What are some of the factors that affect social mobility? Can these be overcome?
Several factors affect social mobility in our society today. Some of these factors include gender, industrialization, social change, education, urbanization, among others. Most of these factors can be overcome because they have been in the past. For instance, gender had it that men were the primary family breadwinners and wage earners. Today, both genders earn wages and provide for their families. Social change is responsible for life improvement and change. An individual’s education has a positive correlation with the amount of wages he or she earns in the workforce. In the past, some jobs required specific experience within a particular field. Today, agricultural societies tend to have a closed stratification system, while industrial societies can now move from one social class to another. If agricultural societies can acquire specialized skills through unskilled labor, education, and training, this too can be overcome.
Do you believe the structural-functionalist or the social conflict approach best explains social stratification? Why?
The structural-functionalist asserts that society stays together through consensus. Conflict theorists, on the other hand, believe that the stratification system coerces the lower social classes for the upper classes to benefit. I think that the social conflict theory best explains social stratification because there are higher groups globally in terms of power, status, and wealth. We cannot all live in the same strata socially because we are differently endowed. Additionally, economics has it that for a person to increase his wealth status, someone somewhere has to lose the same amount of wealth. Some wealthy entrepreneurs tend to increase their wealth at the expense of their juniors in the lower positions. The greedy type takes advantage of the poor to become wealthy.
How does the media reflect attitudes on gender as far as depicting women and men in very traditional roles? Provide two detailed examples that substantiate your points—these can be an advertisement, television show, website, or magazine. When you think of various groups (race, class, and gender) in society, which ones have the most power and which ones have the least? Using Intersection Theory, identify two groups that have unequal amounts of power and resources, being specific, and using the text and outside resources. For each group, has the power dynamic changed over time? Do you think it will change in the future? Why or why not?
The media has a significant impact on gender-related traditional roles. It shows adverts depicting women taking kitchen roles such as cooking and taking care of kids. The majority of ads showing men pertain to their working activities, and the majority of male ads relate to the workforce. This is in line with the traditional belief that women are home keepers while men are breadwinners. Women had no authority and were deemed weak. Men, on the other hand, were proactive and dominant. Today, both genders have switched roles, and any gender can take care of the children depending on the prevailing conditions. However, males are still viewed as the dominant figure. Johnson’s commercial piece Bath Time Fun with Dad piece is a perfect example of the change in gender roles. In the advert, we see a man bathing his child in a sink and playing with him. It depicts that the man is taking up the role of taking care of the child, which is traditionally meant for women. It suggests that any gender can take good care of a child. However, in the GTC Work commercial, we see both genders working in as techs and teachers. At the beginning of the ad, we see a male figure with two women hugging him as they head towards the house he just purchased. We also see another man tossing a ball with his children as women watch them. The commercial ad suggests that men are dominant subjects in the family, and they are the primary providers. The GTC Work commercial, therefore, considers both genders.
In my opinion, a class is the most powerful group in society. I also believe that race has the weakest power compared to other groups. The lower class has less power and influence, while the upper class has more wealth and power. Limited opportunities make it difficult for the members of the lower class group to afford a decent life. Members of the lower class cannot pay for better opportunities because they lack resources, and they are constrained. They also have poor access to education because they cannot afford a good education. This makes them lack the necessary skills that are needed for better job opportunities with better wages. The upper class can easily pay to acquire the essential skills required to increase their wages and provide for their families. The power dynamic has not changed much in each group. However, society has tried to establish ways that those in the lower class can access primary education and further it. The society is using financial aids, scholarships, grants, and other ways to help the lower class access education. I have a strong feeling that the lower class will take better advantage of opportunities available in the future provided by society, and the world will be a better place.