In a meritocracy society people are rewarded
for their talent and ability, A society where
Social positions are achieved by Merit..........
... Such as Educational Qualifications, Talent or
Skill and Social class, Gender, Ethnicity etc are
seen as less significant.
Annotations:
Evidence that that Society is Meritocratic - People from Lower class achieve higher status through talent E.g. Sir Alan Sugar
Evidence society is not meritocratic- Intelligent and talented people are still being judged due to their Ethnicity, Gender , Social Class etc
People born into richer families get more Opportunities
Functionalist see society like a human body so different
parts of society are like different organs. Each Part plays an
essential role ...
.. for it to survive as a whole. As long as each
parts does their job everything runs smoothly
Funtionalism&Inequaliy inGender
Functionalist say Men&Women naturally have
different roles in society. Women play the 'Caring'
role where as Men play the 'Practical' role
They say These differences are ascribed at birth and
help society run Smoothly, Ann Oakley criticises this
view and says Gender roles are ....
.... Socially constructed and not biologicaly ascribed
Functionalism&Inequality in Age
Age has become more important in Modern society
and Provides the function of Social integration
Old age is seen as a time of isolation and loneliness and
receiving pensions means a drop in social status and
being cut of from mainstream society.
Functionalism&Inequality in Class
Having a System that ranks people in hierarchy
performs a functions in society. Functionalist
believe that having a hierarchy of social classes ...
... (A) helps us identify the most important
and highly thought of jobs in society which
are at top of the hierarchy.
....(B) Allows society to reward those performing the
important roles through pay and prestige
.... (C) Helps us strive to achieve our best in
order to move up the hierarchy and a social
system which is open allows social mobility
between ....
classes so that the most talented people are
given the opportunity to get the most vital
roles.