Sociology - Social inequality - Social Class Topic 1a

How many Social Classes does the ONS say there are ?

8

How many social classes did Marx think there was ?

2

What does Baudrillard think about the different classes ?

The defenitons of upper

Middle

and working class become increasingly difficult to define

Baudrillard believes that these terms are becoming increasingly irrelivant

What acronym do you use to help you uncover the patterns of social inequality ?

S- Satisfaction with work

T- Top Jobs

E- Employment opportunities

P - Pay

What is Ritzer critical of ?

The way in which working class workers are dehumanised within fast food chains - I.e. McDonalds

What are some examples of the things that Ritzer is critical of in terms of Working Class peoples jobs in fast food chains ?

• They are given scripts to recite rather than being allowed to communicate freely with customers

• Any creativity that may have flourished is now not able to do so due to things such as , machines , instructions and rotas

• Workers are no longer expected to enjoy work or be empowered.

• He called these type of jobs ‘McJobs’.

Which group of people did Abrams study ?

Men and women who lived below the minimum wage.

What did Abrams discover in her study ?

• That working class people were often not paid for time spent at work

• In Abrams undercover study , she was asked to go to training which she was not paid for

• Abrams Lunch and break hours were not paid for

• Abrams ended up subbing her employers much of the time when having to purchase things such as gloves herself (she was working in a urinal)

What does Abrams study demonstrate to us ?

Abrams study demonstrates that although working class jobs are already significantly underpayed , this pay can become even more docked by unethical practices.

What would The Sutton Trust (Neo-marxists) say about Elite theory ?

The Sutton Trust’s theory of Elite Theory , discusses the idea that the Middle and upper classes have advantages to their employment opportunities.

What do The Sutton Trust believe ?

The Sutton Trust believe that the ruling class use Elite schools (Eton) to get into elite universities (Oxford) to then get into Elite Jobs (Finance).

This means the working class are disadvantaged in terms of job opportunities.

What did Milburn et al find that there was ?

• A ‘glass-floor’

• An invisible saftey net which wealthy children are able to use

• Through the use of private tutors and connections.

• They also discovered that the judiciary system is still socially elitest

• 15 of 17 supreme court judges and heads of division have all been educated at private school

• Out of 38 justices of appeal , 26 attented private school, 8 attended grammar shcool , only 2 attended state comprohensive schools.

• 43% of barristers attented fee-a

• paying secondary schools

• 54% of journalists were privatley educated

What did Milburn et al conlude ?

• ‘This is social engineering on a grand scale. The senior ranks of professions are a closed shop.’

What did Goldthorpe and Lockwood argue ?

• The working class are having an increasingly instrumental attitude to work.

• Unlike the professional middle class , the working class are less likely to gain satisfaction from their jobs , therefore many of them choose to see it as a means to an end.

What did MacNGhail’s research show ?

The decline of traditional labour jobs such as mining has seen a high rate of unemployment for men.

This decline in these type of jobs not only left men jobless but also facing an identity crisis within their communities

MacNGhail called this the ‘crisis of masculinity’

How does pay and class correlate ?

Pay is lower for those in the bottom tier of society

ONS found that Low pay makes life harder because families cannot afford the best food or housing etc.

What does Owen Jones suggest ?

• Income inequality is also prevelant in the tax and benefits systems

• The poorest 10% pay 43% of their income in tax , whereas the richest 10% pay just 35% of their income in tax

What does Garrod suggest ?

• There are increasing numbers of people on zero hours contracts

• The working class are much more likely to have zero hours contracts which leaves them vulnerable as they dont have a steady income

• In 2021 around 91,700 people were found to be on zero hours contracts