You are on page 1of 56

Unit 03 – Social

Inequality : Poverty,
Gender, Ethnic and Social
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class
Class Questions
Questions Page
Page 94
94

A. POVERTY

Key Term
Poverty line: the level of
income below which
people are judged to be in
poverty.
02 – Social Inequality Features?
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class
Class Questions
Questions Page
Page 94
94

The problems of defining wealth and poverty


► People living in absolute poverty do not have some of the
basic necessities of life such as:
 food
 education
 safe drinking water
 shelter (somewhere to live)
 information (access to the media).
 sanitation (toilets or latrines near the home)
 health (access to treatment for serious illnesses and in
pregnancy)
► Absolute poverty is a standard that can be applied in all
times and places. It is estimated that more than one billion
of the world’s seven billion people live in absolute poverty.
02 – Social Inequality Features?
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class
Class Questions
Questions Page
Page 94
94

The problems of defining wealth and poverty


► Relative poverty is a way of measuring poverty that takes
into account its social context, that is, when people can be
considered poor in comparison to others in the same society.
► This means that in a modern industrial society people can be
considered poor if they do not have a standard of living
considered desirable or essential in that society, even though
in a different society they might be considered wealthy.
► Relative poverty is often used as a measure for researching
poverty in modern industrial societies. It is not usually as
extreme as absolute poverty.
► Those in relative poverty have the basic necessities of life
such as food, shelter, water and sanitation but their standard
of living is significantly lower than that of most people in their
society.
02 – Social Inequality Features?
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class
Class Questions
Questions Page
Page 95
95
02 – Social Inequality Features?
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class
Class Questions
Questions Page
Page 95
95

The causes of poverty


► The cycle of poverty refers to families that have been in
poverty for at least three generations, because the factors
causing their poverty do not change and instead
perpetuate it. For example, a child born into poverty is not
likely to do well at school and to get the skills and
qualifications needed to move up the class ladder
compared with children not born in poverty.
Key Term
Cycle of poverty: when
poverty tends to be
inherited, so the new
generation cannot escape
the poverty of their parents.
02 – Social Inequality Features?
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class
Class Questions
Questions Page
Page 95
95
02 – Social Inequality Features?
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class
Class Questions
Questions Page
Page 95
95

The causes of poverty


► Poor people often do not have the resources to get out of
poverty and suffer disadvantages that tend to keep them
in poverty. They tend to lack social and cultural capital as
well as money. A similar phenomenon occurs at the other
end of the scale, as the children of wealthy parents are
likely to become wealthy adults.
► People in poverty can become trapped and find it difficult
or impossible to escape from the poverty trap. This is
because it is expensive to be poor. People have to spend
a lot just to keep
their existing Key Term
standard of living. Poverty trap: when poor people are
unable to escape from being poor..
02 – Social Inequality Features?
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class
Class Questions
Questions Page
Page 95
95

The Poverty Trap


02 – Social Inequality Features?
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class
Class Questions
Questions Page
Page 96
96

The causes of poverty


► Some of the ways this works are listed below:
 The poor cannot afford to travel to cheap supermarkets
and so they have to use expensive local shops.
 They cannot afford to buy in bulk, which is cheap.
 They cannot afford to insulate their homes so they pay a
lot for fuel.
 They buy old or secondhand goods that are likely to
break down and need to be replaced.
 They cannot afford facilities that would enable them to
take up opportunities; for example, to pay a childminder
so they can work longer hours.
 They may be unable to borrow from a bank so to pay
their bills they may have to borrow from someone who
will charge high rates of interest.
02 – Social Inequality Features?
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class
Class Questions
Questions Page
Page 96
96

The causes of poverty


► One explanation of the cycle of poverty is that there is a
culture of poverty, that is, that poor people have a set of
values that tend to keep them in poverty. Characteristics that
have been said to be part of the culture of poverty include:
 having low levels of literacy and education
 being unable to plan for the future
 desiring immediate gratification rather than deferring it
 fatalism (not believing they can change their lives for the
better)
Key Term
 feeling marginalised and
dependent on others Culture of poverty: when
 not using resources and poor people have a set of
facilities such as banks values that keep them in
and hospitals. poverty.
02 – Social Inequality Features?
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class
Class Questions
Questions Page
Page 96
96

