New York, NY: New American Library. This emphasis goes back to the work of Marx, who said the ruling class shapes and even controls the ruling ideas of a society. Chapter 25: Counseling Individuals Living in Poverty Test Questions Question 1 Question Type: Multiple Choice Question: According to social-class stratification theory, poverty is understood a. to be at the bottom-most rung in a hierarchical system of sociocultural power relations that goes beyond differences of income b. to be stratified and Fig. Those who attribute poverty to problems in the larger society are much more likely than those who attribute it to deficiencies among the poor to believe that the government should do more to help the poor (Bradley & Cole, 2002). Give an example of early gendered socialisation. Because of their race, ethnicity, gender, and class standing at birth, some people have less opportunity than others to acquire the skills and training they need to fill the types of jobs addressed by the functionalist approach. Ideological beliefs in class societies are more subtle and complex but nonetheless influential. Some principles of stratification. These functions include the following: (1) poor people do the work that other people do not want to do; (2) the programs that help poor people provide a lot of jobs for the people employed by the programs; (3) the poor purchase goods, such as day-old bread and used clothing, that other people do not wish to purchase, and thus extend the economic value of these goods; and (4) the poor provide jobs for doctors, lawyers, teachers, and other professionals who may not be competent enough to be employed in positions catering to wealthier patients, clients, students, and so forth (Gans, 1972). Merriam-Webster defines a meritocracy as: a system in which people are chosen and moved into positions of success, power, and influence on the basis of their demonstrated abilities and merit'. Stratification and differentiation focus on the ranking of individuals in society based on aspects such as race, gender, class, or ethnicity. True or false? College Student Journal, 43, 136144. Counselors can address their discomfort with disabilities in clients by, One way to reduce the prevalence of elder abuse and neglect in families is to, Increase awareness through public education. In explaining poverty in the United States, which view, individualist or structural, makes more sense to you? Second, this approach assumes that the system of stratification is fair and rational, and that the best people end up on top because of their superiority. The positive functions of poverty. Describe the assumptions of the functionalist and conflict views of stratification and of poverty. The theorys answer is that all parts of society, even poverty, contribute in some way or another to the larger systems stability. As an example, Marx called religion the opiate of the masses. By this he meant that religious beliefs influence the poor to feel that their fate in life is Gods will or a test of their belief in God. Status refers to a person's relative social position based on the honour or prestige that's attached to their occupation. It is critical to determine which explanation makes more sense because, as sociologist Theresa C. Davidson (Davidson, 2009) observes, beliefs about the causes of poverty shape attitudes toward the poor. To be more precise, the particular explanation that people favor affects their view of government efforts to help the poor. (Be careful how you answer this one!). Many different explanations grounded in conflict theory exist, but they all assume that stratification stems from a fundamental conflict between the needs and interests of the powerful, or haves, in society and those of the weak, or have-nots (Kerbo, 2009). Table 2.2 Theory Snapshot summarizes these three approaches. Feminists argue that society is characterised by a system of patriarchy. American Sociological Review, 24, 772782. With this backdrop in mind, what do the individualistic and structural explanations of poverty say? Feelings of inferiority that racism and prejudice cause minority groups. Elementary school teachers do a very important job in our society, but their salaries are much lower than those of sports agents, advertising executives, and many other people whose jobs are far less essential. Source: Data from General Social Survey, 2006. What are social stratification and differentiation? According to symbolic interactionism, social class affects how people interact in everyday life and how they view certain aspects of the social world. What is the primary system of stratification in modern society? Life chances are the opportunities that people have to improve their quality of life, based on their socioeconomic status. Bradley, C., & Cole, D. J. Why? This ultimately leads to the creation of hierarchies, meaning that society is meritocratic. The institution of education depends on the family for successful primary socialisation before their children enter school. opposite-sex discussions with people other than family members, All of the following are recommended practices for working with Arab American clients EXCEPT, Always disclose things about yourself to show that you are vulnerable, Some of the traumas that refugees may have been exposed to include, The somatic view of psychological disorders is that, mental disorders are the result of physical problems, According to the text, there are approximately 4.2 million who claim to be Jewish, and another 1.1 million profess to be