Marxist Explanations For Social Class Inequality

Question 1

Karl Marx

Answer 1

Saw society as a structure divided into 2 parts
• infrastructure - economical base
• superstructure - political, legal and education systems beliefs and ideas

• infrastructure shapes the superstructure - education in modern society shaped by requirements of a capitalist economy for a well disciplined workforce.

SOCIAL CLASS - Bourgeoise (ruling class) and proletariat ( workers)

Dependency and conflict -
EXPLOITATION
- in a capitalist system the bourgeoise exploit the proletariat (workers) by paying them low wages for their work so that they can make greater profits
ALIENATION
- workers feel bored when doing monotonous work - no creative control over jobs - told what to do by bosses

Ruling class ideology - a revolution will occur when the proletariat becomes aware of their exploited position
- this awareness is difficult when  the infrastructure shapes the superstructure because capitalist norms and values will be distinguished as reasonable. 
(produces a false consciousness - prevents people from seeing the reality of their situation)

Question 2

Westerguard

Answer 2

Argues that class differences became stronger in the late 20th century.

• claims that the top 10% of population have seen massive increases in their incomes whilst those on the lowest incomes have seen virtually no rise.
• between 1979 and 1990s - privatisation and decline in union led to widening gap between rich and poor

Upper class still inherits most of the nations wealth - in 2003 ONS founds that the wealthiest 1% of the Uk owned 21% of the nations wealth and the wealthiest 25% owned 72% of the national wealth leaving only 28% for the remaining 75% of the population.

Supports Marxist view that social class polarise and can be supported by the work of John Scott (social closure)

Question 3

Erik Ohlin Wright - Neo Marxism

Answer 3

One of the main criticisms of Marxist explanations of class is that they fail to explain the existence of middle class in the 20th and 21st centuries

3 classes - ruling/ middle/ working

• he claims that the middle class occupies a contradictory class position - both exploited by ruling class and exploits the working class
• in this position as they hold managerial/ supervisory roles - gives them some control in workplace

3 investments which need to be controlled

• investment
• means if production
• labour power

Ruling class - full power
Mc - partial control
Wc - no control

Question 4

Braverman - Neo Marxism

Answer 4

As the skill content of the work has been take out - reduced - someone which collar jobs have lost advantages that they previously enjoyed over manual employees - they have become proletarianised.

Some professional jobs have also been deskilled
• lose power - work closely regulated and made aware of subordination
• work becomes more routine as it is divided into specialist tasks
• pay levels are under threat - unable too control the supply of labour into their profession
• there is always a ‘reserve army of labour’ to step into their jobs

Question 5

Gramsci - neomarxism

Answer 5

Hegemony - explains why the working class in Western European countries had not risen up in revolution

• ruling class rarely need to use force to exert power because they rule through persuasion
• use cultural and political means to encourage enough wc to side with the ruling class and capitalist system to ensure the stability of the economic system
• use institutions such as the media and education to control people’s minds
• hegemony is never complete - many wc have a dual consciousness - aware of inequalities and injustices of capitalism.