The causes of poverty


► The explanation previously is controversial, because
some research has shown that the poor have the same
values as the rest of society, rather than a separate set
of values.
► Some characteristics such as poor education are not
the fault of the poor person, so the culture of poverty
approach seems to be wrongly blaming the poor for
their situation.
► The idea of a culture of poverty has sometimes been
used by politicians as a reason for not attempting to
tackle poverty, on the grounds that spending money on
alleviating poverty will make no difference if the value
system cannot be changed.
02 – Social Inequality Features?
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class
Class Questions
Questions Page
Page 96
96

The causes of poverty


► Social exclusion refers to the ways in which people are
systematically excluded from rights, opportunities and
resources that are available to others.
► Poverty refers to material disadvantage, although it is
often linked to other disadvantages; social exclusion
refers to a wider set of disadvantages, which together
prevent people from fully engaging in the life of their
society and often result in poverty.
Key Term
Social exclusion: people who are
unable to take part in the society in the
same way as most people are excluded
from social goods.
02 – Social Inequality Features?
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class
Class Questions
Questions Page
Page 96
96

The causes of poverty


► Those who are socially excluded may miss out on:
 housing
 employment (being employed not only brings in income but
also a sense of identity and self-esteem; people who are
socially excluded miss out on both)
 health care
 transport (lack of transport can prevent people from taking
up employment opportunities and can even make it difficult
to shop).
► To tackle social exclusion governments need not only to
provide financial help in the form of welfare benefits but also
find ways in which people who are excluded can become more
involved in society.
► For example, giving a young unemployed man a bicycle may
mean that he can find work, visit friends and go to shops.
02 – Social Inequality Features?
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class
Class Questions
Questions Page
Page 97
97

The causes of poverty


► Welfare benefits on their own may even make social
exclusion worse.
► In some societies the
economic problems of recent
years have made the majority
less sympathetic to the
restrictions faced by welfare
claimants.
► Claimants are increasingly
stereotyped and marginalised
and so their social exclusion
increases as well.
02 – Social Inequality Features?
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class
Class Questions
Questions Page
Page 97
97

The causes of poverty


► Social exclusion can be part of the poverty trap because the
social support that can help people move out of poverty is
missing.
► When people fall into poverty it can become difficult to escape
from it. For example, for those in work on low wages and
receiving some benefits, a pay rise may mean that they
receive fewer benefits and will be worse off.
► There is then an incentive for them to try to avoid moving to
better paid work or getting promoted. Being on welfare
benefits can prevent people from becoming self-sufficient.
02 – Social Inequality Features?
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class
Class Questions
Questions Page
Page 97
97

Sociological theories and poverty


► Functionalists see inequality as a positive thing that is
functional for the whole society. To make the best use of the
different qualities and abilities that people naturally have,
society has to reward some people more than others.
► The existence of poverty means that unpleasant or poorly
paid jobs will be done, since the poor have no choice but to
take them.
► Poverty reminds the rest of society of the importance of
values such as hard work, honesty and a stable family life
and warns them of the consequences of straying from these
values.
► It also increases social solidarity among those who are not
poor by showing that they are different from those who
deserve charity or blame.
02 – Social Inequality Features?
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class
Class Questions
Questions Page
Page 97
97

Sociological theories and poverty


► Marxists see inequality and poverty as inevitable consequences
of capitalism: ‘the rich get richer and the poor get poorer’.
Capitalists (the bourgeoisie) will always try to pay their workers
as little as possible so as to increase their profits and wilt try to
bring in automation and mechanisation to save themselves
labour costs. So the working class find that their wages fall and
some become unemployed. It also suits capitalists to have a
reserve army of labour who may be needed again.
Key Term
Capitalism: the economic system of most countries today based on
private ownership of the means of production.
Bourgeoisie: the ruling or upper class in Marxist class theory.
Reserve army of labour: people who are employed when an
economy is booming or when they are needed, but then are out of
work when they are not required.
02 – Social Inequality Features?
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class
Class Questions
Questions Page
Page 99
99

B. ETHNICITY

Top Tip
!
The term ethnicity is usually preferable to race because race
means an ascribed status. Ethnicity recognises that there can
be some degree of choice. For example, a White European
converting from Christianity to Islam would adopt an Islamic
ethnic identity.
02 – Social Inequality Features?
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class
Class Questions
Questions Page
Page 99
99

