Inequality is identified as a common feature in society that is known to take many forms, ranging from gender inequality, poverty, healthcare and disproportionate distributions of resources. During the course of my essay, I will be discussing the type of inequality that sociologists regard when considering stratification, which in this essay, would be the inequality of social classes. Before delving further into the various explanations of the existence and persistence of inequality, it is important to define the term ‘social class’. Although the definition of ‘social class’ is widely debated by sociologists, we can agree that it can simply be referred to as the specific classes or sectors in society that an individual belongs to. We can determine that individuals are divided in to these social classes with regards to “…‘economic’ considerations such as occupation, income and wealth” (Milner, A.J 1999: 1). Throughout my essay, I will be exploring the perspectives of classic sociologists such as Marx and Weber which will be discussed and compared to the perspectives of contemporary sociologists such as Bourdieu and Giddens. By examining both perspectives, we can use them to identify and explain the various reasons behind the existence and persistence of inequality.
German philosopher and classic sociologist, Karl Marx (1818 – 1883) believed that two distinct class divisions existed in society which were known as the bourgeoise/capitalist class and the proletariat/working class (Marx and Engels 1970: 20). He believed that the term ‘classes’ was used to categorise groups of individuals who shared a similar position in society. These positions were determined by the individual’s ownership of the means of production which included materials, technology, machinery, and land (Appelrouth, S. and Edles, D.L (2008:26). According to Marx, the capitalist system which is an economic system, was extremely exploitative. It is a system that is “based on market exchange and the production of profit for reinvestment and business growth” (Giddens, A. and Sutton, P.W. 2017:71). This production of profit largely benefited the capitalist class as they owned the means of production that were available in society. Although the working class were the vast majority, the bourgeoise remained the dominant group due to the extreme power and wealth they maintained and reproduced. This enabled them to employ the working class and exploit them in terms of cheap labour in exchange for money. This creates a sense of conflict between both classes and therefore creates the idea of inequality. Marx believed that inequality was linked to stratification which is “a system in which groups of people are divided into layers according to their relationships to power, property and prestige (The Nation 2013). Stratification was seen as a structured pattern of inequality which is the idea that there is a specific structure in society that exists and persists. An example of this would be that those belonging to the upper class in society would remain in their positions of status for several generations to come as the wealth and power that is created is maintained and reproduced within their respective classes. Therefore, Marx believed that class consciousness was needed in order for the working class to break out of the control of the bourgeoisie and until this self realisation occurred, the working class would continue to be exploited thus resulting in class inequality (Appelrouth, S. and Edles, D.L 2008:31). When evaluating Marx’s theory, we can see that he places a heavy emphasis primarily on economic class factors, failing to acknowledge other factors that could explain the existence of inequality. Factors such as cultural and social capital are seen to have an influence on inequality within society. This deterministic approach, which clearly explains the impact of social class divisions on inequality, does not however give us any understanding of how inequality could be created in any other terms apart from class.
Classic sociologist, Max Weber (1864 – 1920) however, provided a more detailed view of stratification in comparison to Marx’s theory. Weber argued that classes were not just various groups in society that were formed because of their ownership of the means of production but instead consisted of “people who share “life chances” or possibilities that are determined by “economic interests in the possession of goods and opportunities for income” within the commodity and labour markets” (Appelrouth, S. and Edles, D.L 2008:165-166). While Karl Marx argued that stratification depended solely on an individuals’ class in society, Weber on the other hand, argued that stratification resulted from three social aspects which consist of class, status groups and political parties. Status and political parties were key features according to Weber as status refers to the reputation an individual has in society and political party refers to the individuals access to political power. Weber believed that these two features were important as it could be used for individuals to maintain certain social circles which would enable them to acquire various positions within a stratified society. This “results from a mode of orientation based upon particular expectations and individually chosen and culturally given end” (Mayeda, D. 2013:83). From the argument proposed by Weber, we can see that inequality stems not just from class but status and political party as well. Those in the upper and middle classes have a significantly higher level of power and status in society in comparison to the working class and are opened up to niche markets and activities that are made unavailable to other classes which is due to the above factors. Social networks that these upper class families create and maintain would help to secure their position (Giddens, A. and Sutton, P.W. 2017:114). This makes it difficult for a working class family to integrate into higher positions in society as they lack the necessary social connections, thus creating an unbreakable glass ceiling effect. Weber’s ideas can be used in order to counter-argue the prominent deterministic view that we can identify in Marx’s theory. Weber’s addition of status and political party adds a sense of depth to Marx’s idea of economic classes as it can be used to explain the reasons behind the existence and persistence of inequality.