Social stratification

Question 1

Describe social stratification

Answer 1

Refers to the structuring of society through hierarchies that place different groups in different positions based on factors such as wealth, race ,edcuaction, power, gender and religion.
Serves to power, status and prestige
Lower-ranked groups face discrimination from society.

Question 2

Identify examples of social stratification

Answer 2

Whether status is ascribed or achieved, Apartheid, slavery, caste system and feudalism

Question 3

Do different societies differ in their hierarchies of social stratification?

Answer 3

Yes

Question 4

Describe the structure of social stratification

Answer 4

-Based on socioeconomic inequality
-Shaped like a pyramid where the most privileged form the top layer and the least form the bottom layer

Question 5

What is the functionalist theory?

Answer 5

Social stratification is positive for society. society is based on meritocracy and status is achieved through hard work, effort, talent and merit. Top roles are filled by those who are able and ambitious, allowing society to run smoothly.

Question 6

What is the marxist theory?

Answer 6

Social stratification is negative for society due to class conflict and status being ascribed. Top roles are filled by the bourgeoisie, creating inequality.

Question 7

What is the feminist theory?

Answer 7

Social stratification is negative for society. Society’s based on gender inequality and patriarchy. Top roles are filled by men and women are lower in the hierarchy.

Question 8

Describe Davis and Moore’s view - functionalist/positive

Answer 8

Argued that social stratification is a ‘universal necessity’ for every society. For society to operate smoothly the following must happen:
1- All roles must be filled
2-They must be filled by those able to perform them
3-Necessary training must take place
4-Roles must be performed conscientiously
They believed that this system served to match the most able and ambitious people with the fucntionally most important positions in order for society to run smoothly

Question 9

Criticisms of Davis et al

Answer 9

-Disregard the fact that occupations with lower status can also be seen as functionally important
-Differences in pay and status may be due to differences in power.

Question 10

Describe Marx’s view

Answer 10

Identified 2 main classes: Bourgeoisie and Proletariat
And 2 others : lumpenproletariat (outcasts/criminals) and petty bourgeoisie (owners of small businesses)
Due to economic power, the bourgeoisie also have political power justified by the ruling class ideology that disguises the reality of exploitation and leads to false class consciousness. Marx argued that the proletariat would eventually rebel to achieve a classless society where means of production were communally owned -REVOLUTION.

Question 11

Define ruling class ideology

Answer 11

ideas that distort the reality of exploitation and help serve the bourgeoisie

Question 12

Define false consciousness

Answer 12

The proletariat are unaware that they’re being exploited by the ruling class

Question 13

Describe Weber’s view on social class

Answer 13

Argued that classes are formed in the labour market: one class sells their labour and the other hires labour.
Class is a group of people who have similar life chances
Identified 4 main classes with different market situations:
Property owners
Professionals
Petty bourgeoisie
Working class
Thought class was based on:
economic resources, power and status
Status and class aren’t the same

Question 14

Define status

Answer 14

Identified by the prestige attached to a job/lifestyle

Question 15

In Britain today, which factor accounts for the main form of social stratification? Weber

Answer 15

Social class - occupation and status

Question 16

Define life chances

Answer 16

Refer to people’s chances of having positive or negative outcomes within life, in terms of education, housing, health and employment.
Distributed unequally and shaped by wealth, power and status.
Affected by age, gender, ethnicity, class,etc

Question 17

Describe life chances affected by class

Answer 17

Education: WC poorer grades
Income: WC earn less than MC
Housing: WC rent, poor quality
Life expectancy: WC have poorer health
Due to status being ascribed Wc have poorer life opportunites and low social mobility -Marxists
Functionalists disgaree cos of achieved status

Question 18

Describe life chances affected by gender

Answer 18

Despite anti-discrimination legislation being implemented feminists argue gender is still a key division in society.
Education: girls outperform boys
Employment: women are paid less and less likely to be in top roles
Life expectancy: women live longer
This is due to women being held back by a glass ceiling, discrimination at work, double/triple shift
Society is patriarchal - men have more wealth, power and status
Functionalists disagree

Question 19

Describe the glass ceiling

Answer 19

acts as an invisible barrier in employment that prevents some groups like women and ethnic inorities from gaining promotions.