Ethnicity
► In sociology the term race is now rarely used and has
largely been replaced by ethnicity. Race refers to the
once common belief that humans could be divided into
biologically distinct races.
► One common division was into Caucasoid (White),
Negroid (Black African) and Mongoloid (Asian). These
labels allegedly go together with physical characteristics
and often mental and behavioural traits, decided by the
unique biological
make-up of the group.
02 – Social Inequality Features?
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class
Class Questions
Questions Page
Page 99
99

Ethnicity
► Although few people now believe that humans can be divided
into races in this way, we still use the term race when people
act as if race did exist, for example in the terms racism and
racial discrimination.
► Racial prejudice refers to beliefs that another racial group is
inferior in some way. Racial or race discrimination is when
someone suffers disadvantage because of their ethnic or
perceived racial group. Someone who is prejudiced may be in
a position to discriminate against people, for example by not
giving them a job or a promotion.
Key Term
Racism: prejudice or discrimination against an individual or group
because of their ethnicity or perceived race. Prejudice: an
unexamined opinion that a group of people are inferior or different.
02 – Social Inequality Features?
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class
Class Questions
Questions Page
Page 99
99

Ethnicity
► Racism is a more general term used interchangeably with
racial discrimination. Institutional racism refers to racism
that is built into the way that an organisation or system
works so that discrimination is not the result of individual’s
prejudice or discriminatory actions.
► During the colonial period when European states
established empires, racial inequality was common and
expected. The European rulers and administrators formed a
privileged elite while the life chances of the indigenous
people were limited. In some countries,
when independence was achieved and
colonialism ended the Europeans left or
stayed on as a less privileged minority.
02 – Social Inequality Features?
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class
Class Questions
Questions Page
Page 99
99

Key Term
Institutional racism: when the way that an organisation
works has racist results, even when individuals do not
intend this.
Elite: a privileged group at the top of a stratification
system.
02 – Social Inequality Features?
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class Questions Page
Class Questions Page 100
100

Ethnicity
► In the lands of White settlement (such as the USA,
Canada, Australia and New Zealand) the indigenous
people often faced discrimination and second-class status.
► In South Africa this was formalised in the apartheid system
of racial segregation. South Africa’s inhabitants were
classified into four racial groups (Native, White, Coloured
and Asian).
► Laws kept the groups
apart in terms of where
they lived, their work and
their access to health and
education services.

Signs of Apartheid in South Africa in 1989


02 – Social Inequality Features?
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class Questions Page
Class Questions Page 100
100

Ethnicity
► Services for the Black South African majority (who made
up three-quarters of the population) were inferior and they
had few political rights.
► There was a long struggle for freedom from apartheid and
the system was eventually abolished. When Black South
Africans were finally able to vote the White minority lost
power. The apartheid period
represents an extreme form of
racial stratification.
Key Term
Apartheid: the stratification system
in South Africa until 1994 based on
keeping racial groups apart.
02 – Social Inequality Features?
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class Questions Page
Class Questions Page 102
102

Ethnicity and education, employment and housing


► Education, employment and housing are three areas of social
life in which minority ethnic groups may face discrimination.
This is often because those who are in positions of power and
authority hold prejudiced views.
► There will be laws against racial discrimination in all three
areas but in practice it can be very hard to prove that what has
happened is discrimination.
► In education, teachers are likely to be from the majority group
and may stereotype ethnic minority pupils as lazy or deviant.
These pupils may internalise these views and
are then likely not to succeed in education. The
school may also have a curriculum that is based
on the history and culture of the majority group.
02 – Social Inequality Features?
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class Questions Page
Class Questions Page 102
102

Ethnicity and education, employment and housing


► In employment, applicants for jobs may face
discrimination. They may not be selected for
interview if their name suggests they are from a
minority or they may not be offered the job after an
interview even if they are the best candidate,
perhaps being told that they would not fit in.
► If they are given employment
they may find they are not
given opportunities to take
training courses and they do
not get promotion.
02 – Social Inequality Features?
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class Questions Page
Class Questions Page 102
102

Ethnicity and education, employment and housing


► In housing, where local government has a stock of
housing available for rent, members of ethnic
minorities may find that the rules about who has
priority may mean they are rarely offered housing,
► In privately owned housing there can be informal
segregation when members
of minorities planning to move
to a new area are made
aware that they will not be
welcome.
03 – Gender and Life Chances
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class Questions Page
Class Questions Page 102
102

C. GENDER INEQUALITY
03 – Gender and Life Chances
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class Questions Page
Class Questions Page 104
104

