Postmodern Explanations Of Social Inequalities

Question 1

What are the four explanations of social inequalities?

Answer 1

1. Class inequalities no longer exist as class is no longer relevant
2. Gender inequalities are less relevant as boundaries once placed on men and women are no longer in place
3. Ethnic inequalities no longer exist as there is no one unified experience of ethnic inequality to challenge due to ethnicity becoming more diverse
4. Age inequalities no longer exist as the boundaries between age groups have become blurred to specific age groups are harder to distinguish

Question 2

Who said class inequalities no longer exist as class is no longer relevant?

Answer 2

• Pakulski and waters

Question 3

Who said gender inequalities are less relevant as boundaries once paced in men and women are no longer in place?

Answer 3

• Butler

Question 4

Who said ethnic inequalities no longer exist as there is no one unified experience of ethnic inequality to challenge due to ethnicity becoming more diverse?

Answer 4

• Vertovec

Question 5

Who said age inequalities no longer exist as the boundaries between age groups have become blurred so specific age groups are harder to distinguish?

Answer 5

• Featherstone and Hepworth

Question 6

What did Pakulski and waters say?

Answer 6

• class inequalities have lost mulch if their relevance in contemporary society due to decline of traditional class based social structures and the emergence of postmodernity
• decline of traditional working class movements, unions, and classed based political parties reflects reduced relevance of class as a collective identity as political engagement has shifted towards issues like environmentalism, gender and ethnicity
• consumer culture has overtaken class in defining individual identity

Question 7

What did Butler say?

Answer 7

• deconstructs traditional understandings of gender and challenges notion of gender as fixed category
• it is performative - created through repeated behaviours and societal norms

Question 8

What did Vertovec say?

Answer 8

• ethnicity has become more diverse and fragmented in contemporary society making it difficult to define a single unified experience of ethnic inequality
• super diversity suggests that in todays globalised world, ethnic groups are not homogenous and their experiences are increasingly shared by variety of factors such as migration, social class and individual identity
• we must move beyond traditional notions of ethnic inequality and recognise complexity and individuality of people’s experiences
• challenges idea of universal experience of ethnic inequality suggesting that as ethnicity become more diverse it becomes harder to address inequality in broad collective terms

Question 9

What did Featherstone and Hepworth say?

Answer 9

• age no longer determines how people experience the world or their social roles as rigidly as it once did
• with longer life expectancy, more flexible careers and changing cultural norms, people are no longer confined to age specific roles
• challenges notion that there are fixed inequalities or roles tied to age as identities are now more diverse and fluid
• traditional concepts of age related inequality are increasingly outdated
• idea of fixed age inequalities or identities is less relevant