Weberian theory of inequality Flashcards
- weber class
a persons societal position is based on a combination of their class, status and party
-class is position in the economic marketplace
-emergence of 4 diff social groups within capitalist societies: propertied upper class, property-less white collar workers, petty bourgeoisie and manual workers.
- each class shares similar life chances and patterns of mobility
-social class is now more fragmented so inequality is more complex
- goldthorpe and hope class
social class and inequality complex- there are a range of social class categories based on occupations
-hope-goldthorpe scale measures occupational prestige based on mens occupations
- sorts desirability of occupations into 36 subgroups
-erikson-goldthorpe scale is an updated version examining employment, income and promotions to scale peoples power
-shows class inequality as more complex and fragmented
- weber and parkin class
a persons experience of inequality is influenced by the level of respect they receive from others
-status caused stratification based on someones social honour
-status initially linked to someones class/occupation but also on lifestyle, ethnicity, religion and gender
-those with high socio-economic positions or linked to legal and public authorities hold status
-those who lack status can be subjected to prejudice and discrimination from those who do hold status through social closure
- weber and beck class
a persons power or party can affect how much influence they have within society
-party is the level of power/influence someone has over decision making in legislative change/working conditions
-groups providing people with more party: trade unions, pressure groups and campaigns
-power is seperate from class position as roles of new social movement groups have led to the emergence of new political identities seperate to a persons social class background
- weber gender
women are more likely to face lower class positions than males due to social closure
-social closure can be applied to the position of women to exclude them from status in the labour market
-labour market is dominated by males in top jobs and that men reserve and protect these top positions through social closure
-women face inequality as a result of this e.g glass ceiling, horizontal segregation and leaky pipeline
- barron and norris gender
women are more likely to hold lower positions within the marketplace
-theres a dual labour market which can be used to explain womens employment patterns
-primary labour market with stable and well paying jobs is dominated by men and secondary labour market with low paying insecure jobs dominated by women
-women likely to be found in disadvantaged position due to employers holding stereotypical beliefs about unsuitability of women to jobs, disrupted career development due to social pressure to have a family and legal framework with womens rights being weak and ineffective
- equal opportunities commission gender
women hold less status within the labour market and therefore face a range of inequalities
-key explanations of horizontal segregation include human capital, career choices, discrimination and barriers within organisations
-vertical segregation results in glass ceilings and leaky pipeline as women face lower status and less likely to move up the social ladder
-glass elevator happens because men have hidden advantages including gender stereotypes, views about womens childbearing role, men being seen to make more rational decisions and the rarity of men in certain occupations leading to preferential treatment
- electoral commission gender
women are less likely than men to be in a position whereby they can exercise political power
-political activism gap shows that women are less likely to participate in groups that exert pressure and power in society e.g campaign orientated activities
-reasons: taking care of children so don’t have time (married men and those in paid employment more likely to be participating), women have lower confidence that they can influence the political process, presence of women in representive institutions affects womens political activism
- rex and tomlingson ethnicity
a disproportionate amount of the black and minority group population can be found at the bottom of the stratification pyramid
- underclass are trapped at the bottom of the stratification pyramid due to material disadvantage
- racial inequality led to ethnic minority groups forming a separate underclass facing multiple forms of deprivation
-disadvantages worsened by hostility by white society resulting in marginalisation caused under capitalism
- there is a ‘structural break’ between black people and the white working class where they do not see the same privileges and are forced into disadvantaged housing classes, resulting in them being socially excluded and not fairly represented
- barron and norris ethnicity
black and minority ethnic groups are more likely to hold lower positions within the marketplace
- dual labour market consisted of black and ethnic minority groups in secondary labour market
- less likely than white workers to obtain primary sector jobs because:
-employers may subscribe to racist beliefs about unsuitability and discriminate
-concrete ceiling so denied promotions
-legal and political framework is weak
-trade unions white dominated and favour white workers
- parking ethnicity
a persons experience of inequality is influenced by the level of respect they recieve from others
-negatively privileged status groups are subject to closure strategies to be competitive and achieve social closure
-ethnic minorities face concrete ceilings as cant reach high authority and status due to social closure of power struggles
- white people in power try to monopolise privilege and exclude other groups from their positions of privilege and claim that inequality occurs based on attributes to justify exclusion
- weber ethnicity
political parties and trade unions dont reflect the interests of ethnic minority groups
-groups with power are dominated by white members so ethnic minorities voices arent as heard
- shows that black and minority ethnic groups are less likely to exercise any forms of political power
Weber age
A persons societal position is based on a combination of their class, status and age- Age directly influences a persons social class
-youth and elderly load status because of their age.
-young people lack the power to make changes
- ageism is based on poor social class position- “market position”
Weber age
A persons societal position is based on a combination of their class, status and age- Age directly influences a persons social class
-youth and elderly load status because of their age.
-young people lack the power to make changes
- ageism is based on poor social class position- “market position”
Barron and Norris age
The young and some elderly groups are more likely to hold lower positions within the marketplace
-dual labour market explains employment patterns in youth and elderly
-middle age in primary labour market while youth and elderly in secondary
-link to ritzer and zero hour contracts
