Social Inequality: Terms

C. Wright Mills - thinking like a sociologist by looking at issues rather than person troubles for a given situation.

example: unemployment, divorce rates

position gained as the result of ability or effort

position designated at birth

-Inequality is unnatural, shows something is wrong
-inequality is unjust
-radical view tries to change the status quo and establish equality

example: Plato & communities of children - status of parents not passed onto kids

-inequality is natural
-people are created differently & inequality should be expected
-changing inequality would go against nature
-wants to maintain status quo

example: traditional Indian caste system

-incorporates aspects of both conservative and radical views

example: U.S. political philosophy
-political and legal inequality takes radical view
-economic inequality takes conservative view

two main assumptions:

1. most features of society determined by the mode of production

2. whoever owns the means of production controls the economy & society

how society is organized to produce material needs

productive assets, things we need to produce (technology, machinery)

not recognizing what is in your best interest

-small traditional societies
-shared values and beliefs

-larger, complex, modern societies
-specialized division of labor
-interdependence, lack of self-sufficiency

dividing society into levels based on power or wealth (classes)

Conflict Theory

Neo-Marxist revisions - Authority Relations

Functionalist Theory
-society as system
-mechanical solidarity
-organic solidarity

Principles of Stratification
-create unequal reward system
-rewards based on "functional importance"
-more unique the occupation = better reward
-the more dependent others are on you = better reward

-every occupation in society is functionally important - example: what if every sanitation worker walked out?

-intergenerational inheritance makes it harder to identify talented people, easier for less-talented people to get good jobs, and vice versa

Many different classes (each occupation could be class)

Lenski: we act in our own interest, but we cooperate even while we're acting in own selfish interests

-framework for rules/norms can grow out of people acting in own interests

Lenski: there can be conflict between different parts of the system

people with similar positions in regard to power

1. Distribution based on need: share enough so that most other people survive

2. distribution based on power: people will struggle over surplus.. who controls surplus based on power