Which term is used to include series of concepts such as education income and occupation?
Even though there's a lot of wealth in the world, it is very unevenly distributed. Billionaires hoard their wealth and use it for personal gain, while the vast majority of the population struggles to make their day-to-day ends meet. This is 'inequality', which has several dimensions. Show
Here, we'll be looking at social class inequality, its prevalence, and the sociology which explains it.
There's a lot to get through, so let's dive in! What is social class?Fig. 1 - The 'correct' way of defining and measuring social class is a highly contested topic in sociology.Broadly, social class is considered to be a division of society based on three dimensions:
Moreover, social class is measured in economic terms, such as wealth, income, education, and/or occupation. Many different social class scales are used to examine social class inequality. What is inequality?Let's consider inequality generally. Historically, there have been many different types of systems of stratification, such as the slave and caste systems. Today, it is the class system that determines the nature of our modern societies, such as that in the UK. Check out our explanation on Stratification and Differentiation for a refresher on the topic! StratificationIt is important to note that stratification occurs across many dimensions. Generally, however, class is considered the primary form of stratification in society. The other forms are secondary. Many people believe differences in economic rankings to be more influential in shaping people's lives than other, non-economic types of ranking. The concept of social inequalityTake care to note the difference between social class inequality and social inequality. While the former is more specific, the latter comprises a multi-faceted approach that refers to various forms of inequality, including dimensions such as gender, age, and ethnicity. Social inequality examplesExamples of social inequalities besides those related to class include: Now that we've considered the concepts of social class and inequality, let's look at social class inequality. What is social class inequality?The term social class inequality, simply put, signals the fact that wealth is unevenly distributed across populations in modern society. The most famous scale was pioneered by Karl Marx and Frederich Engels (1848), who identified the 'two great classes' that emerged with capitalism. For Marx and Engels, inequality was directly related to one's relationship to the means of production. They perceived social class inequality as follows: The owners and controllers of the means of production. Also known as the 'ruling class'. Those with no ownership of capital, but only their labour to sell as a means of survival. Also known as the 'working class'. Marxism has been criticised for its dichotomous, two-class model. So, two additional classes are common across a variety of class scales:
John Westergaard and Henrietta Resler (1976) argued that the ruling class has the most power in society; the source of this power is wealth and economic ownership. In true Marxist fashion, they believed that inequalities are ingrained into the capitalist system, as the state perpetually represents the interests of the ruling class. David Lockwood's (1966) views on the social class hierarchy are similar to those of Westergaard and Resler, based on the notion of power. Lockwood states that individuals assign themselves to particular social classes in a symbolic manner, based on their experiences with power and prestige. Social class inequality: life chancesLife chances are another common way to examine the distribution of resources and opportunities in society. The concept of 'life chances' was pioneered by Max Weber as a counterargument to Marxism's economic determinism. Weber believed that economic factors are not always the most influential upon social structures and change - other important factors contribute to society's conflicts as well. The Cambridge Dictionary of Sociology (p.338) defines life chances as "the access that an individual has to valued social and economic goods such as education, health care or high income". This includes one's ability to avoid undesirable aspects, such as low social status. A wealth of research proves the strong, historical relationship between social class, inequality, and life chances. As you might expect, upper social classes tend to have better life chances due to several factors. Here are some important examples.
Social class inequality: statistics and explanationsIt has been established that those from lower classes tend to have lower educational achievements and outcomes, lower work chances, and worse overall health. Let's look at some social class inequality statistics and their sociological explanations. Social class and education inequalitiesFig. 2 - Social class is highly correlated with a variety of life chances..
Vocational education equips its students with skills and competencies geared towards a particular trade, like agriculture. It's more hands-on than traditional education. The following are common sociological explanations of the link between social class and educational achievement.
There is also a strong link between educational achievement and life chances at later stages, concerning dimensions such as work and health. This means that students with disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds are also more likely to struggle later in life. Social class and work inequalities
The following are common sociological explanations of the link between social class, education, and work chances.
A well-educated person with high levels of cultural capital may know how to dress and behave appropriately for a job interview, which is likely to have them make a good impression and land them the job (as opposed to their working-class peers). Social class and health inequalities
The following are common sociological explanations of the link between social class and health.
Social class and gender inequality
The following are common sociological explanations of the link between social class and gender.
Are life chances still impacted by social class?Let's consider how much impact social class still has on life chances. Societal structuresFig. 3 - The shift in dominant modes of production has resulted in structural changes in the class hierarchy.There have been many notable changes in the class structure over the years. Generally, alterations in the class structure are the result of changes in the dominant modes of production used in society. An important example of this is the shift between industrial, post-industrial, and knowledge societies. Industrial society's biggest industry was manufacturing, which was characterised by developments in mass production, automation, and technology. The boom of service industries has been a significant feature of post-industrial society, particularly in the fields of information technology and finance. Finally, the knowledge society (that emerged in the late twentieth century) values intangible assets (such as knowledge, skills, and innovative potential), that are now of much higher economic value than before. As a result of the change in the dominant modes of production used in society, working conditions and labour-market requirements have transformed as well. This is indicated by changes in every class on the hierarchy.
These structural changes indicate that life chances, to a very small extent, may have begun to equalise in British society over the past few decades. Many people's life chances have improved as inequalities of earnings have narrowed with the shift in dominant modes of production. However, there is still a long way to go before total equality is achieved. That journey must account for other relevant factors such as gender, ethnicity, and disability. What term is defined as distinctions among people in terms of their income occupation and education?Most sociologists define social class as a grouping based on similar social factors like wealth, income, education, and occupation. These factors affect how much power and prestige a person has.
Which word refers to the division of society by occupation?Social stratification refers to a society's categorization of its people into groups based on socioeconomic factors like wealth, income, race, education, ethnicity, gender, occupation, social status, or derived power (social and political).
What are the 3 social classes?Sociologists generally posit three classes: upper, working (or lower), and middle. The upper class in modern capitalist societies is often distinguished by the possession of largely inherited wealth.
What is the term referring to class structure within a society?social structure, in sociology, the distinctive, stable arrangement of institutions whereby human beings in a society interact and live together.
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