1.
Is it possible to establish a society in which
there is no stratification based on class? Explain your response with reasons.
Stratification – the differentiation of people according to
property, power and prestige – exists in all societies throughout the world.
Indeed functionalism theorists argue that stratification is necessary and
inevitable to ensure people with special skills, knowledge and attitudes take
up the most important jobs. On the other hand, conflict theorists argue that
stratification is unnecessary and evitable because it is the result of a lack
of opportunity and discrimination against the poor, people of color and women.
But is it possible to have a society without stratification based on class?
According to functionalists, stratification serves important
functions in the stability and continuity of a society. The assumptions of Kingsley
Davis and Wilbert Moore show why stratification is necessary and inevitable.
For example, they point out that some jobs are more important than others e.g.
a doctor compared to a porter. The doctor requires more knowledge and skills
than a porter. Further, they argue that relatively few people have the ability
to acquire the skills, knowledge and attitudes that are a requisite for
important jobs e.g. most people can be decent porters but very few people can
become doctors. Hence, to encourage people with the knowledge and skills to
take up the important jobs, they have to be rewarded more than those doing jobs
that require less knowledge and skills, leading to societal stratification.
Yet some sociologists have pointed out flaws in this
argument. They point out that it is difficult to compare the importance of
different jobs e.g. a porter is just as important as a doctor since hospitals
can hardly function without porters. They also noted that the most important
jobs do not necessarily attract the highest rewards e.g. many elite athletes
earn more than the president. Moreover, people do not always move up the
economic ladder based on merit. Race and gender often play a role. Moreover
functionalism does not explain the huge gaps between the rich and poor evident
in our society. In rewarding highly skilled and knowledgeable people, do we
need to condemn those with little skills and knowledge to poverty?
Social conflict theorists, who draw on the views of Karl
Marx and Max Weber, offer the above criticisms to point out that stratification
is a result of fundamental conflict between the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’, with
the former exploiting their positions to maintain the status quo. They do this
by influencing law-making, media and the ideological beliefs of the
‘have-nots’.
The American Dream promises everyone a successful life if
they work hard and have willpower. Abraham Lincoln and Barack Obama epitomize
this dream. Some people may lack opportunities, but may lift themselves up by
their bootstraps to break into the higher classes of society. Yet others may
have all the opportunities but not utilize them sinking into the mire of
poverty. Hence because of human nature, ego, environmental factors and the other
reasons advanced by functionalism theory, it is not practically possible for a
society to be without class stratification.
2.
Is it possible to speak of ethnic groups in
America in terms other than stereotypes?
An ethnic stereotype is a system of beliefs about typical
characteristics, status and norms of members of a certain ethnic group. In
America, there are a lot of stereotypes about certain ethnic groups always
expressed in repugnant ethnic jokes, with the concomitant prejudices and
phobias. This is because most groups stereotype themselves positively while
stereotyping others negatively leading to conflict. Often, most of these
stereotypes are flights of fancy with hardly a grain of truth in them.
Stereotypes are often self-perpetuating. If a group is
perceived as aggressive and impatient, other people dealing with members of
that group are bound to be aggressive and impatient, making the person they are
dealing with to also become aggressive and impatient. Hence, it becomes quite
difficult to get rid of stereotyping.
Stereotyping is not always bad because accurate
generalizations of a group give us an idea of how a person we will interact
with is likely to be, leading to effective communication and behavior. However
inaccurate and negative stereotyping is undesirable and this can be got rid of
in American society.
Ways to do this include personal interactions between people
of different ethnicities since people are generally more reasonable than their
stereotypes and also have more in common than differences. By identifying and
understanding commonalities and differences through interaction with people
from different ethnicities, a person or group of people can extrapolate this
experiences to the rest of the ‘other’ group leading to banishing of
stereotypes.
The media can also help banish stereotypes by accurate and positive
portrayal of the various ethnic groups. Hollywood for example has been accused
of perpetuating stereotypes of blacks through storylines and awards. These may
lead to a stereotype that black people are untalented savages. But if the media
humanizes all ethnicities, there will be less conflict and stereotyping.
The education system is also crucial in negating
stereotypes. Curriculum and teaching materials should aim at effectively and
empathetically portraying the different ethnic groups. While history cannot be wished
away, such events as slavery and holocaust should be acknowledged as the
mistakes they were rather than ‘typical’ events. In so doing, inter-ethnic
understanding is enhanced.
3.
Describe how race and gender shape a person’s
life. Which is most powerful in a
person’s life: race, gender, or class?
How do all three intersect in your life?
How are your own experiences different (or the same) as your parents’ experiences? Be sure to support your answer with the text,
appropriate outside resources, and your own personal experiences.
Race and gender impinge on a person’s life in various ways;
socially, politically and economically. For example it took over 200 years for
America to have a black president and a female presidential candidate. Obviously
most opportunities have been to white males. Notably people of colour and
females got the right to vote much later than white males. Hence, class
stratification has mostly been influenced by race and gender making class less
powerful than race and gender. And while race is skin-deep, gender affects a
person’s temperament and health: “While there is growing evidence of a number
of significant differences between males and females in terms of health and
health outcomes, considerable controversy remains about the existence and
importance of racial differences in genetic effects, particularly for complex
diseases” (Behavioral, and Genetic Factors in Health Committee on Assessing
Interactions Among Social, et al. 2006). As such, of the three, gender can be
classified as the most powerful.
Discrimination based on sex and gender is illegal but
prevalent in the US. This discrimination is especially pronounced at the
workplace where, to date, women receive less pay and perks than men. Apart from politics, health and work, gender
and race also affects educational institutions, sports, housing and credit
rating; with underrepresentation and bias against women and people of color
evident.
The situation has improved drastically over the past few
years though, and as a woman, it has affected me less than my mother and
grandmother. Unlike my foremothers, I am able to vote, enjoy a night out
without harassment, and have equal rights at the workplace. Civil Rights Act
and Equal Pay Act afford me this, offering me an opportunity to rise up the
social class. For the wider society, it entrenches a culture of equality, peace
and good feeling.
References
Ensher, E. A. and Murphy S. E. (1997). Effects of Race,
Gender, Perceived Similarity, and Contact on Mentor Relationships. Journal of
Vocational Behavior 50, 460-481. http://ellenensher.com/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2014/10/JVB-1997pdf1.pdf
Ayres, I. and Siegelman, P. (1995). Race and Gender
Discrimination in Bargaining for a New Car in The American Economic Review.
Vol85 Number 3, 304-321. http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic185351.files/ayressiegelman.pdf
Behavioral, and Genetic Factors in Health Committee on
Assessing Interactions Among Social, et al. (2006). Genes, Behavior, and the Social Environment:
Moving Beyond the Nature/Nurture Debate. Washington DC: National Academies
Press.
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