Rise Of Inequality Essays - Social Inequality, Social Stratification

Rise Of Inequality In Some Principles of Stratification, Davis and More define the functional theory of stratification as the notion that societies need inequality in order to fill the important occupations wanted by society. The best people need motivation to take the most important jobs, and that motivation comes in the form of rewards, usually a higher income. However, this theory does not explain why inequality in the United States has been on the rise. In William Wilsons The Truly Disadvantaged, Frank Levy explains that the increasing inequality is a result of money-making power shifting from the average worker to the shareholders. Today, the highest paying jobs are not necessarily the most important ones. (For example, teaching is a job that is more functionally important to society than many jobs in the computer engineering field, yet software programmers make more money simply due to their acquired skills.) Furthermore, these high paying jobs have not encountered a shortage of qualified applicants, making the reward of high income unnecessary. Levy explains that the labor force has grown significantly, and this gives employers more choice in who they hire. This mostly hurts lower class workers, for they are less likely to have the skills and education necessary to succeed in the current highly competitive job market. This results in a vicious cycle that hold the underclass down and subsequently raisied the upper class higher above them. Levys explanation supports the findings of Oscar Lewis, who claims that the lower class have their own culture. Lewis also feels that children who grow up in this lower class culture do not fully acknowledge the ways in which they can escape their poverty. The ideas proposed by Oscar Lewis are similar to those of Melvin Tumin. In his response to the Davis and Moore article, Tumin gives a better explanation of the increasing inequality in the United States: he claims that people often inherit the level of jobs from their parents. For example, once the upper class has established itself, they have the power to increase their wages and restrict entrance into their positions. Tumins theory can also be applied to the lower class, for they usually do not have the resources necessary to obtain the required education and networking to get the high paying jobs. Davis and Moore would not completely oppose policies to reduce poverty, because the reduction of poverty would not necessarily take away the motivation for people to work towards careers in what they deem to be the most important professions. It is not necessary for everyone to be paid equally for inequality to be reduced in the US, but rather the lower classes need to have the opportunity to move up socioeconomically and into any profession that they wish (i.e. equal opportunity and equally access). Lower class workers are not any less motivated by the rewards of high paying professions than the upper classactually, they can often be more motivated in attempt to escape their socioeconomic state. But the lower class do not have the opportunities to gain the necessary qualifications (that the upper class tend to set as the norm) for those professions. Sociology Essays

Macbeths rise and fall

Macbeths rise and fall At the beginning of the play "Macbeth" by Shakespeare, Macbeth is described as the undefeatable hero who has downed high treason and the Norwegian invaders and due to his bravery Scotland can expect a new peace.But on their way to King Duncan the commanders Macbeth and Banquo meet the three witches and their prophecies will change the course of history .Thane of Glamis is supposed to become Thane of Cawdor and afterwards even king and Baquo should become progenitor of kings. After a short while he is greeted as Thane of Cawdor by the king's delegates. Consequently he desires to be king as well and believes that all he has to is to commit regicide. The first sign of his ambition is visible.Unlike the hesitating and reflecting Macbeth his wife is willing to become queen and encourages and incites him. Here Macbeth still shows inhibitions and reason when he claims that being Thane of Cawdor would be good enough for him.Macbeth and Banquo meeting the witches in a woodcu...

The Primary Shaper of Gender Differences Research Paper

The Primary Shaper of Gender Differences - Research Paper Example Recent studies demonstrate, however, that nurture is a powerful force in affecting so-called â€Å"genetic† or â€Å"natural† gender differences (Sameroff 8). This paper asks: Are gender differences primarily caused by nature or nurture? This paper believes that gender differences, in terms of risk-taking, aggression, cognitive abilities, and language skills, are significant products of nurture, which refers to a host of diverse environmental factors. Risk-taking is commonly believed to be a masculine trait, but sources show that it is the environment, and not genetics, which plays a large role in shaping risk-taking attitudes and behaviors. In â€Å"Gender Differences in Risk Behaviour: Does Nurture Matter?† Booth and Nolen examined if choosing risky outcomes is truly an innate preference reserved for boys. They hypothesized that single-sex settings for girls can enhance their risk-taking behaviors than co-ed settings and these behaviors will not differ from boy s. They recruited 260 students with an average age of 15 years old. The sampling came from Essex and Suffolk counties in the United Kingdom. The researchers used five rounds of lottery to determine risk-taking behaviors. Findings showed that gender differences in risk-taking preferences are affected by the school environment. In particular, girls from single-sex schools take the same risks as boys from co-ed and gender-exclusive schools and more than co-ed girls. Gender mix also affects risk-taking behaviors, where girls in all-girls groups take higher risks than those in mixed-sex groups. Booth and Nolen concluded that nurture variables had a significant impact on risk-taking behavior, where all-girls settings remove traditional gender influences on risk taking. Morrongiello, Zdzieborski, and Normand seek to provide an explanation for differences in risk-taking behaviors between men and women in their study, â€Å"Understanding Gender Differences in Children's Risk Taking and Inju ry.† They compared the reactions of mothers and fathers to their children’s risk-taking actions. Around 52 mother–father pairs participated, where their reactions to their sons and daughters were recorded before and after injuries. Findings showed differences in kinds and reasons of reactions; for instance, mothers were angry at their sons, while for their daughters, they showed disappointment and shock. The researchers quote psychologists Kessler et al: â€Å"†¦What is hegemonic at any given time depends on how the relations among different kinds of masculinity and femininity have been worked out† (17). Morrongiello, Zdzieborski, and Normand conclude that parents have gender-based perceptions, which affect their discipline approaches to their children regarding their risk-taking behaviors. The way they discipline their children, in turn, affects the existence of gender differences in terms of risk-taking. Nurture affects the genetic risks for aggress ion among men, which proves that the environment strongly brings about gender differences in aggressive personalities between men and women. Boutwell, Franklin, Barnes, and Beaver studied if genetic influences interact with the effects of spanking on children’s behaviors. They analyzed statistics from twin siblings that were gathered from a nationwide-survey. Findings showed that spanking can provoke aggression among children, especially for boys, when genetic risks are present. Boutwell et al. believe that boys are more predisposed to violence,