Social stratification Flashcards
What is social stratification?
How society is structured in a hierarchy of layers based on factors such as age, gender
Identify and explain one social stratification system
Social class system. This is where it appears you can work hard to achieve a higher class status. For example, an assistant gets promoted to a manager. This system is an open society where status is achieved and social mobility is possible.
Explain the Caste system
Religious social stratification system to do with your behaviour in life. For example, if you do good in your life then your next life you will have a higher status like royalty. In this system society is closed and social positions are ascribed.
Explain four factors affecting life chances
- Class: working class get poorer grades in exams ie due to material and cultural deprivation (Cohen) and labelling -> lower paid jobs like casual work means probably earning minimum wage -> lower life expectancy
- Gender: girls outperform boys in education (ie do better in GCSEs) but are paid lower and are less likely to be in top jobs (glass ceiling) due to patriarchy argued by feminists and sexism, may also be due to gender socialisation, channeling girls into lower paid jobs
- Ethnicity: only 4% of CEOs are minority ethnic groups (glass ceiling) may get poorer grades due to negative labelling and racism
- Religion: negative stereotypes can lead to negative life chances ie 9/11 shows increased islamophobia - seen as folk devils
What laws have been implemented to help reduce inequality with gender?
Equal Pay Act (1970) and Equality Act (2010)
What laws have been implemented to help reduce inequality with ethnicity?
Equality Act (2010)
What is the functionalist theory on social strat
Positive for society.
Society is based on meritocracy and status is ‘achieved’ through hard work and effort ie more ethnic groups going to university
‘Role allocation’ – top roles are filled by those who are able, ambitious and competitive – allows society to run smoothly (organic analogy)
Ignore barriers to social mobility ie racism previously preventing many ethnic groups from going university
What did Davis and Moore argue about social stratification? + criticisms
- Functionalists
- Society needs to place people into roles / social positions that need to be filled (role allocation) for society to operate smoothly (organic analogy) which unequal rewards help to happen, like higher pay and status for being a doctor
Criticism: not all vital jobs have a high salary ie nurses
Marxists argue system is not meritocratic as people are born into generational wealth
Feminists argue not meritocratic as based on gender
-> argue stratification is exploitative
What is the marxist theory on social strat
Negative for society - is not meritocratic
Society is based on conflict and status is ‘ascribed’ – is fixed at birth by class and cannot be changed (generational wealth) and so affects life chances
Top roles ie CEOs are filled by the bourgeoisie and creates inequality with low social mobility as can exploit the proletariat who have less power and a ‘false class consciousness’
What did Marx argue about class stratification?
- Marxist
- Economic factors determine life chances
- Class is an important division, the bourgeoisie have power/control over the proletariat, justified by the ruling class ideology ie ‘free market’ which create a positive image of capitalism
-> w/c are not aware of their exploitation with a ‘false class consciousness’ and experience alienation - Feared polarisation was greater (gap and differences in class greater) so argued needed a proletariat revolution to live in a classless society
-> this revolution has not happened
-> ignores other types of inequality
What did Weber argue about class stratification?
- No theory
- Looked at class based on economic and non economic factors (like status and power)
- Rejects view that proletarian revolution is inevitable
- argues 4 main classes formed in labour market: property owners, professionals, petty bourgeoisie, working class
- Distinguished between three types of power in society – charismatic, traditional and rational legal
- Argues power based on coercion (threat/violence) or authority (consensus)
-> criticised by The New Right as accuse them of bias and ignoring social mobility
What is the feminist theory on social strat
Negative for society.
Society is based on conflict and patriarchy with the top roles being filled by men and women being lower in the hierarchy (glass ceiling)
What is Walbys view of social strat
- Feminist
- Men control women in a patriarchal society shown in 6 patriarchal structures:
- The state doesn’t properly enforce laws implemented to try and tackle like Equal Pay Act 1970, argues women continue to be disadvantaged with paid employment as they are restricted by cultural values like expectations of wives and mothers and glass ceiling
- Patriarchal culture whilst women more liberated continue to be subject to social expectations
How is social class now measured? Give an advantage and disadvantage
NS-SEC (ONS) measures class based on occupation but also includes the unemployed
+ collected by ONS over long time, reliable source
- doesn’t explain why. quantitative data
What are the petty bourgeoisie?
The lower middle class, like small business owners identified by Weber
What is a life chance?
The opportunity of achieving positive or negative outcomes (e.g. healthy/ill, rich/poor) as you progress throughout life
How far do sociologists agree social mobility possible in society?
