Compare and contrast two major theories of the persistence of social inequality (Marx, Weber, Pareto, Davis & Moore, Elias) - Why do social groups still strive to eliminate inequality and what are their chances of success

Compare and contrast two major theories of the persistence of social inequality (Marx, Weber, Pareto, Davis & Moore, Elias). Why do social groups still strive to eliminate inequality and what are their chances of success?

Social inequality is a concept used by sociologists to explain how and why individuals and groups in society are unequal and experience social life differently. In almost all countries in the westernised world there is a stratified social stratification system where social groups are seen to rank above one another. When one thinks of social inequality the concept of “class” is one which immediately comes to attention, and most theories of social inequality or social stratification refer to class as the main factor. Giddens (2001) claims that class can be defined “as a large-scale grouping of people who share common economic resources, which strongly influence the type of lifestyle they are able to lead” (p. 282). Clearly social inequality does exist in countries such as Britain and class can be seen as a major part of it, but we must be aware of differing theories of inequality and how concepts of class vary, as well as the fact that there are also other types of social inequality such as gender, age and ethnicity which also exist today. Two important philosophers of social inequality will be examined later in this essay: Karl Marx and Max Weber.

Social inequality is generally seen to have existed due to the rise of industrialism and capitalism. Industrialism saw the rise of mechanisation and the wealth of society being concentrated within a small minority of the population. Capitalism required an increasing amount of division of labour and so a situation was created where individuals had to carry out unequal tasks in terms of value and prestige. Whilst some individuals had the power to give out orders in large companies, many manual jobs had to be filled by male workers, whilst most women fulfilled the domestic role. Today social inequality is still seen to exist, in terms of class, gender, age or ethnic divisions.

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The early works of Karl Marx and Max Weber have helped form an important framework for contemporary theories of social inequality. Marx (1970) explained social inequality in terms of his two class model, in which the bourgeoisie (or ruling class) exploited the subject class through ownership of the means of production. From his point of view modern societies are riven with class inequalities, which are basic to their very nature. Social class should be seen in material terms, in terms of its ownership or non-ownership of capital. From a traditional Marxist point of view social inequality arose due to the rise of private property and increased accumulation of wealth which allowed a small minority of individuals to invest in capital. Marx also believed that in a capitalist system, the contradictions between the two classes would lead to greater social inequality as a process of polarisation occurs. He offers us only one solution: social inequality must be eliminated and the means of production must be communally owned if equality is to be achieved.

Max Weber (1958) is another influential sociologist who has contributed to the debate on social inequality. The Weberian perspective follows some aspects of the Marxist perspective. For example, Weber believed that class could be explained in economic terms, and that the main reason for social inequality is that a minority of individuals own the mode of production and a majority do not. A main part of Weberian theory which is still used today is the idea that class should be explained in terms of a person’s market situation:

“According to Weber, classes consist of aggregates of individuals who share similar sets of ‘life chances’ in labour and commodity markets”

(Giddens & Held. p. 10)

Weber agrees with Marx since he accepts that class struggles have frequently occurred in different stages of history, and that industrial capitalism has created class conflict between capital and wage labour. However, he disagreed with Marx in that he saw differences in the market situation of the social groups who did not own the means of production. In contrast to Marx’s two class model, Weber claimed that there were four main social class groupings in capitalist society, and that factors other than ownership or non-ownership of property are important. His view of the social class structure varies from Marx’s in that he sees the white-collar middle class as a growing section rather than a disappearing one. As well as class, Weber realised that there were status groups which existed and cut across divisions of class:

“A status group is made up of individuals who are awarded a similar amount of social honour and therefore share the same status situation”

(Haralambos & Holborn. p. 37)

He claimed that class was only one type of inequality in society among others such as gender. Compared to Marx, Weber saw a more complex and diversified picture of conflicts in capitalist society which involved many different status groups. And whilst Marx believed that a proletarian revolution was desirable and inevitable, Weber did not believe this was a possibility that this could happen, nor was it desirable even for an unequal society.

Karl Marx claimed that the members of the working class have continued to collectively engage in a struggle against the capitalists in their attempt to improve their life chances and achieve equality in society. He sees the struggle between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat as a struggle between class and class, a struggle which leads to a total revolution. However, despite the influence Marxist theory has provided, the proletarian revolution which Marx predicted still has not happened. Capitalism in our contemporary world has strengthened and is now in a stable condition, with the majority of people accepting that society must have some kind of social inequality. However, there are some social groups in society today whose aims are to reduce or eliminate social inequality. For example, manual workers are often seen to be expressing their interests through collective participation in Trade Unions in order to create greater equality- many believe that the worth of wage labour is higher than that they are paid. The Black Power Movement which was initiated in the 1960s was brought into action to fight back at what they believed to be the injustices of capitalism. Alternatively, the progress of the Women’s Liberation Movement has given women an opportunity to try and reduce or even eliminate gender inequalities. Feminists believe that the position of women in society should be considerably improved, and that equality of opportunity should be made possible, mainly because they see men and women as having equal abilities.

Despite attempts by different social groups to try and eliminate social inequality, it does not seem likely that it can be completely eradicated. It is unlikely that class inequalities will be completely eradicated since capitalism is a stable force in the contemporary world, and that the decline of politics on the left has meant that a system where everyone is equal is unlikely- the possibility of communism and socialism rising in the western world is relatively low. In terms of gender, it is likely that some inequality will always exist due to biological differences between men and women. However, although social inequality is unlikely to be eradicated completely, there is still a good possibility of inequalities in society being reduced, and a possibility of improving one’s position.

The two theories compared in this essay, the Marxist and Weberian perspectives, have both provided important contributions to the debate on social inequality and have provided an important framework for other contemporary works. Marx and Weber both claimed that certain social groups in society would struggle to fight against capitalism, and today we can see that certain sections of society such as working class groups, members of ethnic groups and members of Women’s Liberation are attempting to eliminate or reduce inequality and therefore create a more prosperous position for themselves in society. The prospect of these groups eliminating inequality does not seem likely, since that capitalism is a stable force worldwide. However, the prospect of certain social groups reducing inequality is possible, and the struggle of such groups against capitalism is set to continue.