Question 20

Describe how life chances are affected by age

Answer 20

Age is arguably socially construed and age expectations vary through time and culture.
Youth: lower income, more unemployed, ageism
Older: more at risk of poverty, ageism in workplace, poorer access to health services.

Question 21

Explain the term ageism/age discrimination

Answer 21

Refers to people being treated differently/less favourably due to their age.
Equality Act aims to prevent this

Question 22

Describe how life chances are affected by ethnicity

Answer 22

Despite policies being placed to ensure ethnic equality sociologists argue that little has changed:
Unemployment rates are higher among Asian/Black Carribean people
Pakistani and Bengali people have much worse chances of getting professional/managerial jobs.
This is due to racism and discrimination in the labour market.

Question 23

Describe which other factors can affect life chances

Answer 23

Disability, Sexuality, Religion/Beliefs

Question 24

Describe Lockwood’s affluent worker study?

Answer 24

Rejects the embourgeoisiement thesis however Lockwood et al believed privatised instrumentalism would become common among WC families

Question 25

Define privatised instrumentalism

Answer 25

Social relationships are centred on home and family life with work as a means to an end

Question 26

Explain the embourgeoisiement thesis

Answer 26

Suggests that WC families are becoming MC families in their norms/values as their incomes/standards have improved

Question 27

What’s Devine’s work based on?

Answer 27

She revisited Lockwood’s affluent worker study to explore how far WC families’ lifestyles and values had changed.
Rejects both concepts (ET,AWS)
Didn’t believe in false class consciousness, that WC ,families are more home-centred, and that they were solely motivated by the desire to improve living standards

Question 28

Describe social mobility

Answer 28

Refers to people’s ability to move up or down the social ladder.
Two types:
Inter-generational: occurs when a child enters a different class to their parents
Intra-generational: movement of an individual between social classes over their lifetime, e.g promotion

Question 29

Identify some barriers to upward social mobility

Answer 29

discrimination (ethnicity and gender), lack of skills and educational credentials

Question 30

Describe social mobility in the UK

Answer 30

One of the lowest rates for upward social mobility
WC kids have less chance of professional occupations however more a going uni

Question 31

Discuss sociological perspectives on social mobility

Answer 31

Functionalists: Believe it’s very possible due to meritocracy/achieved status
Marxists: Not possible due to class inequality/capitalism. A myth to keep the proletariat in a false consciousness
Feminists: Not possible due to gender inequality - men have more chances

Question 32

Define wealth and income

Answer 32

Wealth - ownership of assets
Income- flow of resources/wages

Question 33

Describe absolute poverty

Answer 33

When people’s income is insufficient to obtain the minimum required to survive

Question 34

Describe relative poverty

Answer 34

People’s income is below average so they can’t afford the general standard of living in society
e.g can’t afford internet

Question 35

Identify the impact of poverty and which people in the UK are more at risk of poverty

Answer 35

-Can involve social exclusion - poor people are shut out from everyday activities and customs
-Minoric ethnic groups, women and children (if in a big fam)

Question 36

Describe Townsend’s view on poverty + criticism

Answer 36

Aimed to discover how many ppl in the UK lived in poverty
Developed a deprivation index to measure relative deprivation and the extent of poverty
Found 3 ways of defining poverty:
1- State’s standard of poverty (official stats)
2- The relative income standard of poverty (households whose income falls below the average of similar households)
3- Relative deprivation
Found that the government underestimated poverty (over 22% of population lived in poverty)
-Critics argue that the index was inaccurate because the lack of ,e.g fresh meat could be due to individual choice

Question 37

Why was the relative income standard of poverty considered misleading according to Townsend

Answer 37

didn’t take into account welfare benfeits and material deprivation

Question 38

Describe relative poverty

Answer 38

people fall into relative poverty when they lack the resources to obtain the types of diet, activities and living conditions that are available in society

Question 39

Describe Murray’s view on poverty - The New Right

Answer 39

Examine the US government’s social policies to reduce poverty and how it impacted the underclass.
Believed those policies led to a dependency culture (depend on benefits rather than work) and to a growing underclass.
Increased benefits led to:
1-Discouragement of self-sufficiency (welfare dependency)
2- More single parents and breakdown of nuclear family
3- Young people losing interest in geting a job as they can live off the state
In the UK: end of 80s Britain was rapidly developing an underclass caused by overgenerous welfare benefits
Critics argue that he ignores economic reasons may be the cause of such a class
Marxists- victims of social inequality

Question 40

According to Murray, what is the underclass?

