The Functionalist Theory Of Inequality In Modern Society

Davis and Moore believe a society will function properly only if it instills certain individuals to certain positions, such that the more important positions are fulfilled by those that are most capable. Stratification is thus filling different levels of prestige with individuals that are qualified. Since higher positions require more talent and/or training, the individuals that fill those positions are

Structural Functionalism is the understanding of society that presumes social systems are assembled to fill social needs. (Wikibooks, 2012). Social inequality refers to individuals in a society that do not have equal social status. (Wikibooks, 2012). Social inequality is the current situation. Factors contributing to poverty and hunger are the social and economic challenges faced by the family. The number one cause noted for the increase is unemployment of the parent. Closely following this is access to affordable housing. Other influences are low wages, gap between rich and poor, earning disparity between men and women, barriers to affordable child care and health insurance. Inequality is a motivator for people to change. The organizations and institutions are interdependent, when one makes a change the others accommodate by changing as well. The WIC, SNAP and National School Lunch Program have adjusted their entrance criteria to meet the greater needs of the majority of the people.

One argument made by Structural Functionalists is that society should be a meritocracy. People should be rewarded based on their abilities. (Class notes, SOCI 201, Winter 2010)

     There is a problem in the United States that is growing and is causing issues in our country, but not everybody knows about it. The problem is the distribution of wealth in our society and the world as a whole, and how it is getting worse. Some people would say that it is an inequality due to the needs of the society, while others would say it is to the needs or individuals. This causes even more problems because of there being more than one supposed reason for the issue at hand. The problem is that the distribution of power is possibly starting to be lopsided, and for many reasons. There are two main views of why this is happening, the functionalist perspective and the conflict

Continuing with the idea of people believing that it is unfair how the upper class has more advantages in life, this bring us to the “meritocratic model” which is the model that “recognizes inequities and tries to correct for socioeconomic disadvantages” says Arora (Arora 87). This is the system that is related with the United States (Arora 87) and the reason that most people believe that this model is fair is because people with low incomes or with fewer benefits are offered programs such as the Headstart program and subsidized healthcare. Doing this would help out the needy and put everyone at somewhat of an equal place in life. However thinking deeply into the idea of these programs, they are not entirely fair from everyone’s point of view. For example, some people are born with something that Arora refers to as the “natural lottery” which is described as “people who are born with certain talents and attributes- for instance, oratory, musical acumen, physical beauty and health, athleticism, good memory and

Every day people wake up, get ready for the day, and go to work or school. By the end of the day, these individuals may end up failing a test, get demoted, receive a raise in their salaries, or get selected as employee of the month. The answer to whether or not these achievements and failures are a product of these people’s merit and effort are often questioned. Looking at the American society, there are many issues that occur which keep members of society from being able to say that these achievements and failures were due to their merit and effort. The issues that are able to support this idea that American society is unfair and that an individual’s fate is not largely a product of his or her merit and effort are income trends, the gender

The sociological views of functionalist and conflict theorist on stratification and economic inequality have had profound impact on the current economic discussion. In the past, economist have argued that wealth inequality is essential for “economic strength and social stability. [5] That wealth inequality “is needed to reward hard work, talent and innovation”. [6] However, in recent years, many economist have come to the conclusion that extreme wealth inequality, can lead to economic stagnation and social instability. What degree of

It is no surprise that women, on average, earn less than men no matter their race or educational level despite being at the same work level as men. As seen from a functionalist perspective, women earn less than men due to many reasons such as the fact that they choose to get married and have kids, which in its turn interrupts their schooling and/or careers. Later, when women once again choose to focus on their careers they are already far behind their male counterparts. Functionalists also believe that society is a complex system made up of small parts that work together to make up a whole. This theory suggests that the wage gap only exist because one part of the population, (men), are needed for certain acts of labor, whereas the other part

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

Gender inequality refers to the inequality between men and women, or the unequal treatment or perception of a person based on his or her gender. Gender inequality is almost always prominent towards a female rather than towards a male. Women are seen as inferior to men in every country in the world. This form of society is called patriarchal and is one of this biggest issues in American society today. Patriarchy means that the country has a primarily male dominated society. Does anyone realize what gender inequality is doing to our country as a whole? Not everyone may think it has a great impact on our society, but gender inequality creates many of our problems today including wealth, income, and status discriminations. I chose to

Aristotle once said “The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal.”

Even though having the “poor class” is a necessary evil needed for society to function, most Americans, at some point in time, will experience what it is like to live in poverty or live below the poverty line. One main reason for having a high percentage of people living in poverty is because the U.S. policy makers have ignored the poor and have given tax breaks to those with a much higher income. Funding for welfare was slashed and extended unemployment benefits were ended. With little success with the economic reform the United States has been going through for the past five years, about 14.5 percent of Americans are still living under the poverty line.

Contrary to popular believe, gender is referred to the attitudes, behaviours and emotions linked with a specific sexual group. There are two dominant perspectives that illustrate two different viewpoints of gender inequality. The functionalist perspective, by Talcott Parsons, believed that both men and women possess specific qualities that make them excellent at specific events, and these qualities are not interchangeable (Brym, 2014). The Marxist-Feminist perspective; however, viewed qualities for men and women as to being dependent on social conditions rather than being inherited (2014). In order to further illustrate the presence of gender inequality in the present society; the film Missrepresentation, by Jennifer Newsom reveals the

Talcott Parsons’ views education as a port of meritocracy. Meritocracy is a word used to describe that everyone is entitled to equal opportunity. He believes that education forms a sort of bridge between family life and society. Parsons believes that education works to instill the values of competition, equality, and individualism in the young minds of students. The meritocracy of the education system just means that everyone is entitled to the right to learn and has the same opportunity to learn. Parsons believes that achievement and rewards are determined by an individual’s effort and ability. Two

Functionalists argues that gender inequality is inevitable because of the gendered division of labor(assignment of different tasks to men and women)(Leon-Guerrero). Meanwhile, theorists note that as an increasing number of women enter the workforce, the number of divorces and the frequency of nonmarital childbearing have also increased (Leon-Guerrero). I particularly thought these two perspectives were very interesting with the fact that one agreeing that gender inequality is unavoidable and the other sees that women can’t have their cake and eat it too. I will agree with functionalists in this sense that due to the male physical built, they are more capable of different job that require heavy lifting, but does that still explain the huge wage gap throughout all occupations? Probably plays a role in each companies hiring determination, but still isn’t a good enough fact to explain the gap difference to me. As far as the theorists’ perspectives, I have mix feelings about this just because I am a female myself who is very realistic with how gender works. Being able to balance family, relationship, and children requires a lot of work and determination, in which; many just have personal decisions about balance or picking their career or family