Social Stratification And Differentiation Flashcards
What is social stratification
A way of seeing inequalities in society as layers like in a trifle
Social differentiation
The differences between social groups which are based on social class , gender, ethnicity and age
Inequality
When some groups of people have more wealth, better opportunities abd status than other groups
Life changes
The opportunities of enjoying the good things in life and avoiding the bad
absolute poverty
- Not being able to afford the basic
things you need to survive in life e.g. food, clothing,
relative poverty
- basic needs met but not luxuries (i.e internet access) to meet the general standard of living compared to most other people in their society
achieved status
Social positions are earned through
personal talent, merit and effort, not fixed at birth
ascribed status
- Social positions/status are fixed at birth
(due to class) and do not change over time
bourgeoisie
The ruling class who owned the means of
production and exploited the working class
culture of dependancy
The welfare system
encourages people to stay on benefits rather than
support themselves through work
glass ceiling
- An invisible barrier in employment that prevents some groups such as women or ethnic minorities from gaining promotions
power
The ability to get what you want and influence decisions
pressure group
A group formed to influence
government policy on a particular issue
social exclusion
Being left out of society in important ways
social mobility
The ability to move up the social ladder
status
The social standing or prestige someone is given by other members of society.
underclass
- A group in society who have different
attitudes and values to others. They experience long term unemployment, tend to be reliant on benefits
wealth
- The ownership of assets (e.g. property, land,
jewelry) and savings, shares etc.
welfare dependency
When individuals are reliant on
the government for income for a prolonged period of
time
overall
functionalist view of stratification
- Social stratification is positive for society. Society is based on meritocracy and
status is ‘achieved’ through hard work and effort.
‘Role allocation’ – top roles are filled by those who are able, ambitious and competitive –
allows society to run smoothly.
overall
marxist view of startification
s Social stratification is negative for society. Society is based on conflict and status is
‘ascribed’ – is fixed at birth by class and cannot be changed.
Top roles are filled by the bourgeoisie and creates inequality
overall
feminist view of stratification
Social stratification is 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
4
factors affecting life chances
- class
- gender
- ethnicity
- age
2 ways
how does class affect life chances
- Education: - poorer GCSE grades (worse schools and less resources)
- Housing: - rented, poor quality, cramped
3 ways
how does gender affect life chances
*Education: Girls outperform boys(feminisation of schools, crisis of masc)
*Employment: Women lower paid, less income/wealth , less likely to be in top jobs (fewer than 10% in uk ceos)
*Life expectancy: Women live longer
3 ways + statistics
how does ethnicity affect life chances
- Employment: 20% of black Caribbean men
unemployed & 4% of CEOs are BAME (Black, Asian and minority ethnic) - Education: Poorer GCSEs among some BAME
groups and less likely to go to University - descrimination and social exclusion
youth and elders
how does age affect life chances
- Youth – lower income, higher unemployed
- Older age – more at risk of poverty, ageism in
the workplace, poorer access to health services
2 policies to reduce ethnic inequality
- Race relations act (1976)
- Equality act (2010)
2010
what did the equality act do
legally protects people with protected characteristics from discrimination in the workplace and in wider society
1976
what did the race relations act do
makes it unlawful to discriminate on grounds of race, colour, nationality (including citizenship), and national or ethnic origin. The Act covers employment, education, training, housing etc
3
policies to reduce gender inequality
- Equal pay act (1970)
- Sex Discrimination Act (1975)
- Equality Act (2010)
1970
what did the equal pay act do
ensures that you receive the same pay as anyone else who is doing the same or similar work within your place of business.
1975
what did the sex discrimination act do
protected men and women from discrimination on the grounds of sex or marital status.
evaluation
why may gender not affect life chances
- Functionalists – society is based on meritocracy
- Improvements for women – more likely to attend University, pay gap has decreased, women have a higher life expectancy
evaluation
why may ethnicity not affect life chances
- Laws/policies have reduced inequality,
- some BAME groups more likely to go to University
working class
Unskilled/manual work, lack
of formal education
middle class
Professional jobs, formal
education e.g. University
upper class
Aristocracy, elite education,
‘titles’ given
marxist
arguement that class affects life chances
Marxists – status is ascribed, working classes have poorer opportunities in education, employment, health, housing
functionalist & feminist
arguement class does not affect life chances
- Functionalists - status is achieved, society is based on meritocracy – equal chances to succeed
- Feminists – gender has more of an influence on life chances than class
3 inc functionalist
arguement that we live in a classless society
- Functionalists – meritocracy, more w/c going to university etc.
- Embourgeoisement – the w/c may be becoming more middle class
- Less people may be working class due to deindustrialisation and changes in occupation
arguement we do not live in a classless society
- Marxists – still a divide between the working and middle classes
- Life chances are still poorer for the working class, low social mobility
- Devine – there is still a separate working class
2 - fin.
functionalist theories of strat
-
davis and moore : society needs to place ppl in social positions to operate smoothly (it is a “universal necessity”) some positions come with greater rewards (status , wealth etc) which will encourage ppl to compete for them perpetuating the meritocracy
*
Privilege
Having advantages over others
Old boys network
Connections some families have which help them in work and other aspects of their lives.