secular or cultural Jews, which means that they are, people who identify as Jewish but have no religion and do not engage in Jewish practices. What is the main source of identity in postmodern society? While different systems of classification have different ways of organising economic hierarchies, all are based on one's relationship to the means of production. Social stratification is a relatively fixed, hierarchical arrangement in . As opposed to Marxism, she suggested that the class hierarchy emerges from the gender classification system, not the other way around. Feminists see society as being stratified by, . Drawing on theories of racialized organizations and cultural reproduction, I compare how working-class Hispanic students attending a moderately selective institution and their co-ethnic counterparts attending a less selective, regional university contend with class cultural hierarchies that impact their growth and inclusion. Functionalists argue that stratification exists because there are important roles to be played withinthe institutions whose core functions keep society running smoothly. Functionalist theory of social stratification, igh incomes and job satisfaction are necessary motivations that incentivise people to work hard and take up important functions. In general, conflict theory attributes stratification and thus poverty to lack of opportunity from discrimination and prejudice against the poor, women, and people of color. Do CEOs of corporations really need to make millions of dollars per year to get enough qualified people to become CEOs? A meritocracy is a system where people who have the most knowledge, skills and overall ability are given the most important and highly-rewarded roles in the community. International data underline this American ideology. A General Social Survey question asks whether it is the governments responsibility to reduce income differences between the rich and poor. As Figure 8.2 Annual Family Income and Belief That Government Should Reduce Income Differences Between the Rich and Poor shows, low-income people are much more likely than high-income people to think the government has this responsibility. This keeps society running smoothly by providing structure. Stratification, in this sense, is necessary. 22.2 Public Sociology and Improving Society. According to this logic, inequality ensures that the most functionally important jobs are filled by the best qualified people. First, we'll start by defining the terms 'social class', 'inequality' and 'social class inequality'. The key goal of the ruling class here is to prevent the poor from achieving class consciousness, or an awareness of their oppression and the true reasons for it (Marx & Engels, 1947). 2. Social categorization is a fundamental part of social identity theory, which is a theory that aims at explaining how people assign others to various social identity categories based on visible . Which age group is most likely to live in poverty with a rate of 19.9% is one of the highest in the developed world? One sociological perspective distinguishes the classes, in part, according to their relative power and control over their lives. Kerbo, H. R. (2012). Sociologists take two opposing approaches to explaining economic stratification: structural-functionalism and conflict theory. For Your Review U.S. Library of Congress public domain. Be perfectly prepared on time with an individual plan. The five main theories of social stratification are: A strength of the functionalist theory of social stratification is that accounts for which aspect of stratification? . Wrong, D. H. (1959). Karl Marx's theory of social stratification stated that there were two main classes of social stratification in society: the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. Critics say this explanation ignores discrimination and other problems in American society and exaggerates the degree to which the poor and nonpoor do in fact hold different values (Ehrenreich, 2012; Holland, 2011; Schmidt, 2012). New York, NY: Macmillan. American Sociological Review, 18, 387393. Conflict theorists believe that this competitive system, together with structural barriers to upward mobility ends up creating and perpetuating stratification systems. In other words, differentiation is the basis of stratification. Which is a possible psychological reaction that might result from living in poverty? Factors that can affect people's life chances include social class, gender, ethnicity and culture, sexual orientation, age, (dis)ability and religion. American Sociological Review, 18, 387393. Qualified people who fill those positions are rewarded more than others. According to modernization theory, nations in other parts of the world never became wealthy and remain poor today because they never developed the appropriate values and practices. This explanation was developed more than sixty years ago by Kingsley Davis and Wilbert Moore (Davis & Moore, 1945) in the form of several logical assumptions that imply stratification is both necessary and inevitable. Marxists understand social class in empirical terms related to wealth, income and occupation. What other form of inequality did she study? , such that men typically have more freedom, resources, opportunities and power than women. Anderson, E. (1999). Holland, J. However, neo-Marxists like Wright & Perrone (1974) say that there's a third class, the petit bourgeoisie (middle class). This explanation was developed more than 60 years ago by Kingsley Davis and Wilbert