Stratification and Class Theory: Davis and Moore, Marx, Weber

One argument, not three opinions

You already know that sociologists work from different perspectives, and that functionalism looks for consensus while Marxism looks for conflict. This topic is where those labels turn into something more specific: three actual explanations of why society is unequal, which you have to be able to set against one another. It helps to see them as one argument rather than three separate positions. Davis and Moore ask what inequality is for, and answer that it does a job. Marx asks who it is for, and answers that it serves one class at the expense of another. Weber then does the thing students most often miss: he agrees with a great deal of what Marx said about where the main division lies, and disagrees about what happens next. Knowing where two thinkers agree is worth more in an exam than knowing only that they differ, because it lets you say precisely what the disagreement is about. That is what this module is for.

Words for class and stratification

Six terms this topic requires you to use precisely. The first is the topic; the rest are the machinery of the two class theories.

The four requirements, in order

Davis and Moore argued in 1945 that stratification is a universal necessity, and set out four things a society must achieve in order to function. Put them in the order in which they must happen.

• All roles must be filled
• They must be filled by those best able to perform them
• The necessary training must occur
• The roles must be performed conscientiously

What inequality is for

Davis and Moore argued that unequal rewards serve a purpose. What did they say that purpose was?

• Unequal rewards attract the ablest people into the most important positions, and motivate them to train for and perform those roles
• Unequal rewards allow the ruling class to take the value produced by others
• Unequal rewards reflect natural differences in ability and are therefore inevitable
• Unequal rewards preserve traditions that hold a society together

Match the term to its theorist

Which two are criticisms of Davis and Moore

Select the TWO standard criticisms of the functionalist theory of stratification.

• It is not clear that some highly paid roles really are more functionally important than lower-paid ones, such as nursing
• There is no proof that exceptional talent is required for those roles, or that talent can be reliably measured
• It assumes that all societies have exactly four social classes
• It denies that training is necessary for any role

Where Weber agreed with Marx

Here is the part of this topic most worth getting right, because most answers get it half right. It is easy to file Marx and Weber as two conflicting accounts of class and leave it there. In fact Weber agreed with Marx on the biggest point: that ownership of the means of production is the major division in society. His disagreements are about what follows from that. Marx argued that capitalism polarises, that the two classes are driven further apart until the subject class becomes conscious of its position and revolution follows. Weber saw no evidence of that polarisation. He argued that classes divide into finer gradations rather than two blocs, pointing to groups such as well-paid professionals whose market situation is quite unlike either the owners or the poorest workers; that the middle class expands under capitalism rather than contracting; that revolution is therefore not inevitable; and that political power does not derive only from economic power. So the honest summary is that Weber accepted the diagnosis and rejected the prognosis. In an answer, say that first and the difference afterwards, because it shows you know exactly what the two of them are arguing about.

The apparatus in words

Marx argued that stratification arises from a group’s relationship to the _____ of production. Those who control it he called the _____ class, and those who must work for them the _____ class. He argued that the ideas of the controlling group present the arrangement as natural, producing what he called false class _____ in those who accept it. He also argued that capitalism is inherently unstable, and that the two classes are driven further apart in a process of _____.

The claim that flattens Weber

Four sentences from an answer comparing Marx and Weber. Select the ONE that misrepresents their relationship.

• Weber agreed with Marx that ownership of the means of production is the major division in society.
• Weber rejected Marx’s claim that capitalism polarises society into two opposed classes.
• Weber disagreed with Marx about everything, arguing that class does not matter.
• Weber argued that the middle class expands under capitalism rather than contracting.

Two accounts of the same division

Both accept that ownership matters most. Set them out this way and the disagreement becomes precise rather than general.

Attribution drill

Five quick questions on who argued what. Attribution is examined directly on this topic. Three lives.

A theory compared, worked

A question asks you to compare functionalist