Functionalist class inequality

• Young - Functionalist 


  • We live in a meritocracy in which each person is awarded based on their effort and skills, and everyone has equal opportunities to work towards high status and income
• Feminists critique the idea of meritocracy as it is insulting to assume women face inequality as they don't work hard enough. Women are blocked and excluded from positions of power; girls do better than boys in school but are still underrepresented in senior positions.
• Davis and Moore - Functionalist 


  • Stratification is inevitable and necessary.
  • Role allocation theory allows us to allocate the right jobs to the right people.
  • Functional uniqueness = shortage of people with ability and the length of training needed
  • Degree of dependency of others.
• The Sutton Trust criticise Davis and Moore for assuming role allocation works well for placing the best people at the top when many top jobs are allocated unequally, or through elite theory - 'myth of meritocracy'
• Saunders - Functionalist 


  • Unequal societies are what motivate people to work hard.
  • Society would fail if equality existed and would become socialist, which leads to less freedom and more military power.
  • Inequality protects freedom.
• Marxists criticised Saunders - humans are generous and capitalism installs greed and competitiveness. People would be motivated by the greater good.
• Parsons - Functionalist 


  • People are socialised into a value consensus - one of which being goal attainment, the idea that those who achieve common goals should be rewarded highly.
  • Society functions as those who adhere are at the top and create jobs and make decisions that benefit everyone.
• Marxists criticise Parsons for assuming there is consensus- widespread resentment on the distribution of wealth. Bourdieu argues that those with cultural capital use it to maintain their privileges and ensure they are passed onto the next generation, maintaining inequality.
• Postmodernist, Baudrillard criticises Parsons, arguing society has a variety of values.