Theories of Social Stratification (WJEC Eduqas GCSE Sociology): Flashcards

Downward mobility can follow redundancy or long-term unemployment, which lower a person's class or status.

In slavery systems, such as 19th-century America, people owned slaves as property.

False.

Feudal positions were ascribed at birth, so the system was closed and nobody could move up the hierarchy.

The caste system is linked to the Hindu religion, and each caste has its own status and traditional jobs.

False.

The Indian Constitution (1950) banned caste-based discrimination, but caste still exists because it remains rooted in cultural traditions, especially in rural areas.

Apartheid in South Africa (1948-1994) was based on a government policy of racial segregation that gave White people more rights and opportunities than Black people.

Davis and Moore argued that stratification ensures the most important jobs go to the most talented and hard-working people.

Role allocation is the process of matching people to jobs based on their ability, skills and effort.

False.

Davis and Moore argued that without rewards people would not be motivated to train and work hard, so jobs such as doctor carry higher pay and status.

Functionalists believe that society is based on consensus, or shared agreement about values and fairness.

Functionalists argue that nobody wants to be poor, so poverty encourages people to work harder to move up the social hierarchy.

Peter Saunders (1990) supports their view, arguing that inequality is fair and necessary to encourage competition and reward hard work.

False.

Some essential jobs, such as nursing and refuse collection, have lower pay or status, while some high-paid jobs, such as professional football, may not be functionally important.

Critics argue that differences in pay and status may reflect power, e.g. Members of Parliament earn more than nurses.

Critics argue that many talented people never get the chance to succeed because of barriers such as class, gender or ethnicity, so social mobility is limited.

It is hard to prove that people in top positions are the most skilled because there is no clear way to measure talent or ability, e.g. there are no formal educational requirements for becoming a government minister.

Critics argue that the pool of talent is larger than Davis and Moore assume, so unequal rewards may not be the best way to develop people's potential.

Marxists argue that stratification benefits the powerful, not society as a whole, because it lets a privileged minority exploit others.

The bourgeoisie is the small, wealthy ruling class that owns and controls the means of production, such as factories, land and machinery.

Marx argued that modern society divides into two main classes under capitalism.

The proletariat is the large working class that owns no means of production and must sell its labour to the bourgeoisie for a wage.

Exploitation is when the bourgeoisie take advantage of workers by paying them less than the value of what they produce and keeping the profit.

False.

Marx argued that the bourgeoisie hold economic power (control of wealth and production) and also ideological power (control over ideas and beliefs).

Ruling class ideology is the set of ideas and values that the bourgeoisie spread to make capitalism seem normal, fair and natural.

Ruling class ideology creates false class consciousness, which stops workers seeing how the ruling class exploits them.

The proletariat experiences alienation because workers lack control over production and the products of their labour.

Class conflict arises because workers want higher wages, while the ruling class want to pay as little as possible.

False.

Marx believed revolution was inevitable: workers would become aware of their exploitation, overthrow the ruling class and create a classless, communist society.

Marx believed early humans lived in small, equal communities where everyone shared what they produced.

Marx argued that medieval societies divided into lords and serfs, while modern societies divide into the bourgeoisie and the proletariat.

Critics point out that capitalist societies such as Britain have not had a revolution, and living standards and the welfare state have improved working-class lives.

Weber argued that class is not the only cause of inequality, because status and power also matter.

Feminists argue that Marx ignored gender inequality and the role of patriarchy.

Weber argued that stratification is based on class, status and party.

In Weber's theory, a person's market situation is their position in the labour market and the opportunities they have to earn money, which sets their class.

Weber identified property owners, professionals, the petty bourgeoisie and the working class.

False.

Weber rejected polarisation and inevitable revolution, arguing that class divisions are more complex and that the middle class is growing.

In Weber's theory, status refers to the prestige or social honour a person has.

False.

Status can differ from class: a member of the aristocracy may have high status without wealth, while a lottery winner may be rich but lack respect.

Status can affect a person's identity, lifestyle, dress, accent and values.

Party refers to the groups and organisations people join to gain social power and influence, such as political parties, pressure groups and trade unions.

Social media and online networks let people gain power and influence through activism, even without wealth or high status.

Life chances are the opportunities people have to improve their quality of life, in areas such as education, health and employment.

Weber's theory explains why people with similar incomes may still have different lifestyles or levels of respect.

Marxists argue that Weber underestimates the power of the ruling class and how economic ownership still shapes most life chances.

Feminists criticise Weber for ignoring gender inequality and the impact of patriarchy.

New Right theorists argue that Weber ignores individual choice and social mobility, since people can improve their position through hard work.

Patriarchy is a system of male dominance in which men hold power and women are often excluded from it.

Feminism is a conflict theory because it sees society as structured to benefit men and disadvantage women, focusing on gender inequality rather than class.

Sociologists often call Marx, Weber and Durkheim the founding fathers of sociology.

Feminists argue that early sociologists ignored women's experiences and created a male-dominated view of society.

False.

Traditional sociology based class on the occupation of the male head of the household, which made women invisible in class analysis.

Feminists argue that patriarchy divides society into male and female layers, in which men as a group have more power than women, regardless of social class.

Women gained the vote on equal terms with men in 1928, after some women over 30 gained it in 1918.

The Equal Pay Act (1970) and Sex Discrimination Act (1975) challenged workplace inequality, yet the gender pay gap continues to exist.

Feminists argue that the family, the education system and the media socialise children into gender roles.

False.

New Right thinkers claim that men and women now have equal opportunities and that feminists exaggerate remaining inequalities.

Women are often concentrated in lower-paid jobs, have fewer promotion prospects and carry a greater burden of unpaid care work.

Marxists argue that class inequality is more significant than gender inequality.

Liberal feminists believe change can come through laws and education, while radical feminists believe patriarchy is too deep-rooted to reform.