Stark Chapter 9

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Stark Chapter 9

• Concepts and Theories of Stratification

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Chapter Outline
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Conceptions of social Class

• Plato two classes Rich and Poor
• Aristotle three classes upper class, servile
  lower class and a worthy middle class
• Romans used the work class Classis divided the
  population for taxation Assidui richest,
  proletarii-owned only their children

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Karl Marxs Concept of Class

• Marx and Friedrick Engels wrote The Communist
  Manifesto in 1949. The history of class
  struggles. These struggles advance society. He
  identified four classes in ancient
  Rome-patricians, knights, plebians and slaves. He
  projected that modern capitalistic societies
  would have two classes the Bourgeoisie and the
  Proletariat

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The Marxian Capitalistic Society

• A free-market economy based on private ownership
  of property. At the time he wrote Western Europe,
  the US and Canada were capitalistic. He predicted
  that they would soon split into two hostile
  camps- the Bourgeoisie (owners) and the
  proletariat (the workers). He believed the middle
  class of merchants and professionals would be
  crushed into becoming proletariat. He believed
  that the farmers and peasants would have a little
  role.

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Class Consciousness

• Marx included a psychological notion of class
  consciousness. Revolution occurs when the
  proletariat achieve class consciousness, realize
  that they are being exploited and have large
  numbers they can unite and get common goals.
• If the proletariat identify with the bourgeoisie
  and interests accepting these this is false
  consciousness

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Webers Three dimensions of Stratification

• Max Weber 1864-1920 attempted to modify Marxism
• Stratification is not solely economic. He
  suggested three other significant factors class,
  status and party These have been adapted to 3
  Ps property (class) Prestige (status and Power
  (party)

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Property

• Weber defined class as a group of people with
  similar life chances. Their material
  possessions and their opportunities for income
  were as important as ownership. Managers and
  high officials have control of firms that they do
  not own.

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Prestige

• Weber called status the control without
  ownership. Persons with high prestige may have
  little or no property, I.E. poets and saints may
  have immense influence while remaining penniless.

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Power

• Power is the ability to gets ones way despite
  the resistance of others.
• People may be powerful without acquiring
  property. Power may be exchanged for economic
  advancement.

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Status Inconsistency

• There are three basic dimensions of
  stratification Property,Power, Prestige and
  these can vary independently-with a person
  holding different ranks on each of the different
  dimensionsstatus inconsistency
• Status inconsistency theories predict that people
  whose status is inconsistent will be more
  frustrated and dissatisfied that people with
  consistent statuses.
• Gerard Lenski (1954) When people rank higher they
  will emphasize there highest and expecting to be
  judged on the highest status others will seek to
  respond to them according to their lowest status.

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Ascription and Achievement

• Achieved status is a position gained on merit or
  achievement.
• Ascribed status is a position based on who you
  are, not what you do.
• Ascriptive status places people in status
  positions because of family background, race,
  sex, or place of birth.
• Caste System a stratification system wherein
  cultural or racial differences are uses as the
  basis for ascribing status a person is born into
  a caste a rigid status which restricts occupation

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Structural and Exchange Mobility

• When the portion of upper-status positions in a
  society increases upward mobility is inevitable.
• Social mobility that results from changes in the
  distribution of statuses is called structural
  mobility.
• Exchange mobility involves one person rising to
  fill a position held by another who moves to a
  lower position.

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Class Cultures and Networks

• Pierre Bourdieu (1984) Cultural capital- the
  cultural assets of class speech etiquette,
  dress, body language, interests, information and
  tastes.
• Bourdieus research found the culture of the
  upper class was oriented to abstract thought and
  formal reasoningart, literature and intellectual
  leisure activities. The lower class was focused
  on the concrete, the necessities of life.
• These differences appear early in life,
  upper-class children know numbers and alphabets,
  have books, magazines, have been to concerts,
  have computers, have traveled, know proper
  grammar.
• Classes often amount to subcultures. Classes
  tend to reproduce themselves culturally.

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Classes and Networks

• Cosmopolitan networks are more powerful and the
  privileged/upper class have more access to allies
  that can grant advantages
• Working class people tend to have local networks.
  Working-class women ten to remain in their
  neighborhoods, shop/leisurelacking the links
  needed for solutions-isolating from advantages

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Marx and the Classless Society

• Time of the industrial revolution in Europe. The
  factory system was very exploitative Satanic
  Mills and great social change
• Utopian plans-for an ideal society
• Marxian-a pseudo scientific theory of history
  showing how society evolved
• He opposed the Anarchists whose solutions was
  smash the state
• Marx projected that through revolution society
  and equality were possible in a classless society
  where the private ownership of production and
  property was abolishedall would be proletarian.

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Dahrendorfs Critique of Marx (1959)

• Marx communistic society was true only by
  definition of class as the ownership of the means
  of production. If the state owns property
  everyone is in one class
• Marx said that this would be unstratified when in
  reality in the communistic states there is
  stratification of power and prestige (Webers 3
  Ps)

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Gaetano Mosca The Ruling Class( 1858-1941)

• 1. Human societies cannot exist without
  political organization
• 2. Whenever there is political organization
  there must be inequalities in power
• 3. Human nature is self-serving, people with
  greater power will use it to exploit others gain
  material advantages

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Functionalist Theory of Stratification Kinsley
Davis and Wilbert E. More (1945, 1953)

• Functionalist theory of stratification sees
  society as a system of roles or positions,
  inequality exists because it it built into the
  roles and the problem of filling them adequately
• Poor performance in some roles is more damaging
  to society than in other roles. I.e. poor
  general/doctor.
• Some positions require more extensive
  trainingshort supply
• to instill in the proper individual the desire
  to fill certain positions and once in these
  positions, the desire to perform the roles
  attached to them we have supply and demand
  rewards

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Replaceability

• Replaceability-the degree that either the
  position or its occupants are hard to replace.
• A position is highly replaceable when its
  functions can be performed by people in many
  other positions
• Davis and Moore have been criticized because it
  is close to circular reasoning.

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Toy Society

• Study the operations of systems by using a toy
  model
• Spaceship scenario Ay, Bee, Cee and Dee need
  Food Air Water and heat. See 9-2
• How do you replace Ay so that you have air? How
  do you limit the exploitation of Cee and Dee who
  have little to exchange?

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Social Evolution Theory of Stratification

• Davis and Moore stratification is an
  unconsciously evolved device
• Humans retain that culture which they believe is
  rewarding/works
• Evolutionary theory of stratification when no
  single individual can master all aspects of a
  culture, specialization occurs. Some aspects are
  more desired. This specialization leads to
  stratification.

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Conflict Theory of Stratification

• Agree with functionalists that stratification is
  unavoidable
• Conflict theory includes 1. People high in the
  stratification system will exploit others, a
  phenomenon that makes societies more stratified.
  2. The political process can be used to
  influence the stratification system by limiting
  replaceability

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Exploitation Key Conflict Concept

• Humans pursue their own interests
• If societies must be stratified those on the top
  will use their position to increase their rewards
• Ex. OPEC forming a monopoly to inflate the price
  of oil.
• The earning of physicians vs. the earning of
  orderlies

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Politics of Replaceability

• Professions attempt to establish their position
  as irreplaceable based on a form of expertise.I.
  E. doctor
• Unions-also create monopolies
• Unions occupational organizations that can
  prevent their functions from being performed by
  others on the basis of contractual rights.