Class - Weberian

Question 1

Weber’s 4 class distinctions

Answer 1

The privileged by virtue of property and/or education

The petit-bourgeoise – shopkeepers and small businessmen

White collar workers – technicians, clerks, managers

Blue collar workers – the manual working class

Question 2

Weber: 3 dimensions to social stratification

Answer 2

Social class - groups who share a similar market situation

Status - people with a common status situation may form a stronger group identity

Party - groups exercising power or influencing decision-making (e.g… trade unions + political parties)

Question 3

What are ‘social classes’ according to Weber?

Answer 3

Groups who share a similar market situation

Question 4

Weber: 3 types of segregation

Answer 4

Occupational segregation - Explains the inequalities that women face in the labour market.

Horizontal segregation – Differences in the No. of males/females across occupations.

Vertical segregation – Men’s domination of highest ranking jobs (all occupations).

Question 5

How does Weber define ‘social closure’?

Answer 5

The exclusion of people from membership of certain status groups.

Weberian theorists - the competition for social closure means that status and power are in the hands of the majority ethnic group, which makes improving life chances harder for EMs

Question 6

Critique of Weberian theory

Answer 6

Postmods – no longer a consensus about what constitutes high and low status as norms and values are no longer fixed.

Weber neglected gender inequalities despite Weberian concepts applying to it.

Weberian concepts don’t explain why social groups end up in different sectors of the labour market and why some groups have more status than others.