SOCA01H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Meritocracy, Achieved Status, Social Stratification
Document Summary
Social stratification refers to persistent patterns of social inequality in society: how wealth, power & prestige are socially distributed and transmitted from one generation to the next exists in all societies. Some sociologists say that politics is primarily responsible for equality. Or that social complexity is most significant. In hunter- gatherer societies, division of labour is men hunt & women gather they share everything. In inuit culture, the old ppl walk out in the blizzard and don"t come back b/c they feel like they"re a burden to society. The legitimacy argument occupations try to legitimize what they make, using excuses such as skill, time, dangers. Mao tried to impose equality and the death toll was 40 million. Anarchism political ideas that is suspicious of power & authority. Inequality is inevitable because societies can"t exist w/o politics. Politics form of decision making & coordination. Societies are organized and politics does the organizing.
