes them the ‘breadwinner’ of the family.
Gender division is evident in all societies = essential to a functional society

Question 14

2. Gender inequalities are the result of socialised roles which are necessary for society

Answer 14

Parsons : females are socialised into expressive roles while men are socialised into instrumental roles related to work and labour = men are more suited to paid employment and women are more suited to domesticity.
Women are less motivated and less suited to the labour market than men = paid less. Differences are seen as innate by parsons as they are ascribed at birth and ultimately contribute to a healthy, smooth running society

Question 15

3. Women’s expressive role is crucial for primary socialisation and personality stabilisation

Answer 15

Parsons and Bales : women are the key figure in providing primary socialisation for children. They also provide personality stabilisation for other adult family members. They provide comfort for their husbands when not at work which is crucial for men to be productive. This means that men are not present in certain sectors of social life which leads to things such as individual wealth, power or authority

Question 16

4. Gender inequalities in work are inevitable

Answer 16

Rastogi : human capital = skills, ability, knowledge, competency, experience related to work. The pay-gap is not due to discrimination but rather due to men overtaking women in terms of human capital between ages 25-35

Question 17

What are the explanations of ethnic inequality?

Answer 17

1. Ethnic inequalities are temporary and the result of minorities failing to assimilate
2. Successful assimilation has resulted in excellent outcomes for minorities in US
3. Ethnic inequalities are the byproduct of cultural factors
4. It is normal for ethnic minorities to be at the bottom of the economic ladder

Question 18

1. Ethnic inequalities are temporary and result of minorities failing to assimilate

Answer 18

Patterson : racial and ethnic prejudice is caused by host culture’s fear of strangers, cultural differences, social change, hc resentment to compete with ethnic minorites for scarce resources, failure of ethnic minorities to assimilate
Assimilation will be completed through shedding their ‘old’ ethnic values and taking on British values. : accommodation : live alongside, no interacting , integration : live alongside, interacting, no adoption of host values, assimilation : live alongside, interacting, adopting host’s values

Question 19

2. Successful assimilation has resulted in excellent outcomes for minorities in the US

Answer 19

Parsons and Clark : wrote about experience of black people in the US in 20th century. During this period, they were segregated and denied civil rights due to racist assumptions. P and C argue that overtime, the stigma surrounding skin colour would disappear as people integrate more, and black people would be able to be successful

Question 20

3. Ethnic inequalities are the byproduct of cultural factors

Answer 20

Roberts : looked at differences between economic situations of minority groups in Britain. He found that Asian groups are more likely to be self-employed/small business owners due to stereotypes in the culture. The experiences of colonialism and slavery on the Afro-Caribbean community meant that these groups were starting from a different place than other minority groups = fall into worse outcomes due to these historical factors. = ethnic inequalities are not due to fundamental issues with society but ingrained issues within certain communities that are not easily fixed b societal intervention

Question 21

4. It is normal for ethnic minorities to be at the bottom of the economic ladder

Answer 21

-due to them being a descend from migrants = have to accept that they are going to be working in lower status, less well-paid jobs.
Modood et al = 3 in 5 Bangladeshi women, half of Pakistani women living in Britain do not speak english.
Also due to lack of skills and values they can provide to the most highly rewarded sectors in society

Question 22

What are the explanations of age inequality?

Answer 22

1. Age inequality for the elderly has to occur to allow younger gender actions to take control of the family
2. Age inequality for the elderly has to occur to allow the younger generation to be productive at work
3. Age inequality for the young has to occur to allow young people to cope with the challenges of adult life
4. Age inequalities are the result of anomie

Question 23

1. Age inequality for the elderly has to occur to allow younger generations to tak control of the family

Answer 23

Parsons : society is in agreement over social roles. The reduced roles attached to old age are necessary for social stability. Old people disengage from their central role in the family to allow space for their children to raise their own families, control the household etc

Question 24

2. Age inequality for the elderly has to occur to allow younger generations to be productive at work

Answer 24

Cumming and Henry : the way society treats the old has positive benefits for society, the ageing process and society’s reaction is part of the process by which the elderly are encouraged to abandon their occupational roles within specialised division of labour
Dependency ratio = measure of the ratio of the number of dependents to the total working age population in a country or region

Question 25

3. Age inequality for the young has to occur to allow young people to cope with the challenges of adult life

Answer 25

Eisenstadt - adolescence = stage for developing independence. Youths need to go from ascribed status as a child to achieved status of an adult. Breaking away for the family home is difficult and emotionally stressful and that youths do face and element of inequality. Youth culture = forum for frustrations during this period = inherently binding in that shared interests with others create a sense of community that help young people get through their struggles

Question 26

4. Age inequalities are he result of anomie

Answer 26

Durkheim : one of the four categories of suicide he identified was anomic suicide. This is due to people not knowing where they fit in their society, when someone lives in a constant state of disappointment as new expectations are placed upon them before they are able to judge whether or not they met previous expectations.