Social inequality main types. Social inequality. Different level of education

And they have unequal life chances and opportunities to meet their needs.

In the very general view inequality means that people live in conditions in which they have unequal access to limited resources of material and spiritual consumption.

Fulfilling qualitatively unequal working conditions, satisfying social needs to varying degrees, people sometimes find themselves engaged in economically heterogeneous labor, because such types of labor have a different assessment of their social utility.

Main mechanisms social inequality are the relations of property, power (dominance and subordination), social (that is, socially fixed and hierarchized) division of labor, as well as uncontrolled, spontaneous social differentiation. These mechanisms are mainly associated with the features market economy, with inevitable competition (including in the labor market) and unemployment. Social inequality is perceived and experienced by many people (primarily the unemployed, economic migrants, those who are at or below the poverty line) as a manifestation of injustice. Social inequality, property stratification of society, as a rule, lead to an increase in social tension, especially in the transition period.

The main principles of social policy implementation are:

1. protection of the standard of living by introducing various forms of compensation for price increases and indexation;
2. providing assistance to the poorest families;
3. issuance of assistance in case of unemployment;
4. provision of social insurance policy, establishment of minimum wages for employees;
5. development of education, protection of health, environment mainly at the expense of the state;
6. pursuing an active policy aimed at ensuring qualifications.

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Liberal perspective on the causes of inequality

Causes of inequality

From the point of view of the theory of conflict, the cause of inequality is the protection of the privileges of power, who controls society and power, he has the opportunity to benefit personally for himself, inequality is the result of tricks of influential groups seeking to maintain their status. Robert Michels deduced the iron law of oligarchy: an oligarchy always develops when the size of the organization exceeds a certain value, because 10 thousand people cannot discuss the issue before each case, they entrust the discussion of the issue to the leaders.

According to experts from the international humanitarian organization Oxfam, the reasons for the growth of social inequality in the world since 2010 are as follows:

• evasion of wealthy people from paying taxes, by withdrawing funds to offshore,
• cutting wages for workers
• increasing the gap between the minimum and maximum wage levels.

Changing the degree of social inequality in the process of history

Wilfredo Pareto believed that the degree of economic inequality, the proportion of rich people in the population is a constant thing. Karl Marx believed that in the modern world there is a process economic differentiation- the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer, the middle class is disappearing. Pitirim Alexandrovich Sorokin refuted these hypotheses with facts in hand and proved that the level of economic inequality fluctuates over time around one constant value. Too strong an increase in the degree of inequality or equality is equally fraught with national catastrophe and upheaval. Increasing inequality too much makes it easy for a narrow group of millionaires to be overthrown or destroyed. As the experience of South America has shown, oligarchic regimes are very unstable. The experience of the policy of war communism in Russia showed that after the decree of 1918, when the difference in incomes was limited by the ratio of 175:100

Max Weber identified three criteria for inequality:

The first criterion can be used to measure the degree of inequality in terms of income differences. With the help of the second criterion - by the difference in honor and respect. With the help of the third criterion - by the number of subordinates. Sometimes there is a contradiction between the criteria, for example, a professor and a priest today have a low income, but enjoy great prestige. The leader of the mafia is rich, but his prestige in society is minimal. Rich people statistically live longer and get sick less. A person's career is influenced by wealth, race, education, parental occupation, and personal ability to lead people. Higher education makes it easier to move up the corporate ladder in large companies than in small ones.

Figures of inequality

The horizontal width of the figure indicates the number of people with a given amount of income. At the top of the figure is the elite. Over the past hundred years, Western society has evolved from a pyramidal structure to a diamond-shaped one. In the pyramidal structure, there is a vast majority of the poor and a small handful of oligarchs. The diamond-shaped structure has a large share of the middle class. A diamond-shaped structure is more preferable than a pyramidal one, since in the first case, a large middle class will not allow a handful of poor people to arrange a civil war. And in the second case, the vast majority, consisting of the poor, can easily overturn the social system.

Social inequality - This is a type of social division in which individual members of a society or group are at different levels of the social ladder (hierarchy) and have unequal opportunities, rights and obligations.

