Relations between constituent parts social structure may contain elements of social equality and social inequality. However, social equality is a rather shaky concept. Even within the same social groups, elements of the hierarchy will be traced, caused by different ways life of individual societies, their activity and participation in public life. Moreover, social relations themselves are, politically speaking, relations of social inequality. The desire to portray a socially equal society in scientific and philosophical works were a fantasy, a utopia. The attempt to build communism as a society of socially equal individuals led to the tragedies of millions.

The first attempts to analyze social inequality in society, its causes and nature, to measure its parameters, were made in the era of antiquity, in particular. Plato and. Aristotle. However, such theoretical improvements were unsystematic, accidental and had no empirical basis. These theories were scientific in part. And only with education industrial society, as well as the establishment of sociology as a science, attempts to understand the essence and degree of social inequality were no longer random, but conceptual.

class theory

The first researcher who created scientific concept social inequality was. Charles. Marx, who developed the famous theory of classes and class struggle

In Marxism, classes - these are large groups of people who differ in their place in the historically conditioned system of social production, in their relation to the means of production, in their role in public organization labor, but also according to the methods of obtaining and the size of the share of social wealth that they manage.

Proceeding from the Marxist-Leninist theory, classes are a historical phenomenon. They arose during the collapse primitive communal system and have changed as much as the means of production have changed. Each social and economic formation corresponds to its class. Thus, in slavery the antagonist classes were slave owners and slaves, in feudalism - feudal lords and serfs, in capitalism - the bourgeoisie and the working class. D. Voma classes, workers and peasants are not antagonists in a socialist society. As for communism, there will be no classes in it at all, because classes, being a historical phenomenon, arose at a certain stage in the development of civilization, so the day and time will come when they must disappear, and society will become classless.

The main criteria by which Marxism divided society into classes were the following:

organization of social production;

Ownership of the means of production

The use of hired labor

Based on these criteria, the level of income is distributed between classes, as a result of which in capitalism there are such classes as the bourgeoisie, the proletariat (working class) and the peasantry.

In addition to classes, as I thought. K. Marx, there are other social strata in society, in particular, interclass layers - the intelligentsia, declassed elements and marginal groups of the intelligentsia. Marx calls a social group consisting of persons professionally employed creative work requiring special education(doctors, scientists, cultural and art workers, teachers, etc.). The intelligentsia has nothing to do with production, therefore it is not a class, but is called upon to serve the interests of classes. Declassed elements are social strata of the population that do not have any property and a stable source of income. The marginal strata are at the very "bottom" of society, beyond the limits characteristic of this society social norms and values. The marginal strata cause contempt in all other members of society society.

In today's Ukrainian society, to one degree or another, all the above social groups exist.

classical theory. K. Marx and. V. Lenin, faltered already in Soviet times where, despite the adopted model 2 1 (two classes - the peasantry and workers, and a stratum - the intelligentsia, everyone is approximately equal in terms of your working conditions and income level), there was tangible social inequality. Yes, and if you remember that the bourgeoisie Lenin, was divided into large, medium and small, there was a so-called group of middle peasants, which, among other things, was numerous, it was extremely difficult to catch clear lines between classes, because the petty bourgeoisie in terms of income often could not be equal to the bourgeoisie, but to middle peasants, and sometimes even to the proletariat. Therefore, for a clearer understanding of class theory, one should use the concept of "social strata", which make up internal structure classes and large social groups (for example, the order mentioned above, the big and petty bourgeoisie; workers of high, medium and low qualifications).

. social layer- a set of individuals employed in economically and socially equivalent types of labor, who receive approximately equal material and moral remuneration

Thus, it is more expedient to speak not just about the class, but about the class-version structure of society.

In any case, class theory treats social inequality one-sidedly. One of the main shortcomings that can be found in class theory is the recognition of social inequality as a historical phenomenon, i.e. one way or another, with an attempt to see a socially homogeneous society in the future. Another problem of class theory is the deviation in explaining the social inequality of all factors other than economic. June is already several decades after the appearance of the theory. Marx. M. Weber proved that in addition to wealth, the status of a person in society is also influenced by power and prestige. Therefore, the theory class structure as a single factor in explaining social inequality began to falter. A different concept was needed, which used a variety of factors influencing the formation of social inequality and whose theoretical positions would be supported by empirical data. Such a concept was the theory of social stratifications and fikatsii.

When considering the class-stratification theory, which reveals the process of stratification of society into social classes and layers, we see that this stratification is based on unequal access of people to material wealth, power, education, prestige, which contributes to the hierarchical structure of society, that is, the placement of some layers above or below others. Thus, the problem of equality and inequality characterizes the process of stratification.

