Lecture 5: Social Class and Inequality

Question 1

Define ‘Social Stratification’

Answer 1

Social Stratification is defined as structured social inequalities between groups of people.

Question 2

Explain the connection between social stratification and life chances.

Answer 2

• Social Stratification is a system by which a society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy.
• Social stratification has significant influences on life chances (i.e. how well people do in areas such as education, income, and health).
• Max Weber identified 3 elements which determine a person’s life chances, two of it being status and power.
• The higher one is on social stratification, the more opportunities the person has.
• Being higher ranked will have more connections which being at the bottom do not.

Question 3

Explain ‘Social Class Pyramid Model’

Answer 3

• The Pyramid Model of Social Class shows the hierarchical distribution of power in the social structures
• Power is centralised at the top for a few people and each descending tier represents diminishing level of power for most people in the social structure.
• In today’s context, most social class pyramid models are based on occupational structure; class divisions correspond with the distribution of resources to the types of employment
• the model consist of the Upper class, Middle class, Working class and Underclass

Question 4

Describe Karl Marx and Max Weber’s perspectives on Social Class

Answer 4

Karl Marx and Max Weber disagreed on the meaning of social class in industrialised societies.

The Marxist view:
•	Class is defined in terms of those who own the means of production.
•	Social class is founded by economic conditions.
•	Society characterised by conflicts over power and resources
•	Capitalist class controls the means of production, resource allocation and labour power.
•	Working class/proletariat has no control over the means of production, resource allocation and labour power. They earn their living by selling their labour to the capitalists.

The Weberian view:
• People are ranked in a multidimensional status hierarchy.
• View socioeconomic status (SES) as a measure of social position. It involves class, status and power, embracing work, wealth and income, lifestyle, consciousness, identity and an individual standing politically.
• Class divisions are not derived from ownership or lack of ownership of means of production; it has to do with economic differences such as skills and credentials, qualifications which affect types of work people obtain.

Question 5

Identify the characteristics of the people from different classes namely, Upper, Middle, Working and Underclass

Answer 5

*Underclass
It comprises of people who are:
•	live in poverty.
•	live on state benefits or charitable aid.
•	heavily stigmatised.

Working class
There are 2 types of working class based on the phases:
•	Traditional working class: identities are based in communities associated with a field of labour such as those found in traditional mining communities
•	New working class: own homes, more affluent, possess more electronic gadgets and they do not live in poverty.
Working class generate lesser incomes than middle class. Their jobs typically yield less satisfaction. Tasks tend to be routine.

Middle class covers a broad spectrum of people working in many different occupations. Their educational credentials or technical qualifications provide them with greater material and cultural advantages than those of manual workers.
They sell their mental and physical labour power to earn a living. The PMETS (professionals, managers, executives and technicians) are the fastest growing sectors of the middle class. They enjoy relatively secure and well-paid careers

Upper class today refers to the capitalist class whose wealth and power is derived from profit- making in global markets. This is not the same as the landed aristocracy of the estate systems. Large amount of wealth is concentrated in the hands of a small minority

Question 6

Describe differences between Caste and and Class system of classification

Answer 6

CASTE SYSTEM

• in caste societies, all individuals remain at the social level of their birth
• social status is based on personal characteristics such as perceived race, ethnicity, skin colour, parental religion
• birth alone determines one’s social destiny, unchangeable and no opportunity for social mobility based on individual efforts

CLASS SYSTEM

• based on both social factors and individual achievement
• people are free to gain a different level of education or employment than their parents
• they can socialise with and marry members of other classes, allowing people to move from one class to another
• occupation plays an important part in determining social position, life chances and level of material comfort
• occupation not fixed at birth - personal choice plays a role

Question 7

Define ‘Ascribed Status’ and ‘Achieved Status’

Answer 7

Ascribed - BORN WITH IT

• the social status a person is assigned at birth or assumed involuntarily later in life
• It is a position that is neither earned nor chosen but assigned

Achieved - WORKED FOR IT
- is a social position a person takes on voluntarily that reflects both personal ability and merit