Why do we have social ineqaulity
What are the causes of social inequality ?The 1984 Report on British Social Attitudes highlighted that the widespread public believe that Britain is not an equal opportunity society. "Race and class prejudice and discrimination are seen to exist in large measures and are regarded as important obstacles to advancement" (Jowell, R. Airey, C. 1984, p.121). Whilst the survey did not target thoughts on gender discrimination, it was apparent from responses to questions on the roles within the home, that a very 'traditional' viewpoint was still present in our society, ie, mothers primary responsibility being childcare and the fathers primary responsibility being that of the provider. Our perceptions of what we consider 'unequal' in society comes largely from our socialisation, and therefore, will always be subject to variation. Socialisation is a continuing process through life, and our social identity is governed by influences from many groups, ie, family, religion, teachers and friends. In the example above, a mother in one society may perceive her 'traditional role' as a social inequality, and feel oppressed by it. Yet a mother from a different culture, would be living in a group where her role is held in high regard
"I think it's a pretty serious and important factor that we [British] have a good deal of evidence to show that, right from the beginning of life, ones life chances, the chance of surviving birth, of suffering certain illnesses, the chances of living in certain types of accommodation, of receiving certain types of education and indeed the likelihood of earning a given income, are very much related to divisions in our society we call social class. Material possession was at the root of the division of labour in society, however, the underlying root of the causes of social inequality is much more deeply involved with human nature. Our socialisation provides a benchmark for which groups we are introduced to, and our perceptions of other groups. He studied the large scale structures of society as a whole, and viewed its operation much like an organism, ie, it would need to be integrated into a system for it to function optimally. Without this freedom, there would be no obvious sense of achievement, and the only reward for their labour was monetry. Emile Durkheim (1858-1917), a scientific psychologist moulded the functional theory. can interact, and create many subsets, which perhaps do not clearly fit into a five-tier social class system. During the change from agricultural to industrial, he identified that individuals in society were unable to multitask, and became more dependant on those who were able to provide services. In an agricultural (primitive) society everyone was the 'jack of all trades', but in industrial (modern) society people were occupying specialised positions. Marx was very critical of the capitalist society, which he held responsible for the class differences. Historically, divisions in all societies have always existed, however, it wasn't until the 1800's, that sociologists began to examine and analyse the social structure in a more scientific fashion, and report their theories and findings. Allport (1954) articles, the nature of prejudice he states that "The human mind must think with the aid of categories. It is possible to look at any dimension of our society, ie, education, occupation, power and wealth, and perceive unequal distribution.
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