Members help eachother out as they attend the same top fee paying schools and clubs - it is dominated by white males
Three yypes of authority
Traditional
Charasmatic and
Rational legal
Traditional authority
Based on long established customs
the power of traditional authority is accepted because that has traditionally been the case
Charasmatic authority
Based on the personality of the leader
Charismatic authority is found in a leader whose mission and vision inspire others. It is based upon the perceived extraordinary characteristics of an individual
Rational legal authority
Based on being the most qualified
Influence
The capacity or power of persons or things to be a compelling force force on the actions of others
Underclass
Pooorest group in society below the working class
What 4 groups face most social exclusion
Unemployed
Disabled
Ethnic Minorities
Elderly
Asset
Something you own with value - i.e car house etc
Wealth
How much money a person has this could be in the bank or stored in assets inc property and items
Income
The money you receive weekly or monthly as wages benefits or pension
Who said we live in a classless society
John major in the 1990s
Dependant
Relying on someone or something else
Two types of deprevation
Material and cultural
Cycle of deprivation
When families cannot escape deprivation. Parents have low income or benefits , children grow up in bad areas with bad housing and are socialised into this way of life so cycle continues and becomes culture of poverty
Groups most likely to experience poverty
Working class
Ethnic Minorities
Women
Disabled
Globalisation
The growing interconnectedness of societies across the globe they exchange goods service’s technology and communications
Two examples of multinational corporations
- kfc
- coca cola
Exchange
The act of giving one thing and receiving another
Prejudice
An idea about what someone is like based on a prejudgment about them usually caused by stereotypes
Discrimination
An action against someone often because of prejudice
Stereotype
A fixed exaggerated idea about a group of people for example all women are emotional
Ethnicity
The cultural group someone belongs to
How are Ethnic minorities represented in the media
Bbc research in 2002 found when ethnic minorities were shown in the media their identities were simplified and shown as stereotypes i.e only shown in sports entertainment and crime
Moral panic
When the media exaggerate a problem to make it appear as a threat to society
Representation
The description or portrayal of someone or something in a particular way
International differences in attitudes towards age ( status)
- uk and western cultures elders have a lower status especially when they retire
- chinese , korean and east asain cultures elders seen as possesing wisdom and therefore a higher status
Marxist view of age
They believe in society elders are seen as a burden particularly in the media as they are considered to old to work and contribute to the bourgeoisie
Ageism
Discrimination based on age
Disability
When someone is unable to do everyday tasks due to physical or mental impairment
Medical model of disability
Disability is a problem that the individual has to cooe with and should be fixed through things like wheelchairs and medication
Social model of disability
Disibility is not an issue it is the barriers that disabled people face that are the problem in this view society needs to change and adapt to support disabled people
Barrier
Anything that prevents people from being together or understanding eachother
Consensus
The idea that people share a set of beliefs and aims
Webers view of stratification and social class
Weber believed social class is one of the three things that affected people’s identities alongside status and power
Class is more than your occupation its your market position ( how much you earn)
Weber (iant)
Three types of authority
- traditional
- rational legal
- Charasmatic
The joseph rowntree foundation research
Found that ethnic groups in the uk were twice as likely to live in poverty than white ppl also found the ethnic pay gap
Townsend (ians)
Argued there was a feminisation of poverty despite equal pay act womens pay still lower than males
This may lead to more women in poverty
Charles murray
- new class emerging - underclass who were not just financially but also culturally poor
- Argues government benefits have created a culture of dependency as ppl in the underclass know they can live on benefits and so see no need to improve their lives and find payed work so their children have low aspirations and underachieve in school also leads to anti social and criminal behaviour
Mike oliver ( ians)
Argues social model of disability- its not sn issue it is the barriers disabled people face that are the problem in this view society needs to change and adapt to support them
Weber theory
- Classes are formed in market places, such as the labour market. One class hire, the other sells their labour.
- A class is a group of people with similar life chances- being successful.
- Weber stressed the importance of status (prestige) and power in determining life chances and shaping patterns of stratification e.g. members of aristocracy may have no savings, but have a title that gives them status.
- three typee of power
Fiona devine findings
- In 1980s studied wheather working class had changed to become more middle class (embourgeoisement)
- instead found wc still held on to many traditional values like support for trade unions
- less involved in the community but men were still main breadwinners
- overall found sense of working class identity despite some changes
Sylvia walby
- criticised radical feminists for ignoring class and ethnicity
- argued men are able to control women in many ways i.e they get higher pay at work while women do most homework at home
- argued women are controlled by double standards of behaviour
- even when laws are passed they often aren’t enforced
Townsend
Identified three ways of defining poverty:
- The state’s standard of poverty on which official statistics are based,
- The relative income standard of poverty based on identifying those households whose income falls below the average for similar households.
- Relative deprivation, when families are unable to participate in activities and have the living conditions that are widely available in society
