Discussion of Inequality Within the Context of Race & Class Using 3 of Sociology’s Theorists: Du Bois, Weber, Marx

Essay 1          

             The relationship between race, class, and gender on the life chances of people to improve their relative position in our socially stratified world

            The 21-st century is characterized by the continuous economic downfall. The relationship between race, class and gender should be evaluated to identify the life chances of people to improve their relative position in our socially stratified world. The increased rates of unemployment, homelessness and poverty show that our society requires implementing a transformative approach to reduce social stratification. The term social stratification is applied to identify and asses different forms of inequality that exist in the US society. Patricia H Collins suggests, “while a piece of the oppressor may be planted deep within each of us, we each have the choice of accepting that piece or challenging it as part of the ‘true focus of revolutionary change’” (p. 680). Inequality has become a universal feature of our society; therefore, it exists everywhere and concerns race, class, and gender as the key categories of society.

            It becomes clear that race, class and gender have a strong impact on inequality in the US today. John Acker assumes that one of the areas affected by the mutual reproduction of class, gender, and racial relations of inequality is employment. Due to identification of barriers to creating equality in work organizations, it is possible to determine how the so-called “inequality regimes” can be eliminated. According to researcher, “inequality regimes are the interlocked practices and processes that result in continuing inequalities in all work organizations” (Acker, 2006, p. 441). Many organizations are assessed as the sources of the continuous creation of various forms of  inequalities for the reason of the growth of societal inequality (Acker, 2006). Another example is inequality in relation to health. There is much evidence taken from academic sources that “health tended to be worse in more unequal societies” (Pickett, K E. & Wilkinson, 2015, p. 316). Income gap plays a crucial role in the nation’s health status because in  most cases it wide income differences lead to worse health of people. Researchers suggest that income inequality has a considerable impact on population health and well-being (Pickett, K E. & Wilkinson, 2015).

            In fact, one of the most importation aspects of inequality in the United States is that “the economic gains of the past three decades have not been shared by most of its population” (Manza, 2009, p. 4). The growth of inflation and the increased income gap contribute to continuous social stratification. It is necessary to recognize the fact that race, class and gender, as the major components of economic well-being, impact the spread of inequality in our society. The link between poverty and inequity is obvious. Race, class and gender issues are associated with the struggle of people against inequality in different fields.  Although the U.S. Constitution is a powerful tool in reduction of inequality, global economy and globalization lead to new forms of inequality, making it very difficult to    use intellectual progress in regulation of the system of stratification. Adam Smith (2009) believes that  the division of labor makes people to find differences in educational opportunities. This fact means that inequality in the United States is influenced by the level of education and talents of people.  

            Actually, these conditions, namely race, class and gender, are impacted by the policies and rhetoric of the Trump Administration. Daniel Faber and colleagues (2017) state that “corporate led globalization is continuing to inflict pain on the US working class in the new millennium, exacerbating income inequality, poverty and economic insecurity” (p. 1). It is possible that the Trump Administration could support new approaches to reduction of inequality. Researchers are concerned  about the effectiveness of the Trump Administration’s strategy to maintain democracy. It has been found that 

during the electoral campaign, Americans were shocked by Trump’s racist remarks about immigrants. “At the press conference announcing his candidacy, he referred to Mexican immigrants as “criminals” and “rapists,” and said that he would build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border to keep them out” (Faber at al., 2017, p. 1). It stands to reason that many policies developed by Trump, including energy, economic and environmental policies, are contradictory because of their negative impact on working class people. For example, Trump’s approach to international commerce is unlikely to promote the reduction of manufacturing jobs triggered by the use of automation in the world of corporate-led globalization ( Faber at al., 2017). Trump could change immigration and civil rights law in the United States because of the new the U. S. government views on discrimination or marginalization. Comparing  Trump and Obama’s approaches to reduction of inequality, it is possible to find some differences. For example, Trump and his Administration are focused on addressing the needs of the groups like Christians, police officers, victims of crimes committed by undocumented immigrants, and everyone  who fears that Latino immigrants may take their jobs or redefine the U.S. culture, while Obama provided protection to minority groups, like African-Americans, Latinos, Muslims, gays, lesbians and transgender groups.

            Thus, it is necessary to conclude that the relationship between race, class, and gender affects the life chances of people to improve their relative position in our socially stratified world. The concept of inequality regimes should be taken into consideration by politicians, economists and other interested groups to implement change projects in various areas of human activity, including employment, education, health care and others. The study of inequality remains one of the most interesting and significant areas for sociologists because of different forms of inequality affect social interaction in particular and contemporary social life in general. 

References

Acker, J. (2006). “Inequality Regimes Gender, Class, and Race in Organizations,” Gender & Society, 20(4): 441-464.

Collins, P. H. (2009). “Race, Class and Gender as Categories of Analysis and Connection,” Inequality and Society, ed. by Jeff Manza and Michael Sauder. Norton.

Faber, D., Stephen, J., Wallis, V. et al. (2017). “Trump’s Electoral Triumph: Class, Race, Gender, and the Hegemony of the Polluter-Industrial Complex,” Capitalism Nature Socialism, 28(1): 1-15.

Manza, J. (2009). “Inequality and Society: Introduction,” Inequality and Society, ed. by Jeff Manza and Michael Sauder. Norton.

Pickett, K E. & Wilkinson, R. G. (2015). “Income inequality and health: A causal review,” Social Science & Medicine, 128: 316-326.

Smith, A. (2009). “The Division of Labor,” Inequality and Society, ed. by Jeff Manza and Michael Sauder. Norton.

