Social Stratification - 1189 Words

Q1A. The question of the inevitability of social stratification is one of the fundamental bases of the theories of Kingsley Davis and Wilbert Moore. Davis and Moore (1945) argue that as long as there is division of labor in the society, and that there are variability in the roles with varying degrees of importance, stratification will occur. There is a significant difference in the wages of CEO’s and a minimum wage earner because according to the theory, there is a functional necessity of providing different rewards for different positions in the society in accordance to an individual’s abilities. Because not everyone is qualified for specific positions or roles set by the society, there is a need to fill them by making sure that the right†¦show more content†¦The main function of inequality is due to the very fact that not all roles in the society have the same extent of difficulty. Because there is a societal notion that the responsibility assigned to men and women are not the same, social stratification according to gender exists, hence the difference in wage rates. Q2A Melvin Tulmin made a response to the theory created by Davis and Moore. He claims that there are several loopholes that the functional theories of Davis and Moore were not able to address, such defining the term â€Å"functionally important†. The situation involving the wage gap between the CEO and the minimum wage earner can be explained by Tulmin’s criticism to the theories of the previous sociologists. For Tulmin, the system of social stratification does not function as the motivating force to attract the right people to the right positions but to force the acceptance of ideologies that govern the society. The increasing gap between the earnings of the CEO and the minimum wage earners can be explained by the fact that there is indeed an existing barrier between the two types of people mentioned above. This would lead the society to accept the ideology that the former is indeed superior as compared to the latter. Social stratification systems functions to maintain the status quo in the society. Because of the existing social stratification, a large segment of the society are not even given the opportunity to undergoShow MoreRelatedStratification, Stratification And Social Structure Essay1413 Words   |  6 PagesIn our daily social life, when people meeting together whether with a stranger or a friend, they are likely to classify others by a certain category of characteristics consciously or unconsciously. However, making categories not only applies to individual life, also societies have categories, as what the sociologists called stratification. Stratification which divides people according to social structures refers to bigger areas of factor including gender, age, ethnicity, family lineage, economicRead MoreEssay about Social Stratification 1554 Words   |  7 Pagesclass that you are born into will determine the life chances you ultimately have for the rest of your life. Australian society is highly based upon the concept of social st ratification which â€Å"refers to the division of the population of a society into strata arranged in a hierarchy† (Aspin, Lois J., 1996: page 39) Sociologists study the social world through paradigms, which are theoretical frameworks such as functionalism and conflict theory. The way that they view society is through these paradigms inRead MoreSocial Stratification1648 Words   |  7 PagesSocial stratification defines any structure of inequality that persists in a society across generations. Social strata are groups of people — who belong to the same social class or have the same social level. 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Stratification is common in the animal kingdom on the basis of power and gender and some form of stratification has probably always existed among humans. With the development of food and other surpluses resulting from technological advances in agriculture and manufacturing, some peopleRead MoreSystems of Social Stratification2682 Words   |  11 Pagessystems of social stratification. The main aim of this essay is to compare and contrast these systems as well as indicating their advantages and disadvantages to development. The essay begins with defining the key terms which include comparing, contrasting and development. It further goes on to define as well as explain social stratification itself, the caste, the class and the colour-bar systems respectively. The essay further talks about the advantages and disadvantages of these systems of social stratification