Main indicators of inequality:

• different levels of access to resources, both physical and moral (for example, women in Ancient Greece, who were not allowed to participate in the Olympic Games);
• various working conditions.

Causes of social inequality.

The French sociologist Émile Durkheim deduced two causes of social inequality:

1. The need to encourage the best in their field, that is, those who bring great benefits to society.
2. Different levels of personal qualities and talent in people.

Robert Michels put forward another reason: the protection of the privileges of power. When the size of the community exceeds a certain number of people, they put forward a leader, or a whole group, and give him more authority than everyone else.

Criteria of social inequality.

Key inequality criteria Max Weber stated:

1. Wealth (difference in income).
2. Prestige (the difference in honor and respect).
3. Power (difference in the number of subordinates).

Hierarchy of inequality.

There are two types of hierarchy, which are usually represented as geometric shapes: pyramid(a handful of oligarchs and a huge number of poor, and the poorer, the greater their number) and rhombus(few oligarchs, few poor and the bulk of the middle class). A rhombus is preferable to a pyramid in terms of the stability of the social system. Roughly speaking, in a diamond-shaped version, the middle peasants, satisfied with their lives, will not allow a handful of poor people to stage a coup and a civil war. You don't have to go far for an example. In Ukraine, the middle class was far from being the majority, and disgruntled residents of poor western and central villages overthrew the government in the country. As a result, the pyramid turned over, but remained a pyramid. There are already other oligarchs at the top, and at the bottom there is still a large part of the country's population.

Solving the problem of social inequality.

It is natural that social inequality is perceived as social injustice, especially by those who are in the hierarchy of social division at the lowest level. In modern society, the issue of social inequality is in the introduction of social policy bodies. Their responsibilities include:

1. Introduction of various compensations for socially unprotected segments of the population.
2. Help poor families.
3. Benefit for the unemployed.
4. Determining the minimum wage.
5. Social insurance.
6. Development of education.
7. Healthcare.
8. Ecological problems .
9. Raising the qualifications of workers.

Thus, inequality turns out to be a complex phenomenon, i.e. made up of several parts. So, each part should be evaluated separately. To say that inequality is an absolute evil or an absolute good would be a simplification of the question. Let's not forget that the assessment can also be different. Moral condemnation is one thing, and an efficiency approach is another.

A change in attitudes towards inequality occurs with the formation of industrial civilizations that proclaim the rights and freedoms of the individual. This contributes to the awareness of one's individuality, sensitivity to the pressure of society, and, first of all, to obstacles that hinder the realization of personal qualities. Therefore, inequality in starting positions and in the ability to realize oneself begins to be regarded as a socially unfair phenomenon. After all, it makes a person dependent not on his personal efforts, but on external forces. Overcoming such forms of inequality also has social efficiency, because it weakens the tension of social conflicts in society.

For industrial societies, the problem of reconciling individual and social interests becomes characteristic. After all, on the one hand, a society that has proclaimed the rights and freedoms of the individual cannot be guided by violence, and on the other hand, it needs to realize the public interest. As a result, the concept of social justice is formed, which is based on the principle of an agreement between a person and society or an agreement on mutual guarantees. According to it, each party must sacrifice part of its rights for the sake of guaranteeing mutual security and mutual preservation and preserve the principle of voluntariness and freedom of relations.

First of all, society creates conditions for overcoming inequality in starting positions and the opportunity to realize oneself. But they are realized not as equality in labor ("who does not work, he does not eat") or equality in the distribution of goods. Society equalizes the starting positions through the guarantee of the right to life. This is manifested in the creation of a system social protection the poor, unemployment benefits, etc. In addition, conditions are being created for the implementation of equality of opportunity so that a person's success is made dependent only on his personal efforts. For this, various class and caste restrictions are being eliminated. Finally, society guarantees everyone the right to manifest autonomy and originality by renouncing a single ideology and creating a rule of law state. Thus, the individual is called to be guided by the principle: act in such a way that the realization of your desire does not interfere with the realization of the desires of others.

