"Does Social Class Matter?"

Authors Avatar

“Does Social Class Matter?”

The importance of social class is often down to personal opinion, based on factual evidence as well as individual experience and hearsay. Two extreme groups have strong opinions on the effects of social class and the western stratification system in general. These two groups are the Marxists and the Functionalists.

Marxists argue that prejudice of the lower classes is all around us. They feel that there is distinct divides between those with the power and the rest of the working population. Marxists say that there is a ‘glass wall’ that splits the wealthy from the underclass’s’; that the system is fundamentally ascribed. If you are born into a poor family, you will be at a disadvantage. Poor education, social discrimination, and limited career goals will keep you from enjoying a full and free life. The ‘fat cat’ upper class use and abuse those who work for them. They make profit at the expense of their employees by paying them as little as possible. Marxism is the basis of communism and socialism; two political concepts that oppose class systems, stratification, and inequality.

Join now!

Functionalists see our social stratification system as a positive thing. They believe it’s a system that allows society to function much more effectively. People who work hard get the higher class jobs (rewards). This is what motivates the individual to excel, otherwise people would become lazy. Social class is a way of putting a person into their rightful place, the concept being that those who are genuinely better, more capable and willing than others, will assume the roles, responsibilities, and rewards of the power and wealth of the highest positions in society. Functionalists support the idea of equality, that ...

This is a preview of the whole essay