Theories of INEQUALITY: NEO-WEBERIANISM

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Neo-Weberianism is generally applied to the sociologists who have tried to adapt Weber's ideas and apply them to modern society. 

In the 1970's, Goldthorpe and others used Weber's ideas to devise ways of measuring social class. Instead of focusing simply on income and the nature of work, Goldthorpe introduced variables such as employment relationships, conditions of work and life chances. Whilst this is a realistic way of judging social class inequality, it is complex and is open to debate where different types of work fit into the whole plan. At one stage, 11 different social classes were identified by sociologists.

Feminists have argued against the classification that Goldthorpe and his colleagues describe because they ignore the any potential of an educational position for women in the labour market. They argue that the class system is more complex again than what Goldthorpe has accepted.

Barron and Norris describe the concept of the dual labour market and suggest that there are two forms of labour. The first being the Primary Market, for middle to ruling class people with generally high pay scales. These are the people with the types of jobs that depend on high level qualifications such as law or social work. The second form of labour is the Secondary Makret, made up of people with low status and power. They tend to have zero contract jobs or work in retail. The majority are women or ethnic minorities…

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