But on the other hand, society needs to create ways to involve a person in public life. For this, a system of incentives is used. In this system, inequality in the distribution of wealth becomes one of the dominant incentives. Society thus implements the principle: if you want to achieve a goal, then focus on encouragement and persuasion. As a result, inequality in the distribution of wealth becomes part of the workings of the principle of justice. It is associated with the dependence of the scale of possession of goods on one's own efforts.

1. One of the most important features of society is the presence of structure, which distinguishes society from the crowd. All types of social structuring can be reduced to horizontal differentiation, a feature of which is the equality or equivalence of differences between groups, and vertical differentiation, which implies a hierarchy between social groups depending on the different degree of possession of social values.

2. Vertical differentiation gives rise to the social stratification of society. As the main values ​​that determine the position of the group in the system of stratification, it is customary to single out power, wealth, prestige. It is customary to distinguish caste, estate and class forms social stratification.

3. When the inequality between groups is not just described, but also evaluated, then we can talk not just about stratification, but about social inequality. Types of inequality: inequality in the distribution of benefits, in starting positions, opportunities for self-realization.

4. The reasons for the emergence of social inequality are the desire of society to create a system of incentives for involving individuals in the performance of social functions; in historical conditions that do not allow providing individuals with freedom of choice; in the subjective interest of the ruling classes.

5. In an industrial society, with the proclamation of the rights and freedoms of the individual, the attitude towards inequality is changing. Inequality in the distribution of goods retains its significance as a form of incentive. Inequality in starting positions and opportunities for self-realization are assessed as socially unfair.

test questions

1. How does the estate-caste form of stratification differ from the class form?

2. What is "inequality in starting positions"?

3. Why does society use inequality in the distribution of wealth as an incentive?

4. What problems in the field of social inequality need to be addressed by a society that has proclaimed the rights and freedoms of the individual?

Social structure is a set of the most essential elements and relationships between the elements that make up a society.

Social stratification is one of the forms of social structure based on the distribution of individuals (or groups) along the school of inequality

Social inequality is the degree and possibility of possessing generally significant benefits

An open society is a society where any individual can claim to perform any social function (role) by free choice

A closed society is a society where all individuals are attached to their social functions (roles) by force, tradition or laws and cannot change them.

(answer only "yes" and "no")

1. The theory of stratification comes from the fact that any society consists of levels that relate to each other in terms of domination and subordination, no matter whether it concerns power, privilege or prestige

2. Class-caste stratification is characteristic of primitive societies

3. A person's belonging to a particular class is determined by his origin

4. Stratification occurs only in a society where some people begin to use the labor of others

5. Classes are a type of stratification in which a person's position in society is determined mainly economic criteria

6. Social inequality is a negative phenomenon in the life of society

7. The reason for the emergence and existence of social inequality is due to the interests of the ruling classes

8. Inequality acquires social significance when a person's ability to achieve any goals is determined not by his abilities, but by the peculiarities of the social structure.

9. The true origins of social inequality lie in the natural qualities of any person

10. The position of a person in society has always been determined by wealth

11. Social inequality can play a positive role in society

12. As beings, natural people are equal among themselves

13. Social inequality can play the role of an incentive in society to perform functions that are important for society

CHOOSE THE CORRECT ANSWER

1. Social stratification is

a) the theory of the movement of people from one social stratum to another

b) the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe desire of people for goods

c) a set of features that determine the social structure

2. What is the least important reason for the social stratification of society

a) the interest of the ruling classes

b) the need to ensure the performance of important functions for society

c) natural differences between people

d) the rarity of the goods necessary to meet the needs

3. The division into property owners, production organizers and employees is most typical for

a) caste structure

b) class structure

c) class structure

d) shop structure

4. Free transition from one group to another is characteristic of

b) estates

c) classes

d) ethnic groups

e) tribes

5. Religion as a factor in social division is the reason for the creation

a) estates

b) classes

6. An open society is a society

a) which exists in any critical era, when all social barriers are collapsing and there is a need to renew the composition social groups

b) where all individuals have the right to perform any social functions

c) which allows individuals from other societies to live in it

d) where there are not only traditions, but also laws

7. Social inequality plays a positive role because

a) can play the role of an incentive in the performance of socially important functions

b) separates the virtuous from the immoral

c) allows you to separate hardworking people from idlers

8. A positive stimulating role in society is played by

a) inequality in starting positions

b) inequality in remuneration

c) attaching people to social groups and strata

1. “Not all differences between people create stratification. Sex and age are universal, but in most societies they form only "statistical strata". They are not able to serve as a tool for creating "social groups" E. Bergel. And why?

