Weberian Theory

Overview of Weberian Theory

•Weber sees stratification in part as economic as Marx does. However, Weber

says its a persons ‘market situation’ which determines social class.
•Weber also says that ‘class’ and ‘status’ are two separate things but he also said
that they are related which affects people life chances.
•He also recognised what he called ‘party’. By this he meant the political
influence or power an individual might exercise through membership of pressure
groups, trade unions or organised interest groups.
 Webers Definition of Social Class.

•Weber defined social classes as ‘clusters’ of occupations with similar life chances and
patterns of mobility.
•Using this he identified four main social classes:
1. Those privileged through property/ education.
2. The petty bourgeoisie (self employed/ managers.)
3. White collar workers and technicians (lower middle class.)
4. Manual workers.
 Webers Definition of Social Class

•Weber’s ideas has influenced the way social class is ‘operationalised’ by

sociologists eg Goldthorpe.
•Weber also saw that social classes were so internally different that if the
working class were to band together to achieve a revolution it wouldn’t work as
status would undermine any common cause.
•Additionally, potential for group identity or common action therefore will be
undermined also.
Webers theories of social class

Max Weber (1864 – 1920) disagreed with Marx’s view on the inevitability
of class conflict. He also disagreed with Marx on the economic
dimension as the sole determinant of the inequality.
 Weber’s theories of social class

Weber saw three separate dimensions which make up your social position; status, class
and party. He claimed that they were all separate factors which overlap and interact with
each other.
Weber saw class as economic categories organised around property ownership but he
argued that the concept should be extended to include ‘occupation skill’ because this
creates differences in life chances among those groups that did not own the means of
production ie the middle class and the working class.
 Status Groups

Usually class and status groups are the same thing but they can
work separately. For example a newly rich person may be
excluded from the top status groups because of the way they dress
or because of their manners.

Weber saw class (economic relationships) and status (perceived

social standing) as two different but related sources of power with
overlapping effects on people’s life chances.
 Status Groups
Status groups can also be cut across class groups. For example in America black people
have the same status regardless of job, income or class position. Which is why there
has been so much political action to change this such as black power groups. These
divisions weaken class solidarity and help to prevent the development of class
consciousness.

Weber also identified power groups who are mainly concerned with influencing
policies and decisions in favour of their members. For example the Automobile
Association and the RSPCA.

A study by Margaret Stacey in the 1950’s showed that manual working class people
who shared the same market situation and income divided themselves into status
groups of their own.

•Respectable working class

•Ordinary working class
•Rough working class
 Status Groups
People who occupy high occupational roles generally have high social status,
but status can also be derived from other sources such as gender, race and
religion. Weber identified four distinct social classes.

•Thos privileged through property or education

•The petty bourgeoisie (self employed managers)
•White collar workers and technicians (lower middle class)
•Manual workers (working class)

However, Weber was sceptical about the possibility of the working class
banding together for revolutionary purposes i.e. Becoming class conscious
because differences in status would always undermine any common cause
preventing mobility between classes and status groups.