lesson 5 + textbook

stratification, power, + authority

what is stratification

system which a society ranks categories of ppl in hierarchy

• how people are ordered/organized

• to analyze any society, sociologists look at how it’s stratified

what is social inequality

uneven distribution of value attributes (wealth, resources, prestige, political power)

• unequal distribution is a prominent feature of almost every society

• hierarchical criteria varies by society

what are the 3 most profound divisions of inequality/stratification (ascribed statuses)

social class

gender

race-ethnicity

ascribed vs achieved status

ascribed: social position assigned at birth / taken involuntarily

• class, background, race, gender

achieved: earned voluntarily based on personal performance/ability/effort

social class as an ascribed status in a capitalist society

• central to stratification

• central to both structure of society and to individual life experiences

karl marx on social class

• believed that social class was/the key powerful force shaping capitalist society + individual lives

• main conflicts in society were rooted in the divisions between the 2 major classes

capitalist mode of production — marx

capitalism splits society into 2 opposing classes

• means of production: privately owned by a small population — UPPER CLASS

• relations of production: majority of ppl working on the means for a wage — WORKING CLASS

karl Marx view/idea on class conflict

the interests of the 2 classes are naturally opposed

• the upper class exploits the working class, generating inherent conflict that he belied would lead the workers to overthrow the capitalist system

what are the 2 dimension’s to Marx’s theory of ‘social class’

class membership and class consciousness

what is class membership and what is class consciousness

membership: objective situation

• someone’s structural position in the economy

• (what class they belong to)

consciousness: subjective awareness

• working classes awareness of their shared economic exploitation and collective power

how did marx think the working class could gain equality

must shift from a ‘class in itself’ (sharing a membership) to a ‘class for itself’ — unified group fighting for its interests

4 stages of developing class consciousness

1. identification w/ a class

• recognizing ones place in class structure

2. class opposition

• recognizing the working class interests conflict w/ owning class interests

3. class totality

• realizing societal institutions + daily life are shaped by the overall class system

4. alternative vision for society

• envisioning + working toward a system beyond capitalism

what is false consciousness

workers failing to understand the true nature of their social class + economic exploitation

what categories did weber believe were the basis of stratification

class, status, and party

how did weber define class, status, and party

class: economic position and access to material resources

party: pure political power — ability to organize/influence decisions within institutions/state structures

status: distribution of social honour, respect, and prestige granted by others

• power is tied to prestige and social standing, not just wealth

marx vs. weber on stratification/social class and what they both had in common

Marx: social class is based on economic class

wever: class is tied to status and party/power — multi dimensional stratification

both: position in hierarchy dictates an individuals life chances + social inequality

what is the davis-moore thesis

structural-functional paradigm

• social stratification is necessary/beneficial for the operation of a society

• unequal rewards benefit the smooth operation, productivity and efficiency

• positions of higher functional importance get greater rewards to motivate talented ppl to go into such occupations