Social Class

Question 1

Social Mobility Commission

Answer 1

Study: BBC 2017

• UK professionals from working class background paid £6800 less on average yearly than those from affluent families
• Those form the upper class nearly 80% more likely to end up in professional jobs than their working class peers

Question 2

The Guardian - Daniella Adeluwoye

Answer 2

contemporary evidence - 2019
‘as a working class student, Cambridge did not give me an equal status’
Research shows that Oxbridge graduates from privileged backgrounds earn about £5000 a year more than those less well off - Links to cultural and social capital e.g. lack connections and cultural knowledge

Question 3

Owen Jones on the demonisation of the working classes

Answer 3

2018
the working class are locked out of middle class communities
there is a stigma created by politicians that chavs are inherently deviant

Question 4

Roberts

Answer 4

2001
used data from the National child development study and found middle class children = 2x more likely than the working class children to get middle class jobs

Question 5

Professor Green: Living in Poverty

Answer 5

contemporary evidence showing those in poverty may feel they’re not worthy of anything more than poverty (leads to behaviour e.g. not trying in school or relying on illegal methods of earning money)

Question 6

Parsons

Answer 6

FUNCTIONALIST theory 1951

• argues those in better paid jobs deserve it because they had the best performance in education and contribute the most to smooth running of society e.g. doctors
• also jobs that are functionally unique can only be carried out be the most talented so deserve high rewards

Question 7

Davis + Moore

Answer 7

FUNCTIONALIST theory 1945
-social stratification = part of all societies and is therefore functionally necessary - its function is to ensure role allocation + high performance

-can be critiqued by Saunders (New Right): social stratification is NOT inevitable But a society based on social equality would require considerable force e.g.death to motivate people to work to the best of their ability

Question 8

Critique of Davis + Moore

Answer 8

Tumin 1953

• hard to determine functional importance (it’s subjective)
• pool of talent: some = just as talented as those in top paying jobs but haven’t had the sam opportunities

Question 9

how does the stereotyping shown in Prof Green’s doc lead to lower educational success (hence lower chances of higher work placements)

Answer 9

stereotyped as lazy troublemakers often becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy and feeling they don’t belong in higher education. This leads to lower educational success e.g only 15% of white working class boys pass 5 or more GCSEs –> cannot go on to get the qualifications needed for higher paid jobs e.g. doctor