Moore (Davis & Moore, 1945) in the form of several logical assumptions that imply stratification is both necessary and inevitable. We are simply born into this world, with no say in the matter! What is the theory of Karl Marx about social stratification? What are the two key ideas on which the Weberian theory of stratification is based? Social categorization is a large part of social identity theory, which emerged during the 1970s as a way of explaining group behaviors based on how the group perceives itself in relation to those . In 1989, they represented just 60%, an indication that class divides are growing rather than closing. Contexts, 10(Spring), 1621. According to this belief, people born into poverty can lift themselves up by the bootstraps and become successful if they work hard enough. Create and find flashcards in record time. Stratification results from lack of opportunity and from discrimination and prejudice against the poor, women, and people of color. Scientific American, 113, 1925. This makes the theory What are the three dimensions of stratification, according to Weber? Schmidt, P. (2012, February 12). Social Stratification Theories American Identity Ethnic Groups in America Gender Roles Race and Ethnicity Sex Education Sex and Sexuality Sexuality in America Beliefs in Society Age and Religion Contemporary Religion Economic Development and Religion Ethnicity and Religion Sociology Fundamentalism Gender and Religion Ideology New Age Movements When counseling Latino/a clients, assessments should be conducted in, When working with Latino/a clients, the degree of deviation from traditional gender roles should ultimately be determined by, the client in the context of cultural variables, The conflicts in gender roles in both Latina/o Americans men and women as a result of, different expectations between ethnic group and mainstream values. The postmodern theory of social stratification argues that class is no longer relevant to sociology analysis. Sign up to highlight and take notes. Goszkowski, R. (2008). Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices. The German ideology. Pakulski & Waters (1996) argue that class no longer has any impact upon livelihoods and behaviours - 'class is dead'. Third, the functionalist view assumes that people move up the economic ladder based on their abilities, skills, knowledge, and, more generally, their merit. 1.2 Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems, 1.3 Continuity and Change in Social Problems, 2.1 The Measurement and Extent of Poverty, 2.2 Who the Poor Are: Social Patterns of Poverty, 3.1 Racial and Ethnic Inequality: A Historical Prelude, 3.5 Dimensions of Racial and Ethnic Inequality, 3.6 Explaining Racial and Ethnic Inequality, 3.7 Reducing Racial and Ethnic Inequality, 4.4 Violence against Women: Rape and Sexual Assault, 5.2 Public Attitudes about Sexual Orientation, 5.3 Inequality Based on Sexual Orientation, 5.4 Improving the Lives of the LGBT Community, 6.3 Life Expectancy and the Graying of Society, 6.4 Biological and Psychological Aspects of Aging, 6.6 Reducing Ageism and Helping Older Americans, 7.5 Drug Policy and the War on Illegal Drugs, 7.6 Addressing the Drug Problem and Reducing Drug Use, 10.2 Sociological Perspectives on the Family, 10.3 Changes and Problems in American Families, 11.1 An Overview of Education in the United States, 11.2 Sociological Perspectives on Education, 11.3 Issues and Problems in Elementary and Secondary Education, 11.4 Issues and Problems in Higher Education, 12.2 Sociological Perspectives on Work and the Economy, 13.1 Sociological Perspectives on Health and Health Care, 13.2 Global Aspects of Health and Health Care, 13.3 Problems of Health in the United States, 13.4 Problems of Health Care in the United States, 14.2 Sociological Perspectives on Urbanization, 15.1 Sociological Perspectives on Population and the Environment, 15.4 Addressing Population Problems and Improving the Environment, 16.1 Sociological Perspectives on War and Terrorism, 16.4 Preventing War and Stopping Terrorism. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. A professional athlete making millions of dollars a year earns many times the income of the president of the United States, but who is more important to the nation? (Be careful how you answer this one!). There is a lot of evidence for the existence of gender-based inequalities. The individualistic view attributes poverty to individual failings of poor people themselves, while the structural view attributes poverty to problems in the larger society. Why does poverty exist, and why and how do poor people end up being poor? These institutions have unique purposes, and they all depend on one another to perform their core functions. Writing in this tradition, a newspaper columnist who grew up in poverty recently recalled, I know the feel of thick calluses on the bottom of shoeless feet. We don't get to choose who we are born as. Mirza (1992) states that gender stratification operates alongside other forms of stratification, simultaneously. While it's clear that there are numerous differences within and between different social groups, what differentiation highlights is that the meaning of those differences is important to understand. Black girls were more frequently subjected to negative labels than White girls or Black boys. This ultimately leads to the creation of hierarchies, meaning that s, Conflict theory of social stratification by Karl Marx, Postmodernist theory of social stratification. There are two slightly differing