Topic 1: social differentiation sand stratification

• What is stratification?

  • The grouping of people into layers of a social hierarchy (often by power, status or class)
  • eg.Most capitalist societies are stratified according to wealth and income - this means there are inevitable class inequalities Communism aims to create a more equal social strata

  
• Open and closed systems of stratification


  Open systems:

  • Equality of opportunity
  • Meritocratic societies
  • Enables social mobility
  • E.g. UK or USA
• Open and closed systems of stratification

  Closed systems:

  • Inequality of opportunity
  • Meritocracy restricted
  • Restricted social mobility
  • E.g. Caste system or Apartheid
• Criticisms of Open and closed systems

  • This is a simplistic way to look at systems of stratification
  • In reality, if Western societies were truly 'open', there would be complete equality of opportunity and no discrimination...
• What is differentiation?


  Definition :

  • The differences that exist between social groups in the strata of society
  • Differences in identities, life chances and inequalities etc. Examples:
  • Consider the inequalities and differences in opportunities that exist between rich and poor people, or men and women
  • We can differentiate people by using categories such as: Religion, Disability, Class, Age ,Gender, Ethnicity, Sexuality
• Functionalist views on stratification

  Parsons :

  • Society works best when it is meritocratic (everyone has an equal chance of success + hard work gets rewarded) Rewards = wealth and status, e.g. a good salary

  Davis & Moore :

  • Society performs the function of 'role allocation' - the best jobs / roles given to those who work hardest for them - in school and beyond E.g. Doctors / Lawyers = 7 years study, but high salaries vs. Retail worker = 0 years study, but minimum wage

  However.. Is society really meritocratic? What about ascribed status? What about in-work poverty?
• Functionalist views on stratification


  Overview :

  • Stratification is needed for society to be functional and fair - it should be meritocratic and based on equality of opportunity Poverty is functional for society - it motivates people into working harder. Without inequality, society would not be based on meritocracy
• The New Right take functionalist ideas further...

  Saunders:

  • Society needs stratification to make it work as well as possible We need to give unequal rewards (high salaries) to those who get to the top as they have worked the hardest to get there This incentivises everyone to strive for the top paying jobs

  This explains why the middle classes have the best jobs - they are 'naturally' more clever and work harder than the rest!
• The New Right take functionalist ideas further...

  However...

  • The middle classes have material and cultural advantages...
  • Feminists - women are excluded from top jobs - the glass ceiling
  • Are the best paying jobs really the most important? Vice versa?
• false class consciousness 


  the idea that the working class are tricked / duped into not realising how bad their position in society is
• Marxist views on stratification

  Overview:

  • Society is stratified by class - the bourgeoisie (m/c) and proletariat (w/c)
  • The m/c own property (businesses, land) which they can profit from
  • The w/c own nothing, so need to sell their labour to the m/c to survive
  • Stratification is unequal and unfair. Poverty is the result of this inequality
• Marxist views on stratification

  Marx:

  • The m/c own the means of production and exploit the w/c into low paying jobs, maximising profit for themselves at the expense of the poor
  • Their position in society and power allows them to control ideas and justify inequalities in other parts of society, e.g false class consciousness
• Marxist views on stratification

  Capitalism

  • Economic system based on accumulating wealth via private ownership Class inequalities have become much worse under capitalism, as the rich get richer and the poor get poorer Marx predicted capitalism would be replaced by communism
  • However... Is capitalism really that bad? Is meritocracy a myth? Marx was wrong about communism...
• Weber's views on stratification


  Overview:

  • Weber is a symbolic interactionist - studied meanings people give things
  • He believed people gain their position in the social strata according to their identities - how they are seen by others in society
  • 3 key aspects to identities: Class, Status, Power - socio-economic status

  Class:

  • Class = your occupation + your market position
  • Market position is your earnings potential
  • Market position is a key indicator of someone's class and position in social strata
• Weber's views on stratification

  Status :

  • How important your occupation (you!) is seen as being in society
  • Some jobs have higher status than others, but don't always come with the same rewards/pay!
  • And vice versa, e.g manual work

  Power (Party) :

  • Power is the ability to influence things
  • Power can be obtained by belonging to groups outside of your job
  • E.g. member of political party, school governor or a trustee
• Power, Social Control and Authority

  Power

  • Power is the ability to influence things and get things done
  • Informal (unwritten) power used to encourage conformity to norms
  • Formal (written) power used when informal sources fail. Power by force
  • Power requires sanctions - formal/informal and positive/negative

  Social Control :

  • Agents of social control, eg. police, courts, family, peers, education etc.
  • Formal agents of social control, eg. police tend to use formal sanctions
  • Informal agents of social control, eg. peers use informal sanctions
• Power, Social Control and Authority

  • Authority:Authority is having the power to give orders or make decisions
  • By studying the differentiation between social groups we can see some groups have more power, control and authority than others
• Weber's views on authority

  Traditional :

  • Authority gained based on long-established tradition, birth right and ascribed status
  • Eg. King Charles Ill and the Royal Family
• Weber's views on authority

  Charismatic:

  • Authority gained through someone's personality and ideas. People follow the ideas of charismatic individuals
  • Eg. Martin Luther King or Gandhi
• Weber's views on authority

  Rational-Legal:

  • Authority gained having 'gone through the system' and been chosen for the role which gives authority
  • Eg. Someone who gets a job on the merits of their CV
• There are overlaps between different social groups, such as ethnic minorities tending to be poorer and more working class, women tending to be poorer and more working class, and disabled people tending to be poorer and more working class
• Discrimination


  The unequal treatment of people based on assumptions about them
• Types of discrimination


  • Misogyny/sexism (against women)
  • Homophobia/transphobia (against LGBTQ+ people)
  • Racial discrimination/racism (against ethnic minorities)
  • Ageism (against old and young)
• Prejudice


  A prejudgment of somebody based on preconceptions, without really knowing them
• Life chances


  The opportunities and chances people have of being successful in life
• Representation


  How different groups are shown and portrayed by society
• Stereotypes


  Exaggerated views of a group or person based on preconceptions
• Status


  A person's position in society, often based on their occupation
• Moral panic


  A societal worry about the behaviour or activities of certain groups
• The Equality Act 2010 is an umbrella law that brought together various anti-discrimination and equality policies
• Ethnic minorities are much more likely to be victims of hate crimes and discrimination
• Ethnicity


  How ethnicity affects life chances
• Ways ethnicity can affect life chances

  • Racial discrimination or racism
  • Institutional racism
  • Laws and policies
  • Employment inequalities
  • Health inequalities
• Racial discrimination or racism


  Individual people or small groups being racist to one another, leading to hate crime, discrimination, lack of opportunities, etc.
• Institutional racism


  Endemic, systematic racism embedded within the policies and procedures of different groups, organizations or institutions in society
• Example of institutional racism


  • The Metropolitan Police in London, as found in the Macpherson report on the handling of the murder of Stephen Lawrence
• Laws and policies


  How laws and policies, such as immigration acts, can affect the life chances of ethnic minorities
• Employment inequalities


  Ethnic minorities being more than twice as likely to be unemployed than white people, and experiencing an ethnicity pay gap of around 23%
• Health inequalities


  Certain ethnic groups, such as South Asians, being more likely to experience health issues like heart disease due to cultural factors
• Ways age or disability can affect life chances


  • Prejudice and discrimination
  • Income inequalities
  • Low status and social exclusion
  • Marginalization
  • Media representation