Stratification

• what is social stratification ?

  Social stratification describes the society is structured in a hierarchy of unequal layers uneven distribution of wealth of the class system middle upper and lower class and is not always done on a universal standard
• how can the stratification system differ on status ?

  ascribed and achieved
• What is an ascribed status?


  A status that is inherited or involuntarily applied to an individual at births
• What is an achieved status?

  a social position that a person assumes voluntarily as a result of personal choice, merit, or direct effort
• some stratification system are open what does this mean ?

  An open system is based on achievement.

  This is known as meritocracy.

  For example, your gender or race will not affect your how well you achieve.
• some stratification system are closed what does this mean ?

  closed system is one where people can do little to change their position in the social hierarchy no social mobility

  An example would be the 'caste' system in India where people are born into their social standing and remain in it for their whole lives.
• What is the Davis-Moore thesis on stratification and what theory are they from ?

  Davis and Moore put forward a functionalist theory of stratification. They argue that it's necessary for society to ensure that important roles in society are filled and that some roles are more functionally important than others.

  
  

  - these roles are filled by role allocation most people lack the talent to fill these roles or the motivation required to train for them, so to attract people to these roles, society must offer higher rewards such as high pay and status.

  Stratification is therefore necessary for society because it ensures that the most talented people train for and fill the most important jobs.
• What do the Davis-Moore say about stratification ?

  Davis and Moore, all societies must have a degree of inequality built into them, because society needs to treat people differently in regards to their status and rewards.By this logic inequality is functional because people see it as fair. The universal nature of stratification means inequality is not only unavoidable but necessary for smooth working of society.
• critism of davis and moore

  Anomalies - Not all the jobs that are vital to society attract high salaries (such as nursing), or have high status (e.g. refuse collection).

  
  

  - Status - High pay and status might be linked to a group's power, rather than to the functional importance of the role.

  
  

  - Marxists would argue that society is not meritocratic (based on people's effort, skills and talents) because those born into wealth and higher status are able to use this to their advantage while exploiting and preventing those with less power, wealth and status from succeeding.
• What is socio economic status?

  Society is divided into different socio-economic classes. the social standing or class of an individual or group and is often measured as a combination of education, income and occupation.
• what were the 2 classes karl marx identified in the capitalist society ?

  Marx identified two main classes in capitalist society:

  The bourgeoisie (the middle classes).

  The proletariat (the working classes).
• What is the lumpenproletariat?


  A social class made up of the 'drop outs' and criminals of society
• how is the position of bourgeoisie justified ?

  The position of the bourgeoisie is justified by the ruling class ideology (capitalism).

  This ideology uses ideas like competition and the free market which disguise the reality of the exploitation.

  The ruling class ideology leads to false class consciousness among the proletariat
• how does Weber define class ?

  According to Weber, a class is a group of people who have similar life chances, such as being successful in life and opportunities in education, health, and other areas.
• what are classes that Weber defines ?

  Weber identified four main social classes:

  Property owners.

  Professionals.

  The petite bourgeoisie (such as shopkeepers.)

  The working class.
• What does Weber say about social class ?

  Weber agreed with Marx that class is based on the distribution of economic resources such as wealth.

  He also stressed the importance of non-economic factors like status and power (political influence) in determining life chances.
• what is a subjective class ?

  how people see themselves in class terms
• what are life chances ?

  Life chances refers to the positive or negative outcomes over the lifetime in factors such as health, education, employment and housing. Life chances are distributed unequally between groups due to class, gender and ethnicity.
• What is the glass ceiling?


  an unofficially acknowledged barrier to advancement in a profession, especially affecting women and members of minorities.
• What is the embourgeoisement thesis?

  In the 1950/60s, some sociologists began to suggest that the more affluent working classes were becoming middle class in their norms and values.

  
  

  Embourgeoisment when working class famillies taken on the norms and value of those of the upper class living a privatised and afleunt lifestyle discarding their old ideas of community and solidarity this is a result of improved living standards and income
• What is Murray's theory?


  Murray (1996) argued that the underclass in the UK is growing rapidly.

  He focused on the behaviour of the 'undeserving poor' and associated them with rising crime rates, an increase in the number of 'illegitimate' births and drop-out from the labour market among working-age men.

  He argued that welfare reform encouraged crime, single parenthood and unemployment, as well as taking away the incentive to work.

  
  

  Murray associated the underclass with poor African-American and Hispanic people and argued that the underclass posed a threat to society's wellbeing because its members are responsible for increases in crime rates and a burden to taxpayers.
• Murray criticism


  critics of the New Right approach reject the idea of an underclass with different attitudes and insist that this group doesn't exist.

  The term is used to blame the victims for their misfortune and bad luck.

  The underclass are used as scapegoats for the problems of society.

  When explaining poverty, sociologists should focus on the structure of society and the 'over-class' - the rich and powerful groups in society.
• Marxism and poverty


  Poverty is the inevitable outcome of class-based divisions in capitalist society.

  Capitalism generates extreme wealth for the bourgeoisie and poverty within the proletariat.

  Poverty serves the interests of the bourgeoisie because they can hire and fire workers as needed.

  The fear of poverty and unemployment can be used to discipline workers, keep wages low and profits high.
• Weber say about power ?

  Max Weber argued that an individual or group exercises power when they get what they want, despite any opposition.

  Power is based on either coercion or authority.
• what are the types of authority weber identified ?

  Traditional.

  Rational legal.

  Charismatic.
• Sylvia Walby say about patriarchy

  Sylvia Walby (1990) defined patriarchy as a system of social structures and practices in which men dominate and exploit women, and highlighted six patriarchal structures.
• What are Walby's six structures of patriarchy?

  1.) Paid employment: women typically earn less than men and are excluded from better types of paid work

  2.) The household: husbands exploit women by benefitting from their unpaid labour in the home

  3.) Culture: culture differentiates between masculinity and sexuality, which is defined in terms of being sexually attracted to men

  4.) Sexually: the double standard towards sexuality us an aspect of male dominance e.g. women are labelled slags

  5.) Male violence against women: it's a form of power over them

  6.) The state: state policies are biased towards patriarchal interests e.g. there has been little effort to improve women's position in the workplace
• how does townsend define poverty ?

  state standard

  relative income

  relative deorivation
• why is embourgeoisment thesis happening ?

  increasing income and improve living conditions

  Influence of the of the media prompting middle class values
• who carried out embourgeoisment thesis and how

  Done by goldthorpe in Lutun in 1960s using structured interviews
• who disproved the embougeoisment thesis

  Devine with 62 people sample
• what is the culture of poverty

  the theory that people in poverty develop certain habits that cause their families to remain in poverty over generations by accepting the roles