Social inequality- these are the conditions under which people have unequal access to such social benefits as money, power, prestige, education, etc.

There is no single answer to the question of what causes inequality in sociology. representatives of philosophy and sociological trends trying to explain this process from their positions.

Thus, Marxism explains the social inequality existing in society economic organization. From the Marxist point of view, inequality is the result of the fact that people who control social values ​​(mainly the means of production, wealth and power) benefit for themselves. This situation can generate resentment and lead to class struggle. This so-called conflict theory.

Supporters of the theory of functionalism do not agree with the Marxist theory. They consider social inequality as a condition for the existence of society, which makes it possible to encourage the most beneficial species labor and the best representatives of society. Thus, M. Durkheim, in his work “On the Division of Social Labor”, is one of the first to explain inequality by the fact that in all societies some types of activity are considered more important than others. All the functions of society - law, religion, family, work, etc. - form a hierarchy according to how highly they are valued. And people themselves are talented in different ways. In the process of learning, these differences are intensified. In order to attract the best and gifted, society must promote social rewards for their merits.

M. Weber bases his theory of inequality on the concept status groups who enjoy honor and respect and have unequal social prestige.

According to P. Sorokin, the cause of social inequality is property, power, profession.

A peculiar approach to explaining social inequality - in reputation theory of L. Warner. He determined the belonging of people to one or another stratum, based on the assessment of their status by other members of society, that is, reputation. Conducting research, he came to the conclusion that people themselves are accustomed to dividing each other into superior and inferior. Thus, the cause of inequality is the psyche of people. (See: Ryazanov, Yu. B. Social inequality / Yu. B. Ryazanov, A. A. Malykhin // Sociology: textbook. - M., 1999. - P. 13).

By stating the fact of social inequality in society and revealing its causes, many sociologists, and not only functionalists, justify it. So, P. Sorokin noted that inequality is not only an objective reality social life but also an important source social development. Equalization in income, in relation to property, power deprives individuals of an important internal incentive for action, self-realization, self-affirmation, and society - the only energy source development. But life proves that there is different inequality when one works, to put it mildly, has everything and even more, while the other, while working, barely drags out a beggarly existence. Such inequality cannot be easily justified.

Factors of social inequality

Factors of social inequality may intersect with its causes. This is due to the fact that both of these concepts (“factors” and “causes”) reveal the essence of why and under the influence of what aspects this or that social phenomenon.

Remark 1

Most of representatives of sociological thought (for example, Herbert Spencer, Emile Durkheim, Karl Marx and Pitirim Sorokin), the main factor in the emergence of social inequality is called public division labor. But each of them explains the essence of this factor in its own way.

For example, Herbert Spencer emphasizes that conquest should be singled out as the most key factor in social inequality. On the one hand, the victors and invaders form the ruling class, and on the other hand, the defeated are obliged to obey it. The prisoners of war subsequently become slaves, serfs and become more dependent on the upper stratum of the population.

Another idea that has big influence on the development of a sociology of inequality is the idea of ​​evolution and natural selection. One of the directions of evolutionism within the 19-20 centuries was social Darwinism. He explains social inequality by the fact that between different human societies there is the same struggle for existence and survival as between biological organisms. For example, L. Gumplovich claims that always and at any time social processes and movements will occur under the influence of economic motives. States arise as a result of military clashes between races, the winners become the elite, and the losers are just a mass. Nevertheless, such a stratification, which is based on racial and ethnic differences, is nevertheless built precisely on the division of labor with a predominance of the economic aspect.

There is another opinion that concerns the main factors of social inequality. Thus, supporters of structural functionalism (founder Emile Durkheim) identified two main factors:

1. Hierarchy of activities in society;
2. The degree of talent of individuals.

Remark 2

Thus, social inequality is a necessary feature of any society. It ensures that the most important social positions are occupied by the most competent and trained specialists, respectively, they occupy the top position in the social hierarchy.

Importance of inequality factors

To summarize all of the above, it is worth noting the following: inequality, which is caused by natural differences between people, as the division of labor and other economic processes gradually becomes feature all human societies. The structural-functional tradition recognizes that social inequality is a fundamental and mandatory principle of the organization of society, which reflects the functions of each individual social stratum, group or individual.

The Marxist approach sees inequality as typical trait societies on different stages development. However, after a certain time, this approach proved to be untenable, since in practice a social experiment in our country has formed a hidden inequality. The structure of social inequality in any particular society is influenced not only by internal factors(interactions between all members of society, their specificity, etc.), but also global trends that come from outside. This is especially noticeable during post-industrial society when the whole world and all communities are in a state of globalization and internationalization.