2. What type of social stratification, in your opinion, "can be understood to the smallest detail" by P. Berger and why?

3. “Classes” are not communities: they represent only a possible basis for joint action” M. Weber. How to understand this expression?

4. "To each according to the degree of divine grace resting on him." "To each according to his capital." “To each according to his participation in the defense of the country from the enemy, according to his military service and participation in management” P. Sorokin. What types of social stratification are we talking about?

5. “Society must somehow distribute its citizens according to social positions and stimulate them to fulfill those duties that are imposed by this position. A similar statement is true for both competitive and non-competitive systems” K. Davis, W. Moore. And why?

6. “Sorcerers and leaders, according to the belief of primitive society, are persons gifted with unusual abilities and providing tremendous services. Hence they are the most full-fledged individuals. Let these merits from our point of view are only imaginary merits, actually useless, which they often were, but from the point of view of the society of that time ... they seemed valuable and useful ”P. Sorokin. What aspects of social inequality are discussed in this passage?

7. “Social inequality is such an unintentional device that guarantees society that the most important positions will be deliberately occupied by the most qualified people” K. Davis, W. Moore. Is there any common sense in these arguments? What is she in? What can be objected to?

8. "In every society, the scope of the rights and benefits of a particular estate is generally proportional to their merits, according to that society" P. Sorokin. What aspects of social inequality are discussed in this passage?

9. “The traditional approach to management is expressed by “theory X”. The main task of management is the production of things with the help of people who must be rewarded, controlled and punished if we are to achieve an effective use of managers, equipment and capital. The average person is by nature lazy; he tends to work as little as possible. He is devoid of ambition, sense of responsibility and prefers to be managed rather than manage. On top of that, he is selfish and indifferent to the affairs of the organization. This theory is based on erroneous ideas about human nature, a confusion of what is a consequence and what is a cause. The way “theory X” imagines behavior is explained not by human nature, but by the nature of industrial organization” D. McGregor. How do you understand the main idea of ​​this discussion? About what traits social life does this argument say?

10. Why is a system of incentives needed to perform public functions? Why society cannot be guided by the principle: “There are many people. Everyone has different desires and some needs, so there will always be those who want to perform any profession”?

11. Why did the victories of the uprisings of the lower classes very often end in the restoration of the same social relations that they opposed? List the possible reasons and name the ones you think are the most important?

12. What do you think, under what conditions does the question of equality or inequality of people begin to acquire the character of a social problem, and under what conditions does it not?

13. Why were many civilizations of the past class or caste societies?

14. Is the expression true that society must exist for the sake of realizing the interests of man? Can the interests of the individual and society completely coincide? Is it possible to achieve this, and if not, what can be achieved in the relationship between man and society?

15. Why were traditions and customs sufficient to organize life in the community and there was no special need to use other incentives to perform public functions?

16. "The fundamental principle is that in organizing this or that area of ​​the life of society, we must rely as much as possible on the internal forces of society and resort to coercion as little as possible." How did you understand what the author of the statement wanted to say with these words? Is it always possible?

17. “Be a slave the bravest and wisest, yet he was a “thing”, and in the early days of slavery nothing could erase the seal of his shameful origin. The master was and remained a “person”, even if he was “complete mediocrity” and moral insignificance” P. Sorokin. What type of social stratification and social status are we talking about? What features of this type of stratification does the author note?

18. “Ancient social differentiation resembled a house with apartments tightly separated from each other, sharply different from each other in wealth and luxury. ...Modern social differentiation is similar to a state-owned building with state-owned apartments. But the difference from the previous picture here is that these apartments communicate with each other” P. Sorokin. How did you understand the author's idea? What is the difference between these types of stratification?

