Social Class inequalities theory

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  • Functionalism
    • Defining and measuring social class
      • The government uses the National Statistics Socio-Economic Classification (NS-SEC), provides a objective measurement
        • Occupationally based, each household has a nominalhead (highest income)
    • Social class inequality are inevitable features of a healthy contemporary society
    • View society as meritocracy, most talented and able justifiable reaping the highest rewards.
    • Economic inequalities ensure that the most qualified people will secure the most functionally important jobs in society
    • Davis and Moore (1945) Pay is related to talent, important jobs are secured by most able individuals, who are paid appropriately high wages. Soical rewards determined by talent and achievement rather than social background.
    • Saunders (1994), new right theorist, says individualsclass position was largely a product of their talent and hard work, rejected the SAD thesis (Social advantages and disadvantages)
    • Social Class
      • Defining and measuring social class
        • The government uses the National Statistics Socio-Economic Classification (NS-SEC), provides a objective measurement
          • Occupationally based, each household has a nominalhead (highest income)
      • Marxist
        • Exploitation of the proletariat by the bourgeoisie as a stage of historical development of society, with capitalism as the precursor to the communist revolution
        • The bourgeoisie control the proletariat, and the source of the control is economics. Exploitation, oppression and idelogical control all connected to the development of a full class consciousness
        • The middle class is a transitory class that will disappear in time as societyfurther polarises into rich and pool; rulers and the rule. The MC will either rise of fall. Most will fall into the proletaiat as their jobs become deskilled.
      • Neo-Marxism
        • Cultural, social and economic factors explain patters and trends of social class inequality.
        • The middle class is a permanent feature of society and enables its members to be at once the controlled and the controllers
        • Wright 1997: Middle class occupy a contradictory class position, as both the exploiters (of those above) and the exploited (by those above)
        • Neo-M argue that working class is changing and being remade. Sorenson(2000)argues that the proletariat no longer 'sell' their labour to the bourgeoisie. They can now 'rent it out;, wages can fluctuate depending on the skills of the worker and the economic climate.
        • Seabrook (1988) calls the proletariat the 'new servant class, serving middle and upper class tatse and lifestyle.
      • Weberain
        • Soical classes exist in societyand that some had significantly better life chance(health, education, income prospects ect)
        • Social class is made up of people who share a similar market situation.
        • Both these concepts considered crucil in explaining social inequality. - A persons market sitationcomes from the amountof money they receive, so is largly income related. - A persons work situation comes from the conditions of service the person enjoys their work, e.g hours worked, perks, status of employment
          • These two dimensions of work and market situation combine to gel people to a particular social class, which prevents rigid classes from forming. Social mobility is a genuine feature of contemporary life.
        • Goldthorpe and Heath (1992): suggested that societycould be divided into 3 main social groups,the key point of division being the different work and market situations each group shared.
      • Feminists
        • Relate inequalities and differences to gender differences. SC can not be treated separately from other dimensions of inequality.
    • Postmodern
      • Pakulski and Waters (1996): Say class is dead, social changes such as globalisation mean that class divisions are not essentially status divisions. We live in an 'individualised' societywhere people no longer see themselves in social class terms. Consumption means that people can buy the image they want to portray.
  • Social Class
    • Marxist
      • Exploitation of the proletariat by the bourgeoisie as a stage of historical development of society, with capitalism as the precursor to the communist revolution
      • The bourgeoisie control the proletariat, and the source of the control is economics. Exploitation, oppression and idelogical control all connected to the development of a full class consciousness
      • The middle class is a transitory class that will disappear in time as societyfurther polarises into rich and pool; rulers and the rule. The MC will either rise of fall. Most will fall into the proletaiat as their jobs become deskilled.
    • Neo-Marxism
      • Cultural, social and economic factors explain patters and trends of social class inequality.
      • The middle class is a permanent feature of society and enables its members to be at once the controlled and the controllers
      • Wright 1997: Middle class occupy a contradictory class position, as both the exploiters (of those above) and the exploited (by those above)
      • Neo-M argue that working class is changing and being remade. Sorenson(2000)argues that the proletariat no longer 'sell' their labour to the bourgeoisie. They can now 'rent it out;, wages can fluctuate depending on the skills of the worker and the economic climate.
      • Seabrook (1988) calls the proletariat the 'new servant class, serving middle and upper class tatse and lifestyle.
    • Weberain
      • Soical classes exist in societyand that some had significantly better life chance(health, education, income prospects ect)
      • Social class is made up of people who share a similar market situation.
      • Both these concepts considered crucil in explaining social inequality. - A persons market sitationcomes from the amountof money they receive, so is largly income related. - A persons work situation comes from the conditions of service the person enjoys their work, e.g hours worked, perks, status of employment
        • These two dimensions of work and market situation combine to gel people to a particular social class, which prevents rigid classes from forming. Social mobility is a genuine feature of contemporary life.
      • Goldthorpe and Heath (1992): suggested that societycould be divided into 3 main social groups,the key point of division being the different work and market situations each group shared.
    • Feminists
      • Relate inequalities and differences to gender differences. SC can not be treated separately from other dimensions of inequality.

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