Social stratification
What's covered
Key facts
Kingsley Davis and Wilbert Moore are the functionalist sociologists who developed the functionalist theory of stratification in Some Principles of Stratification (1945).
Feminists point to the gender pay gap and the "glass ceiling" as evidence women have poorer life chances in employment.
Absolute poverty means lacking the minimum income needed to meet basic needs for survival, such as food, shelter and clothing.
Authority is power people willingly obey because they see it as legitimate — the right thing to do — so force is unnecessary.
Feminists argue the welfare state was built on the assumption that women would be financially supported by men, so it reinforces patriarchy and penalises women.
The bourgeoisie are the ruling class who own the means of production and employ others.
Davis and Moore claim some roles are more functionally important than others (e.g. a surgeon) because they provide essential services for society's survival.
Intergenerational mobility is movement between social classes from one generation of a family to the next (e.g. child reaches a different class from parents).
Critics argue Murray "blames the victim": he ignores structural causes such as deindustrialisation, low pay and discrimination, and his evidence was often anecdotal.
Charismatic authority rests on the extraordinary personal qualities of a leader that inspire followers to obey.
Sample questions
A taste of the 84 questions in this topic, answers marked. Sign up to practise the full set with spaced repetition.
According to Davis and Moore, why does social stratification exist in all societies?
- •It exists only in capitalist economies
- •It is created by powerful groups to exploit workers
- ✓It is functional, necessary and useful for society
- •It results from random historical accidents
What are life chances?
- •A government scheme giving everyone equal opportunities at birth.
- •Random luck that decides whether a person succeeds in life.
- •The number of years a person is expected to live from birth.
- ✓Your likelihood of positive or negative outcomes in health, education and employment
How did Townsend (1979) define poverty?
- •Being unable to afford food and shelter needed for survival
- •Choosing not to work despite jobs being available locally
- •Earning less than half the minimum wage in any given year
- ✓Relative deprivation — lacking resources to share in society's normal activities
According to Weber, what is power?
- •Belonging to a higher social class
- ✓Getting what you want despite opposition
- •The right to vote in elections
- •Wealth inherited from your family
How does Walby define patriarchy?
- •A belief held by individual sexist men that women are inferior to them
- •A society where women hold most positions of power and authority
- •A stage of capitalism where the bourgeoisie exploit the proletariat
- ✓Social structures and practices in which men dominate, oppress and exploit women
According to Marx, what defines which social class a group belongs to?
- •Their level of social prestige and honour
- •Their market situation and qualifications
- •Their political power and party membership
- ✓Their relationship to the means of production
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