2.6. Relations of power and control

2.6.1. The concept of power and control. Sources of power

2.6.2. State as a form of social management

2.6.3. State functions. The problem of the essence of the state

2.6.4. State origin

2.6.5. The concept of politics. Causes and conditions of its existence in society. The political system of society

2.6.6. Parties as an element of the political system

2.6.7. The concept of a political regime

2.6.8. Types of political regimes: democracy and totalitarianism

Goals and objectives of the topic

1. Give an idea of ​​the essence of power and control as necessary conditions for the existence of any society.

2. Describe the main sources of power.

3. Formulate the main features of the state as a form of social management and the main functions that it performs in society.

4. Formulate the reasons for the emergence of the state.

5. Give an idea of ​​the political system and the functions that it is intended to perform in society.

6. To characterize the parties as an essential element of the political system: the main features of the parties, functions in society, causes and development trends.

7. To characterize the main types of political regimes: democratic, totalitarian and authoritarian, showing their essential and specific features that distinguish them from each other, as well as the conditions for the domination of one or another type of regime.

Social inequality appeared in primitive tribes and intensified at subsequent stages of the development of society.

In modern society, large social groups are distinguished, differing in income (wealth), level of education, profession and nature of work. They are called classes, social strata.

In society, there is a social division into groups of the rich (upper class), prosperous (middle class), poor (lower class).

The rich, the upper class include those who own large property, money. They are on the top rung of the social "ladder", receive large incomes, have large property ( oil companies, commercial banks, etc.). A person can become rich thanks to talent and hard work, inheritance, and a successful career.

Between the rich and the poor is the middle class of wealthy, wealthy people. in cash. They maintain a decent standard of living that allows them to satisfy all reasonable needs (purchase high-quality food, expensive clothes, housing).

The poor - the lowest class - receive the minimum income in the form of wages, pensions, scholarships, social benefits. This money can be used to purchase only the smallest amount of necessities of life necessary to maintain the health and life of a person (food, clothing, etc.).

Imagine that all people are socially equal. Universal equality deprives people of incentives to move forward, the desire to make maximum efforts and abilities to fulfill duties (people will consider that they receive no money for their work). Furthermore what they would get by doing nothing all day).

Inequality between people exists in any society. This is quite natural and logical, given that people differ in their abilities, interests, life preferences, value orientations, etc.

In every society, there are poor and rich, educated and uneducated, enterprising and unenterprising, those in power and those without it.

In this regard, the problem of the origin of social inequality, attitudes towards it and ways to eliminate it has always aroused increased interest, not only among thinkers and politicians, but also among ordinary people who consider social inequality as an injustice.

In the history of social thought, the inequality of people was explained in different ways: by the primordial inequality of souls, by divine providence, by the imperfection of human nature, by functional necessity by analogy with the organism.

The German economist K. Marx associated social inequality with the emergence of private property and the struggle of interests of various classes and social groups.

The German sociologist R. Dahrendorf also believed that the economic and status inequality underlying the ongoing conflict of groups and classes and the struggle for the redistribution of power and status is formed as a result of the market mechanism for regulating supply and demand.

The Russian-American sociologist P. Sorokin explained the inevitability of social inequality by the following factors: internal biopsychic differences of people; the environment (natural and social), which objectively puts individuals in an unequal position; the joint collective life of individuals, which requires the organization of relations and behavior, which leads to the stratification of society into the ruled and the managers.

The American sociologist T. Pearson explained the existence of social inequality in every society by the presence of a hierarchized system of values. For example, in American society, success in business and career is considered the main social value, therefore, scientists of technological specialties, plant directors, etc., have a higher status and income, while in Europe the dominant value is “preservation of cultural patterns”, in connection with what society gives special prestige to humanities intellectuals, clergymen, university professors.

Social inequality, being inevitable and necessary, manifests itself in all societies at all stages of historical development; only the forms and degree of social inequality change historically. Otherwise, individuals would lose the incentive to engage in complex and laborious, dangerous or uninteresting activities, to improve their skills. With the help of inequality in income and prestige, society encourages individuals to engage in necessary, but difficult and unpleasant professions, encourages more educated and talented people, and so on.

