Table of ContentsSummaryIntroductionKarl Marx on Social Inequality: The Marxist IdeologyMax Weber on Social Inequality: Class, Status, and PartyDavis and Moore on Social Inequality: The functionalist perspectiveConclusionWorks CitedSummaryThe concept of inequality is broad and complex. Sociologists share multiple perspectives – one principle linked to another; others standing alone. Karl Marx viewed inequality in terms of ownership of wealth and control of material goods, which also manifest in ideological perceptions. An assessment of Marx states such a simple view that it does not take into account all other forms of inequality found in society. Max Weber discussed Mark's views on social inequality. Inequality is more complex than Marx described, Weber said. He defined power as the ability to persuade others to do their will and further claimed that it had many sources such as ownership of property, social status, physical strength, and education. On the other hand, sociologists Kingsley Davis and Wilbert Moore believed that an unequal distribution of society's rewards is essential to encourage people and reflect its importance, because this is how a society should be shaped. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get original essayIntroductionThe term social inequality describes a condition in which members of a society have different levels of wealth, prestige, or power . Some degree of social inequality exists in every society. When a system of social inequality is based on a hierarchy of groups, sociologists call it stratification: a structured ranking of entire groups of people that perpetuates unequal economic rewards and power in a society. Ascribed status is a social position assigned to a person without taking into account their characteristics. For example, being a queen is an ascribed status, just like being a woman. In contrast, attained status is a social position achieved by a person largely through their own efforts. This can be positive or negative, so a person could be a former prisoner or a judge. These are acquired statuses. Individuals are more or less affected by social inequality for many reasons, including their gender, economic status, religion, ethnicity, race and even sexuality. People also live in areas that differ in culture, economic resources and potentials. Together, an individual's personal attributes and the manner in which they are inferred, together with family background and the political, social and economic frameworks in which they operate, shape their specific attitudes, life course and chances of achieving to a civilized and appropriate way of life. Karl Marx on Social Inequalities: Marxist IdeologyKarl Marx (1818 - 1883) was motivated by concern for the fate of workers who experienced terrible poverty while all around there reigned great wealth and power. He believed in working towards a classless society. Marxism is often referred to as conflict theory. Marxists see society as divided by conflicts between the social groups that compose it. Marx believed that social change was the natural order of societies. In every form of society, there are only two classes of people. It is the bourgeoisie that owns and controls all assets. Those who work for them are the proletariat and only possess their own capacity to work. The bourgeoisie iscapable of controlling the proletariat through two mechanisms. These are direct control through the exercise of power and indirect control of people's minds through the use of ideology or ideas. It is the second means of control that is the most dangerous, because people come to accept certain ideas as true or self-evident without really questioning them. We accept that some people are rich and others are poor as a part of everyday life and so there is very little challenge to the idea that the greed and selfishness of the rich world is acceptable and should to be copied by the rest of us. Religion played an important role here too because it teaches people that they should seek reward in heaven and not equality on earth. Marx also recognized gender inequality, which he believed would eventually manifest itself once all inequality disappeared. Feminists have taken Marxist ideas and developed them into an analysis that places gender inequalities as being as important as class inequalities. Marx predicted that capitalism would be overthrown when workers revolted against their masters and created a classless society. He thought it would happen during his lifetime, or shortly after his death. This clearly did not happen.Max Weber on Social Inequality: Class, Status and PartyAccording to Max Weber (1864 -1920), social inequality includes three main types of inequality. The first is “CLASS” and is primarily market-based, while the second is “STATUS” – also known as Stand in German. And the third type of stratification is the “PARTY” where power is distributed. Weber pointed out that the two forms of stratification come from two different parts of society. It is status, with its emphasis on honor, that comes from Gemeinschaft, while class comes from Gesellschaft. And it is from both that the Party is born. Weber also drew the conclusion that status and class are fundamentally different, although they are related. While the former is rooted in rational calculation, the latter in abstract emotion, so they cannot be mixed. In fact, when the two are separated, analysts get a much clearer view of the systems and how different types of inequality persist. Weber said that people create groups and organizations that tend to advance their own interests, thereby maintaining and reproducing social inequalities. Status is formed from the tendency of people to judge each other. While Karl Marx believed that society would become more polarized, Weber asserted that more and more social classes would develop in capitalist society. Davis and Moore on social inequalities: the functionalist perspective Functionalists see society as made up of shared values. They argue that inequality and stratification are convenient for society and a source of social order. Davis and Moore proposed this theory in 1945. For them, stratification is a system of status and employment. Davis and Moore went on to argue that society must fill the most important and difficult jobs with the most talented and hardest-working people. If people were all paid the same, regardless of their job, they would take the easiest jobs and get the least amount of training possible. There would be no incentive to work hard and take difficult courses. The company ensures that the highest salaries and best working conditions are given to those who are willing to put in the time.