Functionalists agree - meritocratic system (Parsons)
Marxists disagree - bourgeoisie sustain their wealth generationally and proletariat have a ‘false class consciousness’ and people in top jobs more likely to be privately education (only 7% go to private school) and argue meritocracy is a myth (Bowles and Gintis)
Feminists disagree - women face a ‘glass ceiling’ and are controlled by patriarchy
Sociologists agree to a partial extent
Explain ascribed status
Status fixed from birth. For example, the Queen. In a closed system, not meritocratic.
Explain achieved status
Status is based on hard work effort/meritocratic. For example, a doctor that previously studied for years at medical school now has a high status. Functionalists agree with this and that it is fair for all, in open societies.
What is the glass ceiling?
An invisible barrier in employment that prevents some groups such as women or ethnic minorities from gaining promotions
Explain social mobility
The ability to move up or down the social ladder. For example, getting a promotion. Social mobility like this is possible in an open society.
How did social class used to be measured? Give advantages and disadvantages
Measured dependent on your occupation by the Government
+ Reliable as by the Gov. Collected over a long time.
- Ignored the unemployed. Not valid or representative.
Explain deferred gratification
You are prepared to wait to enjoy the rewards of your hard work. For example, having savings and a pension. Its argued this ideology is common in middle classes, and is opposite to immediate gratification.
Explain elitism
The idea that there are a few rich and powerful people who are able to make sure that they enjoy all the best things in life and that they remain rich and powerful. For example, a prime minister passing laws that benefit himself. They also pass on these advantages to their children, so its generational.
Identify and explain one way in which social class at birth can influence an individual’s future life chances.
W/c may do worse in education. This is because they may be negatively labelled by their teachers. For example, w/c may be labelled as ‘disruptive’ whereas u/c may be labelled as more ‘bright’. As a result, the w/c student may have a self-fulfilling prophecy where they don’t listen in lesson and so do worse in their exams, due to this halo effect.
Identify and explain one policy to tackle inequalities in society
Law enforcement like the Equal Pay Act (1970). Employers must pay men and women same salary when doing same work/ of equal value. For example, a man and a women who are both managers must be paid the same. Walby is critical of this as she argues the State doesn’t enforce these laws properly.
Explain intra-generational social mobility
Movement of an individual between social classes over a persons single lifetime. For example, a w/c person gets a promotion. As a result, they can move up the social strat system and have positive life chances.
Explain inter-generational social mobility
Movement between generations of a family. For example, a father worked in a factory while his son received an education that allowed him to become a doctor. As a result, the son may have more positive life chances than his father.
Explain embourgeoisement
W/c families were becoming more m/c in terms of norms and values as their incomes and standards of living improved. For example, w/c voting for conservative rather than labour and having a more privatised lifestyle. Devine argues this is just because the w/c are losing faith in the Labour Party.
Define affluent
To have a great deal of money
How can you measure embourgeoisement?
Lifestyle choices of families. For example, a w/c family may begin to vote for Conservative. This could shows embourgeoisement as previously w/c would vote for Labour, but Devine argues this is because w/c are losing faith in Labour party.
What did Goldthorpe research?
- study in Luton to find evidence for embourgeoisement
- Found majority of manual workers moved to get more secure and well paid jobs
- Found ‘affluent workers’ had a privatised instrumental attitude towards their work
- Rejected embourgeoisement and could instead be described as a new w/c with home centre domestic lives
What did Devine research?
- study in Luton after Goldthorpe to make a direct comparison
- Found evidence of the working class still being separate and still had working class values
- W/c were geographically mobile to escape unemployment
- This goes against the idea of embourgeoisement and rejected the idea of a new w/c as many had same traditional values as w/c
- Found w/c beginning to lose faith in Labour Party as they felt they weren’t able to deliver a more equal society
How far can it be agreed society is patriarchal?
Agree: Heidensohn - women controlled ‘control theory’ - glass ceiling
Walby - six patriarchal structures
Disagree: Functionalists - meritocratic
Marxists - capitalist society not patriarchal, look at other inequality of class not gender but agree women are exploited
Explain absolute poverty
Someone who lacks the money for basic necessities. For example, not being able to afford housing or food. These individuals live below the poverty line and is also known as ‘primary poverty’
Explain relative poverty
Someones standard of life is less than the majority of the population. For example, they can’t afford an iPhone like their friends. This is Townsend’s preferred method of measuring poverty and is also known as ‘secondary poverty’.
How is poverty measured? Give pros and cons
By the Government using 60% of the median income of the population after housing costs
+ government (ONS) is a trusted source collected over a long time, this means data is reliable
- doesn’t explain why. quantitative statistical data.
Explain the poverty line
A measure of minimum income required to meet the essential cost of living. For example, those that can’t afford necessities such as food are below the poverty line. This was established by Rowntree.