Signs of social inequality

social stratification has its own specific characteristics.

First, these are the so-called qualitative characteristics of social inequality. These signs are inherent in every person, and in everyone they are individual character because they are innate. These include the following:

1. Ethnicity;
2. Gender specifics;
3. Age features;
4. Family origin (family ties);
5. Intellectual personality traits;
6. Psycho physiological features person.

Secondly, these are socially differentiating signs. They are related to the fulfillment of the prescribed role of the individual. Most often they are different types professional and labor activity. This sign is inextricably linked with the first one (qualitative characteristics of the personality), because the degree of his perception of other social norms will depend on how developed a person is in himself. So, for example, a person with physical limitations (disabled person) cannot work in an enterprise that involves high physical exertion.

Thirdly, these are signs of possession. This does not include the income of the individual, but the possession of property, material and spiritual values, privileges and goods that may not be available to everyone.

Remark 3

Pitirim Sorokin singled out his hierarchy of signs of social inequality:

1. Economic - the main differentiating factor is wealth. Many authors separate wealth from income, since income is what a person receives for his activities and labor, and has the right to spend almost immediately. Wealth, on the other hand, is all accumulations that are, to a certain extent, inviolable;
2. Political - the presence of power. A person who has influence over others, can impose (in various forms - soft or authoritarian) his opinion, his views and worldview - he has power. The higher the degree of influence, the more power in his hands. The people over whom he has power already automatically belong to the lower strata and social classes;
3. Professional - the differentiating factor is the level of prestige of the received profession. In modern society technical specialties are the most in demand, but training in them is much more difficult than in the humanities. Nevertheless, wages also depend on demand, and income depends on wages, which brings us back to the economic sign of social inequality.

Structural functionalism as sociological paradigm

Structural functionalism is a direction of sociological thought,

sociological paradigm, the essence of which is to highlight

elements social interaction, determining their role and place in

larger social system or society as a whole, as well as their social

Founders:

I. Alfred Radcliffe-Brown

Key Ideas:

· social order supported by social institutions Social institutions- norms of behavior - are supported by constant practices. Practices should not interfere with each other. In some cases, they support each other. There is a process of "co-adaptation".

· Functionalism is a way of organizing practices to maintain stability in society.

· social structure is a set of sustainable social relations. There is a "total social structure" that is reproduced by sustainable practices Evolutionism vs. Diffusionism. How to study society?

Comparison of practices in societies is needed different type

II. Bronislav Malinovsky

Key Ideas:

v Enabled Surveillance

It is necessary to study the worldview and culture of people in order to understand how society is possible

v Reciprocity, principle of reciprocity:

-General

-Symmetrical

-Negative

v social action can only be explained by means

Understanding people's needs. You need to understand their culture

their values ​​and the way they meet the needs in this

culture.

III. Talcott Parsons

The world is systemic, so you need to study it in a systematic way

The system is holistic education. Its aspects are structural and procedural.

· Systems exist in interaction with the environment with which they are in exchange relations.

· Structure is a set of standardized relationships between elements of the system.

Element social system – acting man(actor)

A role is an expected behavior corresponding to a status and social position individual

Quantitative and qualitative methods in modern sociology

Methodology sociological research is a set of methods

sociological research, methods and approaches to their application.

All methods of sociological research can be divided into two categories.

1) data collection methods

2) methods of processing sociological data

Methods of data collection in sociological research are divided into two

1) quantitative methods

2) qualitative methods of sociological research.

Therefore, there are such types of sociological research as

quantitative and qualitative.

Qualitative Methods sociology allow the sociologist to understand the essence

any social phenomenon, and quantitative - to understand how

massively (frequently encountered) is a social phenomenon and how important it is

for society.

To quantitative methods studies include:

· - sociological survey

- content analysis of documents

- interview method

- observation

- experiment

Qualitative methods of sociology:

· - focus group

- case study ("case study")

- ethnographic research

- unstructured interviews.

K. Marx on the origin of inequality

According to Marx, classes arise and fight on the basis of different

position and various roles performed by individuals in the production

structure of society, that is, the basis for the formation of classes is

social division of labor.

In turn, the struggle between antagonistic social classes

acts as a source of social development.

1. The emergence of classes becomes possible only when growth

productivity of labor leads to the appearance of a surplus product, and

common ownership of the means of production is replaced by private ownership

property.