The problem of social inequality is one of the most acute and topical in modern Russia. A feature of the social structure of Russian society is a strong social polarization - the division of the population into poor and rich in the absence of a significant middle stratum, which is the basis of an economically stable and developed state. Strong social stratification, characteristic of modern Russian society, reproduces a system of inequality and injustice, in which the opportunities for independent self-realization in life and raising social status are limited for a fairly large part of the Russian population.

FEDERAL AGENCY FOR EDUCATION

STATE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION OF HIGHER PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION

……………………………………

Department UP-1

Sociology homework

"SOCIAL INEQUALITY, ITS CAUSES AND TYPES"

Student: ……………………

080504 - State and municipal administration

1 course, gr. UP-1

Checked:

……………………….

Introduction ……………………………………………………………………..….. 3

1. The essence of social inequality…………………………………..………..4

2. Causes of social inequality…………………………………………...5

3. Modern types of inequality ………………………………………..……….8

Conclusion……………………………………………………………...………..11

References……………………………………………………………..12

INTRODUCTION

The formation of the "New Russia" markedly changed social relations, social institutions, gave rise to new forms of social differentiation and inequality.

Discussions about social inequality, its content and the criteria for its emergence have a long history. The problem of social inequality, taking into account the values ​​of traditional society, appears in the works of Aristotle, Plato, Tacitus.

In my opinion, in the modern world, indicators characterizing social inequality should be continuously monitored and evaluated. This is necessary for one reason - the degree of social inequality may exceed some acceptable limits. Exceeding the permissible degree of inequality leads to a large difference in the standard of living of certain status groups of society, which can be regarded as discrimination, infringement of certain groups of the population. This fact often leads to the emergence of social tension in society, exacerbates social conflicts.

The object of my research is society, and the subject is the study of inequality.

Since my essay is devoted to the problem of inequality in society, my task is to determine the essence and causes of social inequality, as well as to consider the types of social inequality.

1. THE ESSENCE OF SOCIAL INEQUALITY

To begin with, I would like to define what the term “inequality” means? In general terms, inequality means that people live in conditions in which they have unequal access to material and spiritual consumption resources. And the inequality between groups of people is characterized by the concept of "social stratification".

When considering the problem of social inequality, it is fair to proceed from the theory of socio-economic heterogeneity of labor. It is the socio-economic heterogeneity of labor that is the consequence and cause of the appropriation by some people of power, property, prestige and the absence of all these signs of "advancement" in the social hierarchy of others. Each of the groups develops and relies on its own values ​​and norms, and if they are placed according to a hierarchical principle, then they are social strata.

In social stratification there is a tendency to inherit positions. The operation of the principle of inheritance of positions leads to the fact that not all capable and educated individuals have equal chances to occupy positions of power, high principles, and well-paid positions. There are two selection mechanisms at work here: unequal access to truly high-quality education; unequal opportunities for obtaining positions by equally trained individuals.

I would like to note that the inequality of the position of different groups of people can be traced throughout the history of civilization. Even in a primitive society, age and sex, combined with physical strength, were an important criterion for stratification.

2. CAUSES OF SOCIAL INEQUALITY

The basis of the reason for the unequal position of people in society, some representatives of sociological thought, consider the social division of labor. However, scientists explain in different ways the ensuing consequences and, especially, the reasons for the reproduction of inequality.

Herbert Spencer believes that the source of inequality is conquest. Thus, the ruling class - the winners, and the lower class - the vanquished. Prisoners of war become slaves, free farmers become serfs. On the other hand, frequent or constant wars lead to the deliberate dominance of those who function in the state and military sphere. Thus, the law of natural selection operates: the stronger dominate and occupy a privileged position, while the weak obey them and are on the lower rungs of the social ladder.

The development of the sociology of inequality, the idea of ​​evolution and the law of natural selection had a significant impact. One of the directions of evolutionism is social Darwinism. Common to all representatives of this trend was the recognition that the same struggle is going on between human societies as between biological organisms.

