SOCI 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 39: Social Stratification, Meritocracy, Bourgeoisie
Document Summary
Status inconsistency: status consistency: individual who has a similar rank in all three dimensions of social class, status inconsistence: individuals who have a mixture of high and low ranks, status: social ranking. Individuals with status inconsistency then are likely to confront one frustrating situation after another: they claim the higher status, but are handed the lower. If stratification worked according to functionalist theory, society would be a meritocracy: all positions would be awarded on the basis of merit: the functionalist view places too much emphasis on money and fringe benefits. Feminist and anti-racist approaches: a(cid:396)gue that u(cid:374)de(cid:396)lyi(cid:374)g (cid:449)o(cid:373)e(cid:374)"s opp(cid:396)essio(cid:374) a(cid:374)d i(cid:374)a(cid:271)ility to a(cid:272)hie(cid:448)e e(cid:395)uality (cid:449)ith (cid:373)e(cid:374) are their roles in social reproduction in unpaid household and family labour. In a dictatorship the elite make the laws. In a democracy the elite influence the law. In both systems laws are enforced by the legal establishment: elite also command the police and military and can give order to crush a rebellion.