2. With the advent of private property, it becomes inevitable

property inequality within the community: separate clans and families

get richer, others become poorer and become economically dependent on

first. Elders, commanders, priests and other persons who form

tribal nobility, using their position, are enriched at the expense of the community.

3. The development of production, the growth of trade, the increase in population destroy

former unity of clan and tribe. Thanks to the division of labor,

cities are centers of crafts and trade. On the ruins of the old tribal system

arises class society, whose characteristic feature is

antagonism between the classes of exploiters and exploited.

4. The ruling classes, being the owners of all or at least

measure essential funds production, get the opportunity to assign

the labor of the oppressed classes wholly or partly deprived of means

production.

5. Slavery, serfdom, wage labor form three successive

another way of exploitation, characterizing the three stages of class-

antagonistic society. With the first two methods of class

exploitation of the direct producer (slave, serf) was

legally disenfranchised or incomplete, personally dependent on the owner

means of production. In these societies, "... class differences were fixed and

in the class division of the population, was accompanied by the establishment of a special

legal place in the state for each class ... The division of society into

classes are inherent in both slave and feudal, and bourgeois societies, but in

the first two there were classes-estates, and in last classes

classless"

Thus, the basis of the inequality of society according to Marx is

economic development society. The more economically developed the society

The more class inequality is felt.

In the article we will talk about what social stratification and social inequality are. This is a rather burning question, which still remains relevant and popular in modern world. Inequality has existed since the beginning of time, but it has changed its forms and been transformed. We will try to consider this issue in detail from all sides.

What is this about?

To consider questions of social inequality and the stratification of society should be only after we clearly understand the terminology. Interestingly, not all people know that the very term to which our article is devoted was borrowed from geology. There it means that the earth consists of different layers.

Social stratification is the division of society into separate layers with the help of various social instruments. Most often this social status, which gives an idea of ​​the achievements and significance of a person in our value system. In fact, there are a lot of criteria for separation. We will try to mention all of them.

Figuratively speaking, one can imagine a straight line that is divided along its entire axis. Stratification is that there are different distances between different coordinates. The vertical line is very indicative of how stratification is formed. Most often, the divisions on it display financial condition a person, the amount of his power, education, ways of spending leisure time, measures of consumption, and so on.

Why are we so different?

Many people perceive social stratification and social inequality negatively. The reason is that they believe that all conflicts in society arise on this basis. However, it is not. Even a child notices that all people are different. We are all very different in character, in appearance, in intellectual abilities. Of course, you don't always want to admit it and focus on it, but it's true. Another issue is that the concept of social inequality and social stratification is subjected to so many attacks due to the fact that people, even realizing their shortcomings, do not want to overcome them. They just have a negative attitude towards those who are on more higher level social hierarchy. But reasonable people they understand that it is completely pointless to envy and denigrate those whom nature has endowed with the talent of an artist, musician, entrepreneurial ingenuity, and so on. At the same time, each person can try to develop these qualities in himself and become better. But you need to take into account your psychological and physiological characteristics in order to realistically assess the situation.

Distribution base

Now we will talk about basic criteria along which society is divided. As we know, the inequality of social groups reflects social stratification, but let's delve into the main indicators.

First, it is income. Money has always been key factor because they give power and allow it to be held. On the this moment money is not the only key factor in stratification, but it still plays huge role in society. And that's okay. The next indicator is education. It's not about whether you got higher education how many universities you graduated from and whether you have a red diploma. It's about more about how educated person how he can carry on a conversation, how he decides logical tasks, as oriented in difficult situations how to get rid of stress and so on. All this allows us to judge how intelligent this person is, and how to build relationships with him.

Power

The next indicator is power. Very often it depends on family ties and income, as well as intellectual abilities, but not always. Sometimes power can be innate quality person. That is, he can be able to lead people, convince them of something, correct their points of view and influence decisions. This is also a kind of power that exerts quite strong influence to large populations. From the following basic indicators, we note prestige, that is, an indicator of our status. All people understand that they have disadvantages and advantages, but someone knows how to present it profitably, while someone creates the impression of an insecure and negligent child. The fact is, even if you are very smart and talented, this is not enough. You must be able to demonstrate your qualities, defend your point of view, and most importantly, be yourself in any situation. The courage to be yourself also brings a certain power and prestige, which in the future is reflected in the reputation and relationships in the group.

Causes

Social stratification describes social inequality in a society, but it also explains why things happen the way they do.

Note that without social inequality it would be very difficult for society to exist. In other words, ordinary chaos would begin, since there would be no hierarchy. Sociology cannot give a specific answer to the causes of stratification, but it offers different variants and points of view, which we will discuss below.

