Social Inequality Explanations

Question 1

CLASS Westergaard & Resler (1976) - A Marxist view on the continuing importance of class inequality

Answer 1

Capitalism creates a two-tiered society where those that own the means of production control the workers - leading to continued social inequality

Question 2

CLASS Parkin (1979) - Weberian class analysis, social closure and usurpation

Answer 2

Looks at how different social classes keep certain people out of their groups through Exclusion, Usurpation and Closure

Question 3

CLASS Murray (1984) - The underclass, a New Right view

Answer 3

Negative behaviours are common among a certain group - the underclass - and to sort out these issues there needs to be less welfare and increased law enforcement

Question 4

CLASS Pakulski and Waters (1996) - A Postmodernist view on social inequality

Answer 4

Challenges Marxism by saying that cultural differences are a big factor in social inequality - there also needs to be a new way of dealing with inequality

Question 5

GENDER Ansley (1977) - Women soaking up male frustration

Answer 5

Women have been used by men to direct their anger at, allowed by the inherently patriarchal system we live in - can lead women to believe they are the cause of male anger

Question 6

GENDER Sharpe (1994) - Changing gender expectations

Answer 6

Parents are increasingly willing to let their children explore different roles - outwith traditional gender roles

Question 7

GENDER Schlafly (2002) - New Right view

Answer 7

Argued that gender inequality is a result of natural differences between men and women - gender equality is a misguided goal as it reject the innate differences between men and women

Question 8

GENDER Hakim (2006) - Rational choice. Preference Theory

Answer 8

People will choose what they feel is the best for them, furthermore men and women have different preferences of choice

Question 9

ETHNICITY Murray and Herrnstein (1994) - The Bell Curve

Answer 9

This book is controversial because of the suggestion that certain ethnic groups have lower IQs than others, which is why some ethnicities are more successful than others

Question 10

AGE Arber and Ginn (1991) - Age, gender and status

Answer 10

Older women are more likely to be disadvantaged in society and ones social status is determined by achievement and social structures/institutions

Question 11

AGE Blaikie (1999) - Postmodernism and positive ageing

Answer 11

Recognises that everyone has different experiences of ageing, but suggests that through positive strategies, such as healthy eating, you can age positively