Gender discrimination in employment


► In pre-industrial societies the family was the unit of
production, and all members of the family were involved.
► For example, in making cloth the husband wove, the wife
spun and dyed and the children did the housework. There
was no housewife role.
► During the Industrial Revolution the factory replaced the
family as the unit of production. At first men, women and
children worked in factories.
► In the early 19th century laws were
made to restrict children working.
The care and supervision of children
then became the responsibility of
the mother, who was then
sometimes unable to work herself.
03 – Gender and Life Chances
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class Questions Page
Class Questions Page 104
104

Gender discrimination in employment


► Later there were restrictions on female
employment. For example, the Mines
Act of 1842 stopped women working in
coal mines.
► The dominant ideology of the Victorian
period saw women’s place as being in the home. Men in
work began to see women as rivals and women were
excluded from trade unions. The result of all this was that
women were pushed into the mother- housewife role.
► From World War One onwards women began to return to
employment and there was a gradual extension of their
legal and political rights (including the right to vote, acquired
in 1928) but the mother-housewife role remained their
primary role.
03 – Gender and Life Chances
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class Questions Page
Class Questions Page 104
104

Gender discrimination in employment


► Oakley sums up the effects of industrialisation as follows:
 Men were separated from the daily domestic routine.
 Women and children became economically dependent on
men.
 Housework and childcare became isolated from other work.
► Towards the end of the 20th century the numbers of women
working grew significantly in most modern industrial countries.
Some of the reasons for this are listed below:
 Under the influence of feminist ideas, including dissatisfaction
with the housewife role, women wanted to work.
 Women who had worked, for example during World War Two,
valued the experience and wanted to work.
 There were changes in the socialisation of girls so that more
girls saw their future in terms of work as well as or instead of
being a housewife and mother.
03 – Gender and Life Chances
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class Questions Page
Class Questions Page 104
104

Gender discrimination in employment


 There were changes in the socialisation of girls so that more
girls saw their future in terms of work as well as or instead
of being a housewife and mother.
 Changes occurred in national economies so that skills and
jobs traditionally associated with women became more
numerous and more valued.
 Laws, for example laws preventing sex discrimination, led to
changes.
 There were changing attitudes in
workplaces, as employers began to
value their female staff more.
 There were more female role models
in occupations for girls and young
women to aspire to.
03 – Gender and Life Chances
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class Questions Page
Class Questions Page 105
105

Gender discrimination in employment


► There is still both vertical and horizontal segregation in
workforces. Horizontal segregation means that women
tend to have different occupations from men.
► For example, most of the secretarial, nursing and primary
school teaching jobs
are held by women.
Women are more
likely than men to
work in the service
sector.
03 – Gender and Life Chances
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class Questions Page
Class Questions Page 105
105

► Vertical segregation means that even when they work in the


same occupations or workplaces as men women tend to be
concentrated in the lower levels of the hierarchy.
► For example, in schools in the UK, although many teachers
are women, most head teachers and senior managers are
men. Taken together, these mean that there is a gendered
division of labour.
Key Term
Status: Vertical segregation: occupying different levels within a
hierarchy.
Horizontal segregation: differences in the number of people
from different groups (such as the sexes) in different occupations.
Gendered division of labour: the way that societies expect
women to be responsible for some, tasks (such as cleaning and
preparing food) and men for others.
03 – Gender and Life Chances
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class Questions Page
Class Questions Page 105
105

Gender discrimination in employment


► Women are more likely than men to work part time and
more married than unmarried women work part time.
► Childless women are the most likely to work and women
with children under the age of five are the least likely to do
so.
► The proportion of women returning to work after having
children has increased but the biggest change has been
that time spent away from work has fallen sharply.
► Women are more likely to return to
work between the birth of their
children. More women see having paid
work as a normal part of married life
although many still see motherhood as
their main responsibility.
03 – Gender and Life Chances
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class Questions Page
Class Questions Page 105
105

Gender discrimination in employment


► In addition, maternity leave and maternity pay reduced the
loss of income women experienced when they had children
and ensured that after having children women were able to
return to work at the same level and the same pay as before.
► Despite these advances, in many areas of work women
seem to be able to rise to a fairly high level but then they are
unable to move up to the very highest level, regardless of
their qualifications and achievements. This has been called
the glass ceiling, because it is as if there is an invisible
barrier preventing their advancement.