Essay 2

Discussion of inequality within the context of race and class using three of sociology’s most famous theorists: W.E.B. Du Bois, Max Weber, and Karl Marx

            Three of sociology’s most famous theorists, including W.E.B. Du Bois, Max Weber, and Karl Marx, pay due attention to the discussion of  inequality within the context of race and class. Marx is focused on the role of the state and capital in generation of different forms of inequality. Marx believes that social inequality is caused by the dominant role of the elite class over the working class. This fact means that the proper strategies aimed at protection of a better life for the majority of people should be based on inevitable confrontations with a large number of social institutions. According to Marx, “the more productive capital grows, the more the division of labour and the application of machinery expands” (p. 65). The theorist believes that social change is driven by class conflict, which is connected with the division of labour. The exploiting and exploited classes are involved in this conflict.  W.E.B. Du Bois is interested in the study of numerous stereotypes about African Americans, as well as racist assumptions, to assess their impact on inequality. He emphasises the significance of grasping the socially constructed nature of race relations in the U.S. society. Du Bois (2009) states that “America is not a successful democracy” because of racism that still exists in the U.S. society (p. 125). Max Weber, a contemporary to Du Bois, investigates the various consequences and possible implications of bureaucracy, which is one of the major organizational forms of modern society. He states that  “stratification by status goes hand in hand with a monopolization of ideal and material goods or opportunities” (Weber, 2009, p. 89).

            The observations of these three theorists about inequality are accurate today. According to Marx (2009), the economic relations “constitute the material foundation of the present class struggles and national struggles” (p. 55).  The writings of Marx and Weber are considered to be the key sources in the field of sociology. Marx’s ideas about the class conflict, involving the proletariat’s labour which is sold to the bourgeoisie, are accurate today, as business owners or employers are aimed at cutting labour costs. Marx and Weber’s observations about inequality are accurate because in modern society, class struggle is one of the key elements that can reduce social inequality. Political inequality in modern society is fostered by the unequal impact on decision making by political officials, as well as the unequal outcomes of their decisions.”Political inequality is a subtype of power inequality, visible within the political processes of all kinds of political structures” (Dubrow, 2015, p. 477). In the U.S. society, political inequality has become simultaneously a dimension of democracy and a dimension of social stratification (Dubrow, 2015).

            Actually, there are some specific insights each thinker shares. W.E.B. Du Bois, Max Weber, and Karl Marx believes that material goods shape the social world. Social life is affected by the continuous  conflict over material goods, including food, land and financial resources. Marx believes that in the capitalist society, resources are not shared equally. Weber agrees with Marx that people are focused on protecting their own interests. He states that society can become not only more rationalized, but also more bureaucratic over time. Du Bois states that political inequlity and social inequality depend on the intersectional paradigms of race, class, and nation. Hence, the theories of Du Bois, Weber, and Marx  are different from one another because of the use of different approaches to the study of inequality. Anyway, For Marx, class conflict is the most important in understanding and explaining in inequality, while other theorists consider  racial and ethnic conflict as more important than class conflict.

            Finally, the approaches these three scholars use to understanding inequality are different. Their ideas are based on the assessment of the role of the structure of society  which may have additional components that contribute to social inequality. The conclusions they make about inequality are different. Marx concludes that social stratification is caused by different relationships between employers and employees because of different levels of financial profits. The capitalist systems produces poverty and inequality. Weber concludes that status and status groups play an influential role in the spread of inequality. Also, he argues that class and status differences directly impact an individual’s life chances. The distribution of power in groups is unequal, which leads to specific life chances. Du Bois concludes that racial inequality contributes to the growth of other forms of inequality (Bulmer, 2016).Researchers state that “inequality in a range of different forms (local to global in scale) weakens the links between civil society, solidarity, social justice, human rights and democracy” (Richmond, 2014, p. 449).

            Thus, it is necessary to conclude that three of sociology’s most famous theorists, including W.E.B. Du Bois, Max Weber, and Karl Marx, produced ground-braking theoretical frameworks that would stand for generations. Although the approaches these scholars use to understanding inequality are different, they have much common in terms of the assessment of the impact of inequality on society. There is a need for having a good understanding of the meaning of the distribution of power in order to assess inequalities in the distribution of economic resources in modern society. In modern market societies, according to theorists, political power is closely linked to wealth inequality. Currently, inequality generates productive competition in market society, although there is no risk of conflict with the existence of  a viable state and social contracts. Nevertheless, political institutions promote the sources of inequality because of poor, ineffective policies that affect every aspect of social life.

References

Bulmer, M. (2016). “A singular scholar and writer in a profoundly racist world,” Ethnic and Racial Studies, 39(8): 1385-1390.

Du Bois, W. E. B. (2009). “The Problem of the Twentieth Century is the Problem of the Color Line,” Inequality and Society, ed. by Jeff Manza and Michael Sauder. Norton.

Dubrow, J. K. (2015). “Political Inequality is International, Interdisciplinary, and Intersectional,” Sociology Compass, 9(6): 477-486.

Marx, K. (2009). “From Wage Labor and Capital,” Inequality and Society, ed. by Jeff Manza and Michael Sauder. Norton.

Richmond, O. P. (2014). “The Impact of Socio-Economic Inequality on Peacebuilding and Statebuilding,” Civil Wars, 16(4): 449-467.

Weber, M. (2009). “Class, Status, Party,” Inequality and Society, ed. by Jeff Manza and Michael Sauder. Norton.

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"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

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"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

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