Unit

3 poverty ethnicity views

Wednesday, 16 November 2022 21.44

Reiduce inequality

1.Progressive taxation
Welathy pay more tax, poor pay less. Higher salary, higher tax u have

2.Subsidizing/providing free goods

Free stacks of rice

3.Set minimum wage

So that Wage they have is enough for cost of living in that country.
E.g: teacher $4000/month in US certain state not enough cus minimum wage. But if bring to
indoneisa then rich

POVERTY
Absolute poverty: unable to buy basic necessities of life
Relative poverty: poor in relation to others in the same society.

Causes:
No money,
Cycle of poverty = poverty is inherited,

Social stratification
⁃MIS, age ethnicity gender sexism
⁃TRADitional society: slavery, estate (feudalism), caste

SOCIOLOGIVAL THOERIEES on poverty n social inequqlity

Functionalist:
1.Inequality = Positive thing thats functional for whole society
2.Reward some ppl more than others cus diff natural qualities n abilities
3.Reminds society of important values, hard work, honesty and stable family life
4.Warns society of consequences of straying from values
5.Increases social solidarity among those not poor

Marxist:
1.Inequqlity = inevitable consequence of capitalism
2.Capitalist/bourgeoisie pay workers little, increasw profit. Make use of automation and
mechanisation to save labour costs. Working class = wage fall, some unemployed
3.Have reserve army of labor for needed situations

Right wing thinkers:

1.Use culture of pov argument to blame poor ppl for being poor
2.Poverty caused by culture, not by structure of society marxists

Feminists:
1.Higher proportion of women live in poverty than men. Feminisation of poverty
2.Lone mothers, women paid less on average than men, limited employment opportunities

World’s poorest ppl face risks:

1.Ppl in slums have temporary homes w few services/few facilities/no security. City
Authority can bulldoze home
2.Ppl in rural areas hv limited access to health, education, n others
3.Political instability and civil wars affect the poor most, wealthy ppl can escape
4.Areas poor ppl live in, at risk of flood, landslips, pollution. Cannot afford to move away
5.Climatw change affect poor ppl most. Rising sea level = flood farm n home. Cannot
escape, rich can.

Ethnicity..based
Functionalist:
1.Differences between racial or ethnic groups = dysfunctional, upset smooth society
2.Such problems = temporary, only when periods of immigration
3.Immigrants must become assimilated. Lose distinct cultural identity and adopt norms
values of host society
4.- 4 aspects of assimilation
⁃socioeconomic status, immigrants at first in low-paid unskilled work but then move into
better paid skilled work. !!!!2: discrimination may make it impossible to improve
socioeconomic status, community react by asserting culture even stronger. 3:
disadvantages so strong, immigrant community’s position worsen n experience group
downward mobility
⁃Residential concentration, at first live among those with same culture n values, over time
spread out among host population
⁃Language attainment. At first proficient in mother tongue. Next gen = bilingual. 3rd gen =
speak/prefer host community language
⁃Intermarriage. Initially marriage within immigrant community. Over time, marry outside
community, harder to pass on original culture to gen

Marxists:
1.Racism = result of capitalist economic structure. Race = part of capitalist ideology, justify
bad treatment of particular group of workers
2.Ruling class persuade working class, problems cus of immigrant/other ethnic groups.
Scapegoating. Working class believe and divided against itself.
3.Strengthen position of ruling class, revolution less likely.
4.Racism in interest of ruling class, hence continues to be perpetuated, through media, etc.
5.Marxists more interested in class position in capitalist societies of ethnic groups, not
cultural characteristics of such groups.
6.Minority ethnic groups form reeserve army of labor. Used when capitalist system needs,
discarded and unemployed if not
7.Suffer disadvantages associated w the identity, vulnerable to exploitation. More
disadvantaged than indigenous working class bcus of the ideology of racism.

Right-wing:
1.Minority ethnic groups as an undrclass. Seperated from working class by structural break.
2.Characterisations of underclass:
⁃multiple deprivations, low income, unemployment, bad housing and education, racial
discrimination for minorities
⁃Social marginality. Less voicing grievances n exercising power, less likely to vote, less
aware of rihts than working class.
⁃Fatalism and despair culture. Believe they cannot control what happens to them. Socially
excluded, supicious of police n authority
⁃Dependent on welfare states
3.Structural break between White working class and ethnic minorities. Minority appear as
underclass
4.Black phenomenon. USA Charles murray, african american dumber than american, culture
= birthh out of wedlock, single parenthood, inadequate socialisation. High rate of crime,
violence, drugtaking.
5.In UK, media concern abt immigration. Linked w nationalism. Dominant culture = english
british native, nonnative = different, threat. Concern in media whether muslim minorities in
uk threaten british cultures.

education, employement housing. Three areas of social life where ethnic groups face
discrimination
1.Powerful ppl and aythority hold prejudiced views. Laws against racial discrimination,
hard to prove.
2.In education, teachers = from majoritty group, steoreotype ethnic minority pupils as lazy
deviant, they internalize views and unlikely to succeed in education, self fulfillimg prophecy.
School curriculum based on history n culture of majority group
3.In employment, applicants face discrimination. Name suggest from minority = not
selected for interview / not offered job even if best candidate cus wouldnt ftit in. If given
employment, not given opportunities for training course and promotion
4.In housing, local government stock of housing available for rent, rules abt who has
priority mean ethnic minorities rarely offered housing. In privately owned housing, informal
segregation wherein minnorities planning to move are not welcomed.