Functionalist Viewpoint Flashcards
why do the registrar General’s Classification and the ASG both measure social class by occupation?
it can give a general idea of a persons income
it displays the level of education or training someone has had
why is measuring someone’s social class by their occupation lack ‘sociological emphasis’
a persons’s occupation doesn’t give an idea about cultural capital
describe Goldthorpe’s Seven Point Scale - for measuring social class
more sociologically relevant
intended to measure variables such as employment relationships, conditions of work and life chances
rather than just on income and nature of work
emphasises the market situation and employment conditions
Evaluation of Goldthorpe
rejected by feminists - classed women as economic appendages o either their husbands or fathers
however, in 2000, the gov used this as their classification and included women seperate from men
however, this means comparative analysis from different mobility studies is different
classifications rarely keep up with contemporary developments
Economics Observatory (2021) - what do the results indicate about the perception of meritocracy in the UK
UK society perceived as meritocratic
hard-work and ambition are perceived to be the most important factors in success
and these are possible for everyone no matter their background
Economics Observatory (2021) - evidence from the article which demonstrate social inequality
Sutton Trust Report - children who read daily at the age of 3
- Low income children - 45%
- other children - 78%
social mobility
the ability to move up or down social class, depending on the amount of effort a person puts in.
absolute mobility
overall numbers (%) of individuals from specific origins reaching particular class destinations
relative mobility
the relative chance that a person from a particular class has of moving upwards or downwards.
Oxford Mobility Study (Goldthorpe) - why does he argue that an increase in absolute mobility is not necessarily indicative of meritocracy?
there has been changes in the economy and occupational structure
differences in fertility rates in social classes - fertility rate of the service class is high to meet the growth of this sector
education has expanded - accessible to people from all backgrounds
how did changes in the occupational structure between 1901 and 1961 contribute to the increase in absolute mobility observed in the OMS?
proportion of people in the service class has more than doubled
proportion of working-class jobs in the population has halved
how do fertility rates impact social mobility
a lower fertility rate in one class means that people from other classes would need to be socially mobile to fit in
1-2-4 rule of relative hope
boys from service class 4x more likely to get a service class job and 2x more likely than boys from the intermediate class
more room at the top (indicated by absolute mobility levels) - little evidence of greater equality of opportunities for all social classes
1-2-4 rule of relative hope - what does this tell us about social mobility patterns in the UK
social mobility is occuring
people are more likely to stay in the class they were born loser
key functionalist viewpoints
social stratification is needed to maintain social order
ensures the most qualified individuals fill the most important roles in society
unequal rewards motivate people to work harder and achieve, and that this is fair because we live in a meritocratic society
Durkheim’s views on stratification
all societies have functional prerequisites which leads to strat
- offering differential rewards based on the importance of an occupation to society
society is largely based on achieved status through the division of labour
resentment and jealousy prevented by people thinking their own aspirations and hard work have led to their position
Herbert Spencer - Natural selection
individuals and societies that are better adapted to their environment’s thrive
those less adapted face challenges and decline
Herbert Spencer - social darwinism
natural selection led to survival of the fittest in the animal kingdom, and the same principles apply to human society
competition and struggle are necessary for progress
inequality is a natural outcome of this
ideas used to justify racism
The American Dream
the idea that anyone can experience upward social mobility if they work hard enough
associated with a sequence of life events for an individual - many americans can and should aspire to this standard
Parsons and the american dream
this value consensus led to order stability and co operation
this leads to systems of ‘ranking’ individuals
(based on those abilities that are felt to be important)
american society values individual achievement, efficiency and ‘productive power within the economy’ - this is the american dream
he noted that this system isnt utopian
parsons - stratification is inevitable
derives from value consensus - essential parts of all social systems
those who perform successfully will be ranked highly
mertiocracy
parsons - stratification is functional
differences in power and status are essential in the specialised division of labour
wc specialise in manual skills and trades
mc specialise in organisation of the wc
parsons- what is stratification based on
reflects normative consensus
based on moral evaluation, respect, prestige, social approval and disapproval
normative consensus?
agreement about what society values, and what it values more than other things
