Sociology Paper 2: Social Stratification Flashcards
1
Q
what is social stratification
A
- the way society is structured into unequal strata/layers
- shaped like a pyramid
- privileged groups form the top layers
2
Q
what is social inequality
A
- uneven distribution of resources within society (eg money, status, power)
- people tend to be stratified according to social status, race, gender and age
3
Q
examples of forms of stratification
A
- slavery (one group owns another, they are treated as property)
- caste system in traditional India
- feudal system in medieval europe
- social class system today
4
Q
what did DAVIS AND MOORE (functionalist) say about stratification?
A
- role allocation (all roles in society need to be filled)
- some roles more important than others
- best roles should have the most talented people, should be rewarded accordingly
- necessary for society
- society should be unequal, but seen as fair
5
Q
criticisms of DAVIS AND MOORE
A
- many vital jobs have low pay eg nursing, bus drivers
- high pay may be due to that position’s power, not how necessary it is in society (e.g celebrities)
- Marxists argue MYTH OF MERITOCRACY
- stratification allows people to exploit others so is not functional
6
Q
KARL MARX on social class
A
- bourgeoisie/proletariat
- ownership vs non-ownership
- proletariat are alienated as they lack control of their products
- RULING CLASS IDEOLOGY - ideas about competition and rewards disguise exploitation
- this leads to FALSE CLASS CONSCIOUSNESS
- collapse of capitalism due to growing gap
7
Q
WEBER - social class
A
- classes formed in labour market
- class is group of people with similar life chances
- four main classes: PROPERTY OWNING, PROFESSIONALS, PETTY BOURGEOISIE, WORKING CLASS
- different market situations (what someone can achieve by selling skills)
8
Q
WEBER - social class continued
A
- stressed importance of non economic factors affecting class (power and status)
- status may differ from class (aristocrat may not be rich landowner but title of “lord” or “lady” would give them status)
9
Q
social class today
A
- subjective class - what people think their own class is
- working, middle, upper
- some new right sociologists claim there is an underclass
10
Q
what are life chances
A
- people’s chances of having certain outcomes in relation to health, education, careers
- distributed unequally
- middle class lawyers have better life chances in relation to good healthcare than working class people
11
Q
gender inequalities
A
- despite sex discrimination act 1975, feminists argue gender is still a division in society
- gender pay gap still exists bc women more likely to work in part time/low paying jobs
- glass ceiling for women due to male dominated workplaces
- only 3.9% of firefighters were female in 2010
- sex discrimination, triple shift, poor childcare arrangements
12
Q
ethnic inequalities
A
- institutional racism
- unemployment rates are highest for ethnic minorities
- Marxists see this as built into capitalism
13
Q
embourgeoisement thesis
A
- working-class families developing middle class norms and values
- privatised lifestyles centred on home/family rather than wider community
14
Q
affluent worker study
A
- GOLDTHORPE - interviewed affluent workers and their wives
- goldthorpe rejected the embourgeoisement thesis but suggested the makings of a ‘new’ working class
- instrumental attitudes to work (means to an end)
- supported labour party for personal gain
- not motivated by class solidarity
15
Q
FIONA DEVINE - EVALUATION OF GOLDTHORPE
A
- argued that working class ideals had not changed to the extent goldthorpe suggested
- not purely privatised or home centred
- more communal than goldthorpe suggested
16
Q
social mobility
A
- movement up and down the social class system
- social mobility could be due to promotions within work, educational qualifications
- barriers due to ethnicity, gender, disabilities etc
17
Q
social mobility in uk
A
- working class less likely to achieve social mobility
- less likely to have “professional” occupations/white collar work
18
Q
defining poverty
A
- absolute poverty (absence of two or more basic needs, eg water, shelter, healthcare)
- relative poverty (poor in relation to the people around them or others in the country, eg cannot afford luxuries like a tv)
- social exclusion (people cannot take part in activities due to material deprivation)
19
Q
measuring poverty
A
- SUBJECTIVE POVERTY (whether people see themselves as living in poverty)
- ENVIRONMENTAL POVERTY (deprivation in terms of living conditions/air pollution)
20
Q
TOWNSEND on poverty in the UK
A
- developed deprivation index to determine relative poverty
- almost 23% of the population were in poverty