Key Term
Glass ceiling: the unseen barrier that seems to prevent
women Tom achieving the highest positions at work.
03 – Gender and Life Chances
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class Questions Page
Class Questions Page 105
105

Gender discrimination in employment


► Some aspects of the glass ceiling are:
 Women who apply for promotions are not seen as serious
candidates.
 Women have not taken these positions before, so employers
see appointing a woman as a risk.
 The appointments are made by men, who may have sexist
attitudes.
 The small group of men at the top of a company or
organisation may not want to work with someone who they
see as different to them.
 A woman may be seen as a threat - she may do a better job
than the men.
 Men may believe that because of family responsibilities a
woman may not be able to give the time the job requires and
also cannot work at certain times (such as the weekend).
03 – Gender and Life Chances
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class Questions Page
Class Questions Page 105
105
03 – Gender and Life Chances
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class Questions Page
Class Questions Page 106
106

Gender discrimination in employment


► Research by Ryan and Haslam into women who manage to
break through the glass ceiling found that their experiences
were different from those of men.
► Women were more likely than men to find themselves in
jobs where there was a high risk that they would fail, either
because they had been appointed to run companies or
organisations that were already in difficulty or because they
were not given the resources to do
a good job.
► The researchers referred to this as
the glass cliff, meaning that these
women were at greater risk than
men of failing and of losing their
position.
03 – Gender and Life Chances
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class Questions Page
Class Questions Page 106
106

Women at the top: some examples


► At the time of writing no woman has been president of the
USA, Russia or China. There has been no female secretary-
general of the United Nations. Some women
► who have reached very high positions include:
 Hillary Clinton, US Secretary of State 2009-2013
 Margaret Thatcher, British Prime Minister 1979-1990
 Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the
International Monetary Fund since 2011
 Dilma Rousseff, President of Brazil
since 2011
 Margaret Chan, Director of the World
Health Organization since 2007
 Angela Merkel, Chancellor of
Germany since 2005. Christine Lagarde
03 – Gender and Life Chances
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class Questions Page
Class Questions Page 106
106

Consequences of gender inequalities at work


 There are marked gender differences in earnings. The
advantage men have is carried over into old age. Women
are likely to have considerably lower occupational
pensions.
 Women are more vulnerable to poverty. Many more women
than men earn wages that are so low they are in or close to
poverty. This is particularly true of women who are heads of
households.
 From the 1990s there has been a widening of inequalities in
each sex. While women working full time at both the top
and the bottom of the scale have had some success in
narrowing the gap with men, the gap between the winners
and the losers among women has become wider than the
equivalent gap for men.
03 – Gender and Life Chances
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class Questions Page
Class Questions Page 106
106

Explanations of gender inequalities at work


► Conventional sociological explanations see women’s
position as being due to their labour market position:
 They have discontinuous careers due to
childbirth.
 They are usually the secondary breadwinner (it
is assumed that women can be paid less than
men because men are the main breadwinners for
families).
 They are less geographically mobile than men.
(Families will move house for the male to take up
a promotion or new job but are less likely to move
for the woman’s work).
03 – Gender and Life Chances
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class Questions Page
Class Questions Page 106
106

Explanations of gender inequalities at work


 The existing large reserve of employable women
keeps wages down.
 Cultural factors may also contribute, for example the
widespread ideas that men should not be subordinate
to women (so a man should not have to work for a
female boss) and that work groups should be based
on one gender.
► Functionalists tend to say that women’s lack of
commitment to paid employment is a cause of their
disadvantages. Women are likely to interrupt or abandon
their careers and they may not put themselves forward
for training. They are less likely than men to be in
continuous employment for many years.
03 – Gender and Life Chances
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class Questions Page
Class Questions Page 106
106
D. Social Class
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class Questions Page
Class Questions Page 109
109

Social class
► In this section we describe
ways of defining and measuring
social class.
04 – Social Class
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class Questions Page
Class Questions Page 109
109

Functionalist explanations of class


► The most famous functionalist work on class is by
American sociologists Kingsley Davis and Wilbert E.
Moore. They argue that social class is inevitable in any
complex modern society.
► Because a society has a common value system,
individuals can be ranked and so a stratification system
emerges.
► For example, Western capitalist
societies value individual
achievement, efficiency and
production so there are high
rewards for successful business
executives. Social Classification
04 – Social Class
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class Questions Page
Class Questions Page 110
110