Ludwig Gumplovich is convinced that the cause of any social movement is economic motives. The means for realizing these interests are violence and coercion. States arise as a result of military clashes between races. The winners become the elite (the ruling class), while the losers become the masses.

William Sumner is the most influential social Darwinist. He uniquely interpreted in his writings the ideas of Protestant ethics and the principle of natural selection. He most clearly manifested the ideology of social Darwinism in his writings of the 70s. Since evolution does not occur at the will of people, it is therefore stupid and absurd to design models of society, Sumner believed. The struggle for existence and survival is a natural law of nature that does not need to be changed. And capitalism is the only healthy system, the rich are a product of natural selection.

Karl Marx believed that initially the division of labor does not lead to the subordination of some people to others, but, being a factor in the mastery of natural resources, causes professional specialization. But the complication of the production process contributes to the division of labor into physical and mental. This division historically preceded the formation of private property and classes. With their appearance, certain areas, types and functions of activity are assigned to the corresponding classes. Since then, each class has been engaged in the kind of activity intended for it, owns or does not own property, and is located on different rungs of the ladder of social positions. The causes of inequality lie in the system of production, in a different relationship to the means of production, which allows those who own property not only to exploit those who do not have it, but also to dominate them. To eliminate inequality, the expropriation of private property and its nationalization is necessary.

Subsequently, within the framework of the conflict theory, R. Dahrendorf, R. Michels, C.R. Mills et al. began to view inequality as the result of the conditions under which people who control such social values ​​as wealth and power derive benefits and advantages for themselves. In any case, social stratification is seen as a condition of social tension and conflict.

Proponents of structural functionalism, following Emile Durkheim, identify two causes of social inequality

Hierarchy of activities Degree of talent

in a society of individuals

Decisive for the formation of modern ideas about the essence, forms and functions of social inequality, along with Marx, was Max Weber (1864 - 1920), a classic of world sociological theory. The ideological basis of Weber's views is that the individual is the subject of social action.

In contrast to Marx, Weber, in addition to the economic aspect of stratification, took into account such aspects as power and prestige. Weber viewed property, power, and prestige as three separate, interacting factors that underlie hierarchies in any society. Differences in ownership give rise to economic classes; differences of power give rise to political parties, and differences of prestige give rise to status groupings or strata. From here he formulated his idea of ​​"three autonomous dimensions of stratification." He emphasized that "classes", "status groups" and "parties" are phenomena related to the distribution of power within the community.

The main contradiction between Weber and Marx is that, according to Weber, a class cannot be the subject of action, since it is not a community. In contrast to Marx, Weber associated the concept of class only with capitalist society, where the market is the most important regulator of relations. Through it, people satisfy their needs for material goods and services.

However, in the market people occupy different positions or are in different “class situations”. Here everyone sells and buys. Some sell goods, services; others - the labor force. The difference here is that some people own property and others don't. Weber does not have a clear class structure of capitalist society, so different interpreters of his work give inconsistent lists of classes.

Taking into account his methodological principles and summarizing his historical, economic and sociological works, one can reconstruct Weber's typology of classes under capitalism as follows:

Working class dispossessed. It offers on the market

their services and differentiated by skill level.

petty bourgeoisie- a class of small businessmen and merchants.

Dispossessed White Collar Workers: technical specialists and intelligentsia.

Administrators and managers.

Owners who also strive through education for the advantages possessed by intellectuals.

5.1 Owner class, i.e. those who receive rent from land ownership,

mines, etc.

5.2 “Commercial class”, i.e. entrepreneurs.

3. MODERN INEQUALITIES

3.1. Poverty as a type of inequality (consider the period when changes in this area were especially noticeable)

The phenomenon of poverty became the subject of research in modern Russian sociology in the early 1990s. During the Soviet period, the concept of poverty in relation to Soviet people was not used in domestic science. In socio-economic literature, the category of low income received official recognition, which was revealed within the framework of the theory of welfare and socialist distribution.