First, social stratification and social inequality are explained by the fact that each person or a certain group of people performs certain function in society. In other words, everyone has their own specific task and, naturally, some tasks are more important, and some are less important. Based on this, people are already being divided into those who are engaged in more specific serious matters, and those who help them in this. You can draw a parallel with production. So, for example, there are key workers who are directly involved in the production process itself. And there are those who help maintain this process and this is their main job. Likewise with society. In order for all to exist in normal conditions Everyone has to mind their own business and fulfill their role. But the problem of modernity is that, in view of a large number motivational books, trainings, videos, films, etc. many people have decided to give up their role and try themselves in something more. In fact, there is nothing wrong with this, on the contrary, it is very good development events. But there is one a big problem. All motivational stimuli affect even those people who are satisfied with their situation. That is, they like to live in a particular city, perform certain work, to return to your family, or to live by yourself and engage in some kind of craft, it is possible to live only by the goals of society, etc. But modern society criticizes all this and aims everyone at a single goal - to achieve happiness through self-realization. All this confuses people, and they stop following their real desires, go on about marketers.

We've gone a little off topic. functional reasons inequalities. In fact, she leads us to next reason, which is different status of people. That is, if you take certain place, then you have a certain status. Inequality in status leads to the fact that there is, in principle, differentiation of the population.

Economic point of view

It is very important to consider this issue from this angle. Social structure, social inequality, social stratification - all this is considered in detail in the works of Marxists. They say that the stratification of society began with the emergence of private property. Naturally, this is an exaggeration, which, nevertheless, has won many fans around the world. But there is still some truth in this.

The fact is that economic inequality is caused by the fact that people have different attitudes to the process of creating and accumulating wealth, as well as to property. Someone is giving more attention his real life and wants to receive maximum return in the present, and someone saves more money, and then skillfully invests it and gets even more profit. For others, the money is simply inherited or as a result of a successful operation. In other words, there can be many reasons for inequality, but they do exist.

Personal qualities

Social stratification and social inequality is also caused by the fact that each person has his own individuality. This means that everyone has a personal set of qualities that are a union of advantages and disadvantages. But someone focuses on their minuses, thus stopping a little on their own. life path. Others focus on their merits, trying to solve the problem of their shortcomings, that is, to somehow deal with them or learn to exist peacefully. Such people achieve more because they know what is their main weapon.

Social inequality: the theory of social stratification

This theory belongs to William Warner, who proposed the idea that stratification is based on the prestige of different sections of the population, as well as on what people think of each other. But he researched Western society, and identified 6 population groups that he found in the context of social division:

• Aristocrats.
• self-made millionaires high results.
• intellectual elite.
• Educated people.
• Workers.
• People without education own house, beggars and criminals.

Theory of inequality M. Weber

Max Weber believed that the main criterion of stratification, which determines the position of a person in the life hierarchy, is not his belonging to a certain group, but his personal qualities and status, which allow him to independently raise or lower himself on the social ladder. Second an important factor stratification Max Weber considered the respect and reputation that a person receives in the course of their activities. Exactly good position in society very often ensures the rapid and high-quality promotion of a person.

Social stratification, inequality, mobility - all this was considered by the researcher as factors that the person himself is able to influence if desired. He talked about the fact that the classification of people, based on what class or caste they are, is a thing of the past.

P. Sorokin's theory

The scientist expressed his thoughts in the work "Social mobility", written in 1927. Note that in sociology this work is considered a classic. According to him, social differentiation is the division of people into certain groups within a certain hierarchical system. The essence is that everything is distributed unevenly - rights, privileges, duties, power, etc. All this is never distributed in equal parts and in such a way that there is enough for everyone.

Three forms of differentiation

Also, the peculiarity of Sorokin's work is that he singled out three main forms of differentiation, namely political, economic and professional. He considered social group, social stratification, social inequality only in the context of these three spheres of human life. At the same time, he noted that they are very strongly intertwined, and it is on their basis that relationships are built in all other areas.

He also singled out interprofessional and intraprofessional differentiation in professional stratification. In other words, he divided people according to the rank they hold within their profession. That is, they are hired workers, entrepreneurs or employees top management. As for interprofessional stratification, he emphasized the importance of the profession for society as a whole and the level of intelligence that is necessary to engage in a particular activity.

Summing up the article, we note that social group, social stratification, social inequality - these are concepts with which life is closely intertwined modern man. However, the ideas of humanism are currently so widespread that inequality is gradually fading into the background, which indicates positive changes in society.