Stratification and Differentiation - Theories of Strat

Marxist perspective on strat

Marxist perspective on strat

• Argue that the industrial society is divided into a two class system: the capitalist class who own the means of production and the working class forced to sell their labour paper to the capitalists.

• The base and superstructure model - the SS is how institutions all function in a way that maintains the power of the rich and exploits the workers. The base shapes and maintains the SS, composed of means of production and relations of production.

Purpose of the superstructure?

exists to transmit bourgeois ideology and to make sure that the mass of society subscribe to ruling class ideas about how society should be organised and does not complain too much about the inequality that exist

What constitutes the superstructure?

Family, Education, Law and Media and a lot of other thangs

What did MARX argue?

He argued that the social relations of production between the B and P are unequal, exploitive and create class conflict.

Capitalism’s relentless pursuit of profit means wages are kept as low as possible and the B pockets the difference between what workers are paid and the value of goods produced by workers.

And workers lose their jobs as new tech is introduced in order to increase output and profits.

Macro or Micro?

MACRO. Marxists claim that social strat divides society and is used by the rich and powerful to exploit others, rather than to further collective goals.

AO3 for the marxist view?

• revolution unlikely to happen because of false class consciousness, plus people don’t define themselves by class anymore but rather consumption, Wc appreciate the benefits of capitalism despite being aware of the inequalities generated by it.

Wright (Neo-marxist)

• used the term ‘petty b’ as opposed to Marx’s petit bourgeoisie to mean a class with limited influence over the means of production.

• MC shares things in common with ruling and working classes because they experience a sense of contradiction and dissonance because of the complexity of their position in society.

Althusser (NM)

people happily accept capitalism because workers very rarely see themselves as exploited by an ideological apparatus into believing that capitalism is fair and natural - AKA FALSE CLASS CONSCIOUSNESS.

MARCUSE (NM)

Noted that capitalism has been very successful in bedazzling the working class with what he saw as ‘false needs’ to buy the latest consumer goods.

FRIEDMAN (NM)

Lifestyle of the rich is the modern opium of the masses

Neo Marxist’s argument

The mass of society is less knowledgeable about how society is politically and economically organised because of the ideological barrage - wc is less united than ever as people compete against each other for the latest goods.

AO3 Neo marxism

Parkin - there is an assumption in Marxist ideology theory that the working class can’t ever accept the reality of their sitch as they are experiencing a collective kind of brain damage.

Three main component of weberian theory

Class, status and power

Three main types of power

Economic, political and prestige

How did Weber view the proleteriat?

As a heterogenous group. He believed there were different forms of strat within these groups

Weber and Class

He argued that class divisions derive not just from ownership of means of production but economic differences that have nothing directly to do with property, including skills, credentials and qualifs that affect the types of work that people are able to obtain - market position affects life chances

Weber and Status

Status refers to the differences in prestige that they are accorded by others.

• Markers and symbols of status include types of housing, dress, manner of speech and occ.

• He argued that status varies independently of class sometimes. He refers to ‘genteel poverty’ which is when someone still reaps the benefits of their aristocratic family history.

Weber and Poverty

• influencing the process of law creation puts you in a considerably powerful position.

• e.g) status groups such as the British medical association which exists to protect the social status of healthcare workers.

AO3

+- Savage takes issue with the importance of status in terms of shaping people’s identity. He notes that people rarely make status claims, and suggest they are wary of demonstrating openly their cultural superiority

. is it really possible to stratify based on status? nobody goes around asking what your status is…

marxists argue that class and status are strongly linked.

Durkheim

He believed that class strat existed because it was functional to social order. modern societies are characterised by special occupational DOL

• Strat is beneficial as it sets limits on competition and people’s aspirations and clearly links criteria such as qualifications to particular roles so people don’t get too over-ambitious and therefore disappointed if they don’t do as well as they hoped.

PARSONS

• inequality is an inevitable feature of society

• conflict between diff social groups is managed by a common value system which recognises the appropriateness of unequal levels of reward.

Davis and Moore

strat is a device by which societies ensure that the most important positions are conscientiously filled by the most qualified persons - role allocation - based on merit

AO3 FUNCTIONALISM

Tumin - those born in lower strata can never have the same opportunities for realising their talents as those born in higher strata

also he says that who’s to say what role is ‘functional’

What does MILLET argue (F)

The strength of patriarchy lies in ideological control, and a man’s patriarchal power is both psychological and physical.

both sexes are socialised into superior/inferior roles and the family is a key institution for performing this role.

Women can be blamed for the continuation of patriarchal ideas as they are the main socialisers.

WALBY says…

• despite legislation, women are still less likely to be found in positions of power and influence.

• She notes how statutory maternity pay for women far outweighs the ten days that men receive.

• Patriarchal is not a universal concept. younger women less likely to experience and some ethnicities more than others.

What are the 6 patriarchal structures that Walby identifies

• Paid work

• household

• state

• mass media

• sexuality

• violence against women

Factory act of 1819

• Banned children from working under the age of 9 which meant women were more likely to be housewife and so family became reliant on breadwinner

What does Oakley argue?

DUAL BURDEN! (Hothschild). That policy and social norms imply that women’s primary care is their kiddies whilst expecting them to support the fam financially too.

lib fems overall argue that

Despite legislation rooting for employment equality such as SDA and EPA, women still face a glass ceiling and domestic obligations.

Barron and Norris

Dual labour theory - suggests that women are overrepresented in secondary sector which is more precarious with low job security and lesser skills required than primary sector which lots of men are in

Sue Sharpe

Females now prioritise education and careers in 90s than 70s.

Rad Fem Millet argued patriarchy is/was

A belief system that, on the basis of a woman’s reproductive function, had built a collection of ideas about women’s natural role, status and temperament - expressed as masculinity vs femininity - which served to keep women subordinated

Firestone

Biology is the basis for women’s inequality and domination by men in all societies.

Argued that there is a sex class system that predates the social-class system imposed on women because of their biological roles.

Coontz and Henderson

• used Engel’s theory to suggest that patriarchy was more likely in societies that were patrilocal (wife lives near her parents in law) rather than matrilocal.

Ansley

takers of shiteee

Ao3 feminism

• marxist fems don’t explain fact that patriarchy has existed in all known societies, not just capitalist

• MIRZA - black british women have the added dimension of racism so their experience of life is DIFFERENT.

Postmodern feminists view

LORBER - for postmodern feminists, the problem is the very notion of gender itself and progress for women requires a rebellion against what they see as the tyranny of gender categories

• See gender as entirely fluid.

Grusky (PM)

• suggests there has been a decline in class-based identities, as conflict and workplace has been diminished, and that cultural globalisation has allowed people to sample different cultures and ideas

STRINATI

• he is concerned with the image people project through the choices they make as consumers.

• Pick and mix identity - consumer choice has now overridden the old divisions of gender, ethnicity and class.

Waters

• we are seduced into conspicuous consumption by advertising

• PM strat is about lifestyle choices

Pakulski and Waters

→ class groups are not evident anymore so SC is becoming insignificant

→ Individualism is now paramount and strat is based on lifestyles and social inequality based on factors other than SC.

→ We now have multifaceted identities

→ people able to redefine themselves by changing consumption patterns

→ market meritocracy due to growth in education - we can BUY A CONSUMER IDENTITY

AO3 POSTMODERNISM.

Westergaard - criticisies PM for failing to recongise that differences in SC are still relvant.

Cooley - individuals do not have the sole power to shape their identity as it deponds on how others view them (looking glass self).

Skeggs - postmodernist sociologists are largely MC professionals who underestimate the experience of WC people and therefore fail to step in Wc shoes.