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Theories of social inequality essay plan
Theories of social inequality essay plan
History of inequality in America
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Social Inequality in the United States There is a high degree of social inequality within the United States. Of most modern industrial countries, the United Stated has some of the richest and some of the poorest people to be found. That fact is very disturbing, however, explains why much of the inequality exists in the US. In the following essay I will explain to you about the inequality in our country and why it occurs, based on the theoretical perspectives of a functionalist, conflict theorist, and social interationist. Functionalist argue that stratification is "necessary and beneficial" to a society to ensure the highest qualified individuals will fill the best societal positions. Inequality in the distribution of desirables exist as a device for ensuring that the most important positions are filled by the most qualified people. Certain jobs are more important than others, and those jobs require special skill and talent. The cycle of unequal opportunity is intensifying, and the United States beneficiaries often slander those who are the most systemati...
In the article “Confronting Inequality”, Paul Krugman argues that the gap of inequality between social classes in the United States is growing because of self- interest. He cites a “movement conservative”, Irving Kristol, who claims income inequality is not important because there is social equality. Krugman uses Kristol’s statement as a starting position to state his own. Krugman describes the claim as being a “fantasy world” and not the “real America we live in” (Krugman 246). I agree with his statement, many people were not aware of this issue five years ago, the fact that the upper class is gaining power. They have “their own virtual country” and “a separate economy” (Krugman 246). The upper class has many opportunities that prevent the middle and lower class from achieving the same success. Fewer opportunities for the lower classes are harming America’s vision of equality for all. Their chances of achieving the American Dream have been cut down because of government, health care, and self-interest.
Income inequality not only harms us fiscally, but also affects our mental and physical wellbeing; therefore, it is important to identify the right ways to control wealth distribution among people.
One of these groups, the functionalists, view that the uneven distribution of wealth is due to the fact that the cream rises to the top and the people who have money and prestigious positions are the ones who are capable of getting the job done. Functionalists see that there are 3 things that are intertwined with each other; wealth, power, and prestige. These three things are rewards for people who are of good character, eg: people with advanced knowledge, hard workers, and people who can take on responsibility. This whole perspective is more merit based than anything and tells people in the society that they get w...
Inequality is a broad term that could relate to many aspects of life, this essay will focus on the inequality of wealth. Inequality is the spread of wealth among the citizens of a measured nation, in this case the United States. The United States currently leads the developed world in inequality, which has sparked debate among scholars. Although I do not believe that all inequality is bad, I do believe that its growth needs to be monitored.
Within the United States operates a class system based on economic standing, though it is rarely spoken of or thought of as an issue. The classes divide the American population into three sections. The elite and wealthy upper class that controls most of the economy and government, the middle class who is made of finically stable and well-educated people, and the staggering lower class who live under poverty line. The United States are not the only or the first to struggle with class division, the separation creates a discrimination between classes and allows the higher and more “qualified” class to exploit and rule. There has been attempts to make the playing field so to say more equal, these come from the views of people like Marx and Lenin. Class division and privilege creates injustice and inequality through the ruling of a higher class, this systems has been in power under
Joyce is an eight year old girl that lives in Tanzania, one of the poorest places in the world where there is a high risk for abuse and developing aids. The amount that a man makes is about $6 a year. But if the help of Compassion, Joyce would be able to receive medical care, supplies for school, and most importantly teaching from the Bible. Poverty is an injustice that has been around for forever. Three billion people of the world's population are surviving off of only $2.50 a day. These people live without amenities that most American teenagers take for granted liking clean, running water and electricity. Not having clean water causes many disease like diarrhea. Over million children’s deaths are caused by diarrhea. Data from UNICEF shows that over 20,000 child die because of poverty each day. Much money is raised for developing countries, but every $1 received $25 go to the repayment of the country’s debt. Over the past 20 years,
Kingsley Davis and Wilbert E. Moore describe inequality and the method of stratification as a functional necessity of society. The system is meant to trigger a sense of motivation and a willingness to perform the duties of the positions
“Equality for all” has always been dramatized as a stand point for America expressing freedom and equality for everyone no matter what. In reality the three letter term stands for nothing but a lie among its repitition spoken out of a neglected person’s mouth and the issue of the wealth gap portrays that lie beautifully. The wealth gap shows the reality of inequality by underlying the unequal distribution of wealth. To understand the role of the wealth gap it’s essential to consider the causes, why it’s a problem and its solutions.
TThere is an extremely high degree of social inequality in America compared to other modern industrialized countries and this inequality comes from the inequitable distribution of income and wealth in relation to occupational choice or necessity, racial/ethnic inequality, and gender inequality. “Any socially defined group may be subject to discrimination and exclusion” according to Douglas Massey and this is very evident in our country’s society. The rules of social stratification allocation that distributes income and wealth across various roles of occupations in the division of labor (e.g., homemaker, care giver, factory worker, doctor, or politician) limits the social mobility mechanisms that link individuals to these roles or occupations
Social inequalities separate the nation, causing many citizens to be mistreated for insignificant reasons. Therefore, it is important to bring awareness to the topic of social inequality and persecution, especially pertaining to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights, because it impacts teenagers in modern America, influences the effects authors have on readers when writing about the topic, and can be used proactively in literature to promote tolerance and acceptance. As a result, learning that LGBT rights are human rights brings the world one step closer to becoming a more tolerant population.
The functionalist view of social stratification is being inevitable and also to perform a positive function for society. Their argument for this is that an unequal distribution of rewards and privileges found in the class system allows for its most talented members to be attracted from society and put in the most important roles (Davis and Moore). Howe...
Inequality is the unequal distribution of opportunities, rewards, and power among and between individuals, households, and groups is a defining feature of all unknown societies. Social inequality is characterized by the existence of unequal opportunities and rewards for different social positions or statuses within a group or society. It contains structured and recurrent patterns of unequal distributions of goods, wealth, opportunities, rewards, and punishments Things that happen within the education system can bring about inequa...
Social stratification is a social system where there is chronic unfair treatment directed against certain individuals or social groups this is especially evident in the United States. Those who come to America encounter discrimination, whether it be racism, sexism, or religious and ethnic prejudice. This makes opportunities for success in job and housing markets difficult and sometimes unattainable and hampers individual's chances to gain a stable life. Sometimes blatant and open, a single person or group will voice their opinions loud and clear, but often racism is more subtle, or built into the system, as seen by racial profiling by law enforcement officers and other government officials, and creates a near impossibility for some groups to
The economy in the United States is undoubtedly unequally distributed and unstable. Social stratification, the society’s categorization of people in a hierarchy, is to blame for this. Americans subscribe to the perception that everyone should be placed in a certain group for their financial status; high class, meaning the wealthy individuals, or the lower class, the individuals suffering from poverty. Both social classes’ contribute negatively to the people involved. Wealthier communities experience emotional downfalls and isolation while the poverty stricken communities by decreasing their life chances for being successful and even their length of life. The social problems of wealth and poverty
Social stratification is the term sociologists use to describe the organisation of these inequalities which can be likened to the geological layers formed in rocks. Moore, (2001:46) defines social stratification as the “division of people into groups based on how much wealth, power and social prestige they have”. In Western society the main system of division is referred to as social class and indicates an individual’s economic standing in society, which can be dictated by occupation and income (Walsh et al 2000:45).