perspectives on this: Class has no relevance to sociological analysis, because other political ideologies have failed to challenge the current democratic landscape. Stratification affects peoples beliefs, lifestyles, daily interaction, and conceptions of themselves. According to the functionalist view, stratification is a necessary and inevitable consequence of the need to use the promise of financial reward to induce talented people to pursue important jobs and careers. Earn points, unlock badges and level up while studying. According to structural-functionalists, stratification and inequality are actually constructive phenomena that benefit society: they ensure that the best people are at the top of the hierarchy and those who are less worthy are at the bottom. While you have spent nineteen additional years beyond age 16 getting this education and training and taking out tens of thousands of dollars in student loans, you could have spent those years shining shoes and making $150,000 a year, or $2.85 million overall. Approximately 23% of African American adults do not have a high school diploma. True. This hierarchical stratification is based on concepts like social roles, interests, experiences, and careers. Unfortunately, though, some of these pre-decided traits impact our position in society later on in life. Public Domain Images CC0 public domain. Although the girls rejected a negative label and strived for academic success, this was not always possible. The theory of the leisure class: An economic study of institutions. Do you think it would be difficult to persuade enough people to become physicians or to pursue other important careers? In explaining stratification in the United States, which view, functionalist or conflict, makes more sense to you? It ignores the fact that the American Dream is rapidly becoming unattainable for an increasing number of Americans, whether employed or not (Block, et. It doesn't involve ranking different social groups as social stratification does. Consistent with its micro orientation, symbolic interactionism tries to understand stratification and thus poverty by looking at peoples interaction and understandings in their daily lives. The Chronicle of Higher Education. A strength of the feminist theory of stratification is (one of the following): What is a functionalist criticism of the feminist theory of stratification? Identify your study strength and weaknesses. Why? In reality, there are still many structural factors that cause inequalities among different social groups. al., 2006). American Sociological Review, 24, 772782. One can be either: A member of the bourgeoisie (ruling class) with ownership over the means of production, or. How do neo-Marxists challenge the dichotomous class relationship described by traditional Marxists? Additionally, we do not get to choose where we are born, our gender at birth, our sexuality, our ethnicity, or our family. According to this theory, stratification benefits the rich and powerful at the expense of the poorthose in high-status positions continually build on their wealth, only further entrenching the gap between high-status and low-status people. If stratification is inevitable, then, poverty is also inevitable. Murray, C. (2012). When applied to American society, their assumptions would be as follows: To illustrate their assumptions, say we have a society where shining shoes and doing brain surgery both give us incomes of $150,000 per year. Ideological beliefs bolster every system of stratification and domination. It is neither necessary nor inevitable. Men play the instrumental role of the breadwinner. We'll start by reminding ourselves of what stratification and differentiation are. People are stratified relative to their relationship to the means of production. Some national survey data support this assumption. Regarding the latter point, they note that poor employed adults work more hours per week than wealthier adults and that poor parents interviewed in surveys value education for their children at least as much as wealthier parents. The link between higher education and employment is central to the understanding of social stratification and social mobility. One of the most important beliefs in the United States is the American Dream, epitomized by the story of Abraham Lincoln. Conflict theorys explanation of stratification draws on Karl Marxs view of class societies and incorporates the critique of the functionalist view just discussed. Weber (1922) suggested that there are three dimensions to social stratification. They are different from you and me.. Sociology by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. Firestone (1970) was a radical feminist who argued that gender stratification is the result of biology. Ultimately, this leads to the differentiation of gender roles, where women take up more nurturing responsibilities (like teaching) and men take up more instrumental responsibilities (this translates into them not being as involved with child-rearing as mothers). Finally, the functionalist explanation might make sense up to a point, but it does not justify the extremes of wealth and poverty found in the United States and other nations. As later chapters in this book document, racial and ethnic discrimination, lack of adequate schooling and health care, and other problems make it difficult to rise out of poverty. Public Domain Images CC0 public domain. Functionalist theorists believe that inequality is inevitable and desirable and plays an important function in society.