- statistic much higher the state standard of poverty
21
Q
criticisms of TOWNSEND
A
- some of the items on his list e.g whether the household has a sunday joint, may not be relevant as not eating meat regularly is not always a sign of deprivation
- the statistics should be questioned as the items on his list are inadequate
22
Q
ethnicity and poverty
A
- households headed by ethnic minorities are more likely to be low income
- disadvantaged in employment, pay and job quality
- racism and discrimination in job market
23
Q
gender and poverty
A
- women more at risk of poverty than men
- longer life expectancies, less likely to have pension
- more likely to head lone parent families
- gender pay gap
- more likely to work part time than men
24
Q
child poverty
A
- children more vulnerable to poverty if there are four or more children in a family
- lone parent families more likely to be in poverty
- negative impact on child’s life chances eg life expectancy
25
Q
cycle of deprivation
A
- poorer people socialised within subculture of poverty
- set of values to cope with situation
- eg immediate gratification rather than planning ahead
- poverty includes material and cultural deprivation
- continues from one generation to the next
- fails to explain why people become poor in the first place
26
Q
CHARLES MURRAY (New Right) and poverty
A
- underclass is rapidly growing
- “undeserving poor”
- underclass had rising crime rates, increasing ‘illegitimate’ births, dropping out of labour force
- welfare system encouraged crime and unemployment
27
Q
criticisms of new right/charles murray
A
- rejects idea of underclass with different attitudes
- victim blaming for their struggles
- underclass is scapegoat for society’s problems
- should focus on upper classes causing poverty rather than those who are victims to it
28
Q
functionalist perspective on poverty
A
- performs positive functions as ensures that dangerous/dirty work is carried out for cheap
- criticism: functionalists justify poverty rather than explaining it
29
Q
marxist perspective on poverty
A
- outcome of class based divisions
- poverty is inevitable in a capitalist society
- poverty serves interests of the bourgeoisie
- fear of poverty used to discipline workers
30
Q
feminist perspective on poverty
A
- women face higher chances of poverty
- more likely to outlive partners
31
Q
impact of globalisation
A
- downturn in global economy caused recession
- led to job insecurity
- increases in the cost of living meant an increase in poverty
32
Q
WEBER on power and authority
A
- power is based on coercion or authority
- coercion involves threatening or using force to get people to obey
- authority is used over people who willingly agree to obey
- three types of authority: TRADITIONAL, RATIONAL LEGAL, CHARISMATIC
33
Q
WEBER and the three types of authority
A
- TRADITIONAL AUTHORITY: based on custom/tradition eg the monarchy
- RATIONAL LEGAL AUTHORITY: based on accepting rules and laws. This authority operates within a bureaucracy (organisation with a hierarchy)
- CHARISMATIC AUTHORITY: people obey a leader who inspires them
34
Q
marxist perspective on power
A
- power is linked with social class relationships
- power based on ownership of means of production
- political power stems from economic power, and people with economic power (ruling class) also have political power
35
Q
feminist perspective on power
A
- gender inequality most important division in society
- patriarchal society controls women
- male-dominated society means that women have little power, wealth and/or social status
- men are often the decision makers
36
Q
WALBY on patriarchy (six patriarchal structures)
A
- PAID EMPLOYMENT (women typically earn less than men)
- HOUSEHOLD (husbands/partners exploit women by benefitting from their unpaid labour)
- CULTURE (british culture dictates that femininity relies on being attractive to men)
37
Q
WALBY six partiarchal structures continued
A
- SEXUALITY (double standard - male dominance. Sexually active women seen as “slags”, men admired)
- MALE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
- THE STATE (legal policies biased towards men, little effort to improve women’s positions in society)
38
Q
what is democracy?
A
- government by the people, for the people
- power distributed widely
- power based on rational legal authority, not coercion
39
Q
what is a dictatorship?
A
- based on coercion
- censorship on media
- propaganda
40
Q
representative democracy
A
- citizens elect reps
- each voter casts one vote based on different political parties
- candidate with most votes becomes MP
41
Q
proportional representation
A
- seats are allocated according to total votes each party receives
- used to elect members of the european parliament