Functionalist explanations of class


► Class has a function. It is a way of ensuring that all the work
that needs to be done is done.
► The function of the education system is to sort out
individuals’ abilities to meet the society’s needs. Those who
have talent and ability will be motivated to do well and will
be rewarded with a high-ranking job.
► Classes need each other and cooperate with each other. It
is necessary for some groups to have more wealth and
power than others.
► Only a limited number of individuals
can take important decisions so
leaders are necessary and they
must be rewarded according to the
value placed on what they do.
04 – Social Class
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class Questions Page
Class Questions Page 110
110

Functionalist explanations of class


► There may be some conflict between the haves and the
have-nots but functionalists believe this is kept in check by
everyone accepting the common value system, which
justifies the unequal distribution of wealth, income and power.
► The functionalist view sees the division between the haves
and the have-nots as natural and right. Order and stability are
good. Any attempt to alter the situation is bad.
► To functionalists, any search for a more
equal way of distributing social wealth
and rewards is misguided and
even dangerous, because the
conflict generated will be
harmful to society.
04 – Social Class
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class Questions Page
Class Questions Page 110
110

Marxist explanations of class


► Karl Marx saw class as the defining
feature of modern industrial societies.
► He wrote that there were two classes,
defined by their relationship to the
means of production, by which he meant the factories,
mines, machinery and land that can be used to create
wealth.
► The bourgeoisie owned the means of production and
the proletariat or working class owned nothing but their
ability to work.
► The working class had to become wage slaves, working to
live but never earning the true value of their work, which
was taken as profits by the bourgeoisie. The state ruled on
behalf of the bourgeoisie.
04 – Social Class
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class Questions Page
Class Questions Page 112
112

Measuring class
► For Marxists there are only two main
classes, the bourgeoisie and the
proletariat. Most other sociologists
find it difficult to operationalise the
idea of social class by deciding where
the boundaries lie between the
classes and putting individuals into
these classes. There is no agreement
on the best way of measuring class.
04 – Social Class
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class Questions Page
Class Questions Page 112
112

Measuring class
► Factors that can be taken into account when deciding
which class someone belongs to are:
 wealth
 income
 occupation
 status
 housing (number of houses, size and location)
 level of education and qualifications
 lifestyle - some research has even used the type of car
people drive or their choice of shops to buy their goods.
► The most commonly used category of these is the person’s
occupation. This is because occupation is closely
connected to income, status and living standards.
04 – Social Class
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class Questions Page
Class Questions Page 112
112

Measuring class
► Occupations can be ranked in a hierarchy, with the highest
paid and most rewarding occupations at the top and others
below. This is called the occupational structure.
► Occupations are either non-manual or manual. Non-manual
jobs involve mental rather than physical work, such as the
professions and office and sales work. These are white-
collar occupations and are seen as middle class.
Key Term
Occupational structure: the hierarchy of occupations in a
society.
Professions: occupations that require specialised higher level
education.
White-collar worker: anon- manual worker, member of the
middle class.
04 – Social Class
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class Questions Page
Class Questions Page 112
112

Measuring class
► Manual jobs are blue-collar
jobs and involve some physical
effort. They are seen as
working class. These two broad
groups can be further divided
according to the level of skill
involved and the qualifications
or training required.
Key Term
Blue-collar worker: a manual worker, member of the
working class.
ACTIVITY
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class Questions Page
Class Questions Page 112
112

Answer these questions :


1. What is the glass ceiling that faces women at
work and why do women find it difficult to break
it?
2. Patriarchy is a term to describe societies in
which men are dominant and women are
subordinate. How does patriarchy influence
gender inequalities in societies? Explain your
answer.
3. Describe all types of discrimination minority ethnic
groups may experience a society.
4. Why is it difficult to escape poverty?
03 – Social Inequality - Summary
1
1–– Social
Social Stratification
Stratification 2
2–– Social
Social Inequality
Inequality 3
3 -- Gender
Gender 4
4–– Social
Social Class
Class Questions
Questions

Revision Checklist
These are hints for our upcoming final exam.
Make sure that you :
1. Know all the key terms of unit 2 and 3 (that we have discussed
only)
2. Understand the following:
● Elements of culture
● Conformity and social control
● Social mobility
● Gender, Social Class, Ethnicity and its influence on life expectancy
● Feral or Isolated Children and the difficulties they may face to fit in the
society
● Primary and secondary socialisation
● Social stratification (class and caste); types of status
● Gender inequality
● Poverty (the types, the causes, the cycle)
● Ethnic minority discrimination
● Welfare states

You might also like