Social inequality

Question 1

Parsons (Functionalists)

Answer 1

• agrees that capitalist societies are stratified according to class inequalities. However, he argues it is a product of value consensus.

Question 2

Davis and Moore (Functionalists)

Answer 2

• Inequality performs a positive function for society. It gives those who are talented the necessary motivations to educate and train themselves.

Question 3

Saunders (New Right)

Answer 3

• agrees with functionalists that a degree of inequality is desirable as long as everyone has an equal opportunity to take part in the competition.

Question 4

Marx (Marxism)

Gramsachi (Neo- marxist)

Answer 4

• Meritocracy Is a myth.
• Looked at the concept of hegemony: the ruling class rarely needed to force to exert power they did this through persuasion. ( ISA)

Question 5

Weber (Weberianism)

Answer 5

• three dimensions to social stratification: social class, status and party.

Question 6

Abott (Feminism)

Answer 6

• Looks at the social mobility of women. Women take on the triple shift role, and so they lack social mobility. This gives men the opportunity to reach the top jobs, making them upwardly socially mobile.

Question 7

Aber, Dale and Gilbert (Feminism)

Answer 7

• SOCC- they constructed this gender neutral classification, that reflected women’s commitment to their work.

Question 8

Roberts (Feminism)

Answer 8

we should not assume that women share the same class position with their male partners, since within today’s society women are choosing to remain single.

Question 9

Cumming and Henry (Functionalists)

Answer 9

• “social disengagement theory”- where the elderly step down from their functions through legal compulsion or choice to allow the younger people within society take their occupational role.

Question 10

Parsons (Functionalists)

Answer 10

• Age groups within societies know function to provide a link between kinship and the wider society.

Question 11

Plitcher (Functionalists)

Answer 11

• suggests that youth is a transitional stage that connects the dependency of “childhood” with “adulthood”

Question 12

Philipson (Marxists)

Answer 12

• The elderly are ignored and neglegted by capitalist societies. “reserve army of cheap labour”

Question 13

Weber (Weberanism)

Answer 13

• recognised age as an important source of status.

Question 14

Arber and Ginn ( Feminism)

Answer 14

• Older women may face inequalities created by patriarchy compared to older men.

Question 15

Itzin (Feminism)

Answer 15

• women face double standards. Men’s status (weber) is directly linked to their employment, whilst for women it is linked to their reproductive cycle. For older women there, status is often devaluated by society, after their menopause, as they no longer take care of children or take on the mother role.

Question 16

Havinghurst (Interactionalists)

Answer 16

• Goes against the disengagement theory.

- argues that inequality is more about social interactions than just age such as looking after grandchildren.

Question 17

Ray et al (Interactionalist)

Answer 17

• Negative stereotypes or labelling about old age, can result in elderly people internalising the idea that they are “useless”.

Question 18

Parkin (Weberinaism)

Answer 18

• argues that ethnic minority elderly members are doubly negatively privileged, as they lack more status in society

Question 19

Turner (Weberinaism)

Answer 19

• both the young and the elderly have Lowe status because they lack the material resources.

Question 20

Victor (Interactionalist)

Answer 20

• Public attitudes towards the elderly may lead to a “self fulfilling prophecy” - since the elderly feel forced to act out an elderly role.

Question 21

Blaikie (POMO)- CID

Answer 21

• Age inequality is know less likely to shape a person’s life choices, as we are know much more individualised .

Question 22

Powles and Biggs (POMO)

Answer 22

• new technology and cosmetic surgery allows the elderly to renovate themselves.

Question 23

Polemus ( POMO)

Answer 23

• youth is not a homogenous group, young people know shop in a supermarket of styles and construct their identities from a range of resources

Question 24

Vincent (functionalism)

Answer 24

Global capitalism is the major determining factor of age experience and inequality.

Question 25

Murdock (functionalism)

Answer 25

studied gender roles within 200 societies and found that women were located in the home.

Question 26

Chapman (functionalism)

Answer 26

Gender stereotypical chores encourage a housewife role

Question 27

Williams (functionlaism)

Answer 27

Gender stereotypical toys

Question 28

Parsons and Bales(functionalism)

Answer 28

• Men and Women naturally serve different roles. Women have the expressive role and men

Question 29

Parsons (functionalism)

Answer 29

• argued that gender inequalities, are primarily due to biological differences between the sexes e.g women are naturally suited to domestic work.

Question 30

Rastogi

Answer 30

sees human capital as “knowledge, competency, attitude and behaviour embedded in an individual.