Today, an important characteristic of society is its social polarization, stratification into rich and poor. In 1994 per capita cash ratio income of 10% of the richest and 10% of the poorest Russians was 1:9, and already in the first quarter of 1995 - almost 1:15. However, these figures do not take into account those 5% of the super-rich population, for which statistics do not have data.

According to official statistics, for 1993-1996. number of unemployed increased from 3.6 million to 6.5 million (including those officially registered with the state employment service - from 577.7 thousand people to 2506 thousand).

Working-age population amounted to 83,767 thousand in 1994, 84,059 thousand in 1995, 84,209 thousand in 1996, 84,337 thousand in 1997, and 84,781 thousand in 1998. human.

Economically active population in 1994 it was 73,962.4 thousand, in 1995 - 72,871.9 thousand, in 1996 - 73,230.0 thousand, in 1997 - 72,819 thousand people.

Population with cash incomes below the subsistence level is 30.7 million or 20.8% of the population of the Russian Federation. IN

In 1997, the 10% of the wealthiest population accounted for 31.7% of cash income, while the share of the 10% of the poorest population accounted for only 2.4%, i.e. 13.2 times less.

According to official statistics, the number of unemployed in 1994 was 5478.0 thousand, in 1995 - 6431.0 thousand, in 1996 - 7280.0 thousand, in 1997 - 8180.3 thousand .

3.2.Deprivation as a kind of inequality.

Deprivation should be understood as any condition that generates or can generate in an individual or group a sense of their own deprivation in comparison with other individuals (or groups). Five types of deprivation can be distinguished.

Economic deprivation.

It stems from the uneven distribution of income in society and the limited satisfaction of the needs of some individuals and groups. The degree of economic deprivation is assessed according to objective and subjective criteria. An individual who, according to objective criteria, is economically quite prosperous and even enjoys privileges, may, nevertheless, experience a subjective feeling of deprivation. For the emergence of religious movements, the subjective feeling of deprivation is the most important factor.

Social deprivation.

It is explained by the tendency of society to evaluate the qualities and abilities of some individuals and groups higher than others, expressing this assessment in the distribution of such social rewards as prestige, power, high status in society and the corresponding opportunities for participation in social life.

Ethical deprivation.

It is connected with the value conflict that arises when the ideals of individual individuals or groups do not coincide with the ideals of society. Often the value conflict arises due to the presence of contradictions in the social organization. Such conflicts between society and intellectuals are known.

Mental deprivation.

It arises as a result of the formation of a value vacuum in an individual or group - the absence of a significant system of values, in accordance with which they could build their lives. The usual reaction to mental deprivation is the search for new values, new faith, meaning and purpose of existence. Mental deprivation manifests itself, first of all, in a feeling of despair, alienation, in a state of anomie, arising from objective states of deprivation (social, economic or organismic). It often results in actions aimed at eliminating objective forms of deprivation.

Conclusion

In its most general form, inequality means that people live in conditions in which they have unequal access to limited resources of material and spiritual consumption. To describe the system of inequality between groups of people in sociology, the concept of “social stratification” is widely used.

When considering the problem of social inequality, it is quite justified to proceed from the theory of socio-economic heterogeneity of labor. Performing qualitatively unequal types of labor, satisfying social needs to varying degrees, people sometimes find themselves engaged in economically heterogeneous labor, because such types of labor have a different assessment of their social utility.

It is the socio-economic heterogeneity of labor that is not only a consequence, but also the reason for the appropriation by some people of power, property, prestige and the absence of all these signs of “advancement” in the social hierarchy among others.

In social stratification tends to inherit positions. The operation of the principle of inheritance of positions leads to the fact that not all capable and educated individuals have equal chances to occupy positions of power, high principles, and well-paid positions.

Social stratification has a traditional character, since, with the historical mobility of form, its essence, i.e., the inequality of the position of different groups of people, is preserved throughout the history of civilization. Even in primitive societies, age and sex, combined with physical strength, were important criteria for stratification.

Considering the dissatisfaction of members of society with the existing system of distribution of power, property and conditions for individual development, one must still keep in mind the universality of people's inequality.

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