Lecture Notes on Stratification and Social Inequality

Class Objectives

• Understand the definition, structure, consequences, and dynamics of social inequality.
• Explore concepts of class and stratification.
• Discuss the consequences of social inequality, particularly regarding poverty.
• Examine social mobility and the welfare state dynamics.

Understanding Stratification

• Definition:
  • Structured ranking of entire groups leading to unequal economic rewards and power.
  • Highlights inequalities in access to resources like wealth, prestige, and honor.
• Characteristics:
  • Stratification is hierarchical, with favored groups at the top and less privileged at the bottom.
  • Can involve factors such as gender, age, race, and religion, but this lecture emphasizes economic inequality.

Mechanisms of Stratification

• Social Processes:
  • Defines desirable goods and roles within society.
  • Rules of allocation for resources based on various roles in occupations.
  • Societal roles are rewarded unevenly leading to differential access to resources.

Economic Inequality

• Focus Areas:
  • Economists study accumulation; sociologists analyze distribution and its impacts.
  • Social inequality arises when societal members have varying amounts of wealth and power.
  • Limited resources lead to inherent social inequality in various settings.

Characteristics of Class

• Nature of Class:
  • Not solely determined by legal or religious distinctions; classes lack clear boundaries.
  • Economic differences are the foundation (distribution of resources).
  • Class systems encompassing society are typically impersonal with no interpersonal obligations.
  • Provides potential for social mobility across different life stages.

Theoretical Perspectives

Karl Marx

• Class Structure:
  • Two primary classes: capitalists (bourgeoisie) and workers (proletariat).
  • Capitalists own production means; workers exchange labor for wages, leading to exploitation.
  • Concept of false consciousness in workers, needing class awareness to change their situation.

Max Weber

• Class, Status, and Party:
  • No single factor defines a person’s stratification position.
  • Class based on wealth/income leads to different life chances.
  • Introduces status and party dimensions impacting social ranking; these can intersect or diverge.

Class Hierarchy

• Class Structure:
  1. Upper Class: Wealth concentrated in few; high societal influence.
  2. Middle Class: Higher education leading to better job opportunities and cultural advantages.
  3. Working Class: Manual laborers with less economic security.
  4. Underclass: Very low socioeconomic standing; often reliant on welfare.

Perspectives on Stratification

Functionalism

• Concept:
  • Stratification essential for society to function effectively, filling varying social roles with appropriate talent.
  • Hard-to-fill roles receive higher prestige and compensation; easier roles demand lower rewards.

Conflict Theory

• Viewpoint:
  • Inequality benefits dominant groups who control resources and maintain privilege.
  • Education serves as a tool for cultural transmission, preserving inequality.

Social Mobility

• Definition:
  • Movement of individuals in the stratification system; can be vertical (upward/downward) or horizontal (same level).
  • Various types: intergenerational (among generations) and intragenerational (across one's life).
• Focus of Sociologists:
  • The correlation between individual attributes and class status changes.

Poverty Issues

Types of Poverty

1. Absolute Poverty:
   • Conditions necessary for survival; access to food, water, shelter.
2. Relative Poverty:
   • Contextual hunger and deprivation based on societal living standards.

Explaining Poverty

• Personal Responsibility:
  • Blames individuals for their circumstances; focuses on skills and ambition.
• Structural Considerations:
  • Recognizes larger societal forces influencing poverty; social class dynamics and barriers to resources.

Dilemma of Poverty

• Poverty viewed as an inevitable byproduct of stratification, evolving from economic disparities and affecting overall societal health.

Solutions to Poverty

• Welfare State:
  • The state’s role in responding to poverty via social security, housing, and healthcare.
• Policies Needed:
  • Income redistribution methods such as childcare subsidies, minimum wage policies, and unemployment relief.

Conclusion

• Poverty remains a complex societal issue requiring structural rather than solely individual solutions. Sociologists argue for integrated welfare responses to combat poverty and its systemic causes.