structural functional theory related to poverty

To illustrate this, say we have a society where shining shoes and doing brain surgery both give us incomes of $150,000 per year. If these assumptions are true, some people automatically end up higher in society’s ranking system than others, and stratification is thus necessary and inevitable. To induce the people with the skills and knowledge to do the important, highly skilled jobs, society must promise them higher incomes or other rewards.Most of us would be able to do a decent job of shining shoes, but very few of us would be able to become brain surgeons. Relatively few people have the ability to acquire the skills and knowledge that are needed to do these important, highly skilled jobs.

To stay with our example, it takes more skills and knowledge to do brain surgery than to shine shoes.

Some jobs require more skills and knowledge than other jobs.For example, the job of a brain surgeon is more important than the job of shoe-shining. Some jobs are more important than other jobs.When applied to American society, their assumptions would be as follows: This explanation was developed more than 60 years ago by Kingsley Davis and Wilbert Moore (Davis & Moore, 1945) in the form of several logical assumptions that imply stratification is both necessary and inevitable. In line with this view, functionalist theorists in sociology assume that stratification exists because it also serves important functions for society. Recall from Chapter 1 that functionalist theory assumes that the various structures and processes in society exist because they serve important functions for society’s stability and continuity. Stratification affects people’s beliefs, lifestyles, daily interactions and conceptions of themselves. Stratification results from lack of opportunity and from discrimination and prejudice against the poor, women and people of color. For this reason, stratification is necessary and inevitable. Stratification is necessary to induce people with special intelligence, knowledge and skills to enter the most important occupations. Table 7.2 “Theory Snapshot” summarizes these three approaches. As such, theorists give us answers to questions such as, why is stratification so common, and is it possible to have a contemporary society without stratification? Sociologists trying to answer these questions have developed two very different macro explanations of stratification, while symbolic interactionists have examined the differences that stratification produces for everyday interaction. The statements in the box above reflect views associated with how social stratification is understood by sociological theorists. A person’s achieved statuses (education, occupation) have more impact on their rank in society than their ascribed statuses. A person’s ascribed statuses (race, ethnicity, gender, age) have more impact on their rank in society than their achieved statuses.Ĩ. Social connections matter more than ability to succeed.ħ. Poor people are responsible for their situations.ĥ. Rich people hoard their wealth, and usually do not get in trouble when they break the rules.Ĥ.

It is normal to have both wealthy and poor neighborhoods in the same town.ģ. Which statement(s) comes closest to accurately representing your beliefs?ġ.

Structural functional theory related to poverty