Functionalism

From the perspective of functionalism in Sociology, social stratification exists

for a good reason. The social inequalities of wealth, power and prestige is good and
inevitable for a society. A functioning society is a complex system whereby each
member relates and relies on one another to perform shared values, languages and
symbols (Durkheim, as cited in Lumen Learning, 2017). When the demands in a
society become higher, new technology is being invented to meet the demands in the
market. Meanwhile, the job distributions are becoming more and more complicated.
In this manner, the functionalist stated that some jobs are more significant than others
based on Davis-Moore Thesis. The job is important because of its functional values
present and only limited people have the capability to accomplish the tasks given.
Functionalism viewed that the social standing among the societies is based on their
functional values. It means that if a person who has performed a higher quality of
tasks, he/she will gain more rewards than others just because he/she deserved it.
People shared the same concepts and beliefs in giving acknowledgement for those
who brought contribution to the society. This is because that person not only fulfilled
the social needs, but also displayed an outstanding quality from others.

To study social stratification, we must first look into the social facts that affect
the social standing of the society. According to Balakrishnan (2019), the backbones of
society are upheld by education, and a functional education system plays an integral
role in differentiating the youngsters into the growth of normative standards, values
and beliefs. Functionalists believe that education will help people to engage in
different functional roles in the society especially for the younger generation. The
continuity proceeds from generation to generation. In this context, the education
system is one of the effective mediums that contribute to the development of social
stratification. This can be oftenly viewed through the entry requirements of the job
industry in past and modernity. For instance, the hiring manager might want to see
your credentials during the interview. This indicates that education is the key to enter
upper class social standing. The income threshold is often reflected in someone’s
social standing. We can conclude that the higher the levels of the education system is,
the more likely it will have larger inequalities among the social groups. It is no doubt
that people who stand upper class have more educational opportunities and
educational outcomes. With a formal education system, schools, colleges and
universities provide students with specialized training and knowledge in order for
them to find a good career for the future. Although we may not be aware of the
importance of education during primary school, however, it is essential for those who
are pursuing higher education (tertiary education). Qualified people who fit into the
position will be rewarded more than others. Thus, people are motivated  to work hard
in order to compete with others. Besides, based on Robert Merton study (as cited in
Lumen Learning, 2017), he viewed that social processes have many functions, which
include manifest functions, latent functions and dysfunctions. He explained that social
processes that result  in an undesirable situation of the operation of society is called
dysfunction. For example, getting bad results, truancy, not graduating and
unemployment. People who fail to engage with society will soon be left behind and
become the underclass on the hierarchy. They served little contribution to society and
meanwhile they got no benefits. For example, according to the provision of EIS
(Employment Insurance System) implemented in Malaysia, stated that no benefits
will be given for those who are retire, resign, employment voluntarily (without
preconditions), are terminated for gross misconduct or were employed under a fixed-
term or fixed-task employment contract (WillisTowersWatson, 2018).

Malaysia is an open system country. Therefore, the status of the citizens are
changeable by up and down mobilization. Education in Malaysia plays a significant
role in cultivating the new generation not only to fulfil the job vacancy in the market
but also boosts a great productive herd to compete with global markets for goods and
services the society. For example, Malaysia has adopted Integrated Cumulative Grade
Point Average (ICGPA) which evaluates students not only excel in their fields of
study but also equipped with the necessary soft skills in communication and language,
integrity and ethics, leadership abilities, critical thinking and entrepreneurship. This
proved that the prerequisite for the markets has increased in Malaysia’s society. Not
all the students are able to achieve the skills and this eventually leads to a functional
purpose which breeds a group of elites to promote excellence, productivity and
efficiency towards the society. Social stratification benefits the people who come
from poverty. Statistics have shown that the children who come from lower income
households in Malaysia that had tertiary education earn more money than their parents
as well as increased their income brackets (Hawati Abdul Hamid, Jarud Romadan
Khalidi, and Jomo Kwame Sundaram, 2019).  For them, elites are among the best of
society who succeed from filtration and elimination. Thus, they will gain more
rewards and have the opportunity to crack into higher social level groups. In short,
social stratification is functional to society because it motivates people to strive hard
in order to free themselves from poverty.