Answer 40

They have different norms/values to mainstream society, live in long-term poverty or unable to work.
Poses as a threat as they’re a burden on tax payers and responsible for growing crime rates.

Question 41

Identify reasons for poverty

Answer 41

Poor health, old age, divorce, disablilty, unemployment, lack of education, immediate gratification
Culture of poverty : some socialised to accept poverty and don’t try to leave it
Cultural deprivation: lack norms/values to leave poverty and discouraged from skl
Also, the impact of globalisation : increased job insecurity, inflation and unemployment

Question 42

Describe the functionalist perspective on poverty

Answer 42

It performs positive functions for some groups in society, e.g it helps ensure that dangerous jobs are done cheaply
Argue that official statistics are accurate and gov policies aim to reduce poverty
Critics argue they try to justify the existence of poverty

Question 43

Describe the marxist perspective on poverty

Answer 43

It’s the inevitable outcome of the class-based divisions in capitalist society
Capitalism generates both extreme wealth and extreme poverty
WC aren’t given chances to escape poverty
Poverty serves the bourgeoisie
Official stats underestimate poverty so WC think society’s fair and stops them from revolting
The fear of poverty can influence workers

Question 44

Describe the feminist perspective on poverty

Answer 44

Women especially lone mothers and older widows face a greater risk of poverty than men
Possible reasons: gender pay gap, women tend to outlive men, financial dependence
Official stats underestimate female poverty due to lower wages and less opportunities

Question 45

Describe other perspectives on poverty

Answer 45

People believe welfare benefits should be increased due to economic recessions : unemployment and poverty rise

Question 46

Describe Weber’s view on power

Answer 46

Argued that power means people get what they want without opposition
2 types of power:
Coercion -persuasion by threat or force
Authority- willingly agree. to obey someone if they feel it’s right

Question 47

Describe the 3 types of authority identified by Weber

Answer 47

1-Traditional: based on custom and tradition like monarchy
2-Rational legal: based on a hierarchy with a clear set of rules/laws like police
3-Charismatic: based on inspiration by a leader with persuasive qualities like Martin Luther king

Question 48

Talk about conflict perspectives on power and authority

Answer 48

Marxist:Bourgeoisie have both economic and political power over proletariat and exploitation
Feminist: men have power over women mainly in politics/at work - also have more wealth/status
White ppl have more power than other races
Types of power:
Formal- from the title or role some1 has
Informal- from respect or appreciation earned

Question 49

Identify and explain the 2 types of political systems

Answer 49

Democracy- citizens elect their reprsentative (‘government by the ppl’)
Dictatorship- by coercion and power is concentrated by one person or group

Question 50

Describe the 2 approaches that discuss the distribution of power

Answer 50

Pluralism: power shared between pressure groups and state
The role of the state is to regulate different interests and serve all citizens
Conflict: those in powerful positions come from privileged backgrounds and owners of means of production can exert power to influence policies
the role of the state is to protect the interests of the bourgeoisie

Question 51

Describe Walby’s view on power relationships - feminist

Answer 51

Identified 6 patriarchal structures which allow men to dominate/oppress women:
1- Paid work (despite new legislation women still expected to be housewife)
2- Patriarchal relations of production (unpaid domestic labour)
3- Patriarchal culture (women are subject to social expectations of behaviour)
4- Sexuality (subject to double standards , men praised for many partners and women condemned)
5- Male violence towards women (discourages women from challenging patriarchal authority)
6- The state (less sexist but still does relatively little to protect women from patriarchy (gender pay gap)

Question 52

Identify the conclusion Walby reached with her research + critisism

Answer 52

She found that patriarchy has switched from private patriacrhy (dominated at home) to public patriarchy (low paid/status jobs and collectively exploite by men)
Criticism- assumes all women are exploited