Question

SOC- P: How do Wright's model of social class and Gilbert and Kahl's model of social class fit within this ideal society and does the society require different social classes? Why or why not?

Answer 1

• Industrialization in America transformed the society to be populated due to improved technology and development of corporations. The three class structures were established where upper class consisted of monopolies as well as businesspersons who exploited employees because of the corruption in the government. Those in the middle class influenced the corporations to concentrate on the benefit that would be received from the owners of small businesses.
• The lower class struggled due to harsh treatment and poor working conditions but they led to the change in the government as well as monopolies. Even if industrialization was influenced by the upper class since they had a lot of freedom, the lower and middle classes influenced through ensuring that they survive and could not follow the corporations who had their rules.
• According to Dennis Gilbert, some households earn more income than others can if they increase number of those who are capable of earning income. The size of household is very important because if they combine their income, it becomes higher. The focus of Gilbert Kohl is income where people are classified according to the economic system. When a person gets quality education, the occupation is better and the level of class rises.
• Gilbert Kohl model of social class uses the system of economy in development of structure of classes.
• Capitalist class consists of people who relate with people whom they belong to the same class and avoid the inferior class.
• The upper middle class is made up of professionals as well as managers who have formal education and they succeed from the type of jobs that they do.
• The middle class are semi professionals who receive training after college education.
• Working class are operators of machines who are semi skilled and includes sales people as well as clerks.
• The classes of working poor are unskilled laborers and their payment is very low, they do not have savings and depend on pensions after retirement.
• The underclass suffers from unemployment, they lack self-esteem and their level of education is very low.
• The distinctions between class of people result from economic differences. Some people in the society are ranked as being socially inferior or socially superior because of income, the level of wealth, interaction patterns as well as occupation. Those who belong to the same class interact together where they have similar values.
• Parents assign status to their children due to the income that flow to the ancestors. The upper class has enough wealth, own big houses but the family had to have the wealth for one generation or more. Middle class are successful moderately and consist of businesspersons with morals like that of fundamentalism. Lower class is the people who do not have any trouble, are laboring and rely on public relief.
• Erik Wright identified four classes: capitalists, petty bourgeoisie, managers, and workers.
  
• Capitalists (owners of large enterprises); petty bourgeoisie (owners of
  small businesses); managers (employees who have authority over others); and workers.
• The exploitation-centered concept of class provides a framework for linking the microlevel question about explaining individual material conditions and interests with the macro-level question about historical variation and the normative question about emancipatory transformation. What needs changing in capitalism is a system of property relations that confers power on capitalists and enables them to exploit and oppress others.
• These theories indicate that social classes are inevitable part of our life.As much as we focus on equal treatment,the fact remains that these classes do exist in our society and we cannot escape them.
• Some have considered class a “necessary evil” and most social theories assume that having classes is, in itself, unfair and a “bad thing”. But there is no example of a successful (sustainable and growing) society which has not had social classes of some kind.
• Classes will appear as a natural consequence of humans being gregarious. The real solution, which may well have to be a dynamic solution to fit the times, is to design the class system to be used, rather than let it appear by default. Most of the perceived injustices of class are connected to either the classes being hereditary or because movement between the classes is forbidden.
• The real question is what attributes to use in defining classes which help a society to function and which are not unjust. It cannot be along just hereditary lines and it cannot be just based on wealth.
• However any class system must be able to accommodate the realities of ancestry and wealth. Parents will always seek to give their children an advantage and wealth will always be able to purchase more.
• Whatever classes we invent must be capable of juxtaposing different levels of wealth within each class and must allow membership from any parentage. It should be possible to move from one class to another.
• Emile Durkheim argued in the Division of Labor (or Labour) in Society (1893) that people differ in ability, and that these abilities lead us to take on a different role in the labor force. Thus, some people will be turning screws and some people will be managing others.
• Durkheim, for his part, seemed to think that this division was going to be awesome for everyone because all people could be part of a larger whole—the manager and the screw-turner both contribute in their own unique way toward making an automobile.
• However, one of the consequences of a division of labor is that some people are going to have better jobs than others, more freedom and autonomy in their work, and also, more respect, prestige, and status.
  
• Social groups can gain benefits from having divisions of labor—they increase productivity by allowing people to specialize their skills.So, I guess whether our society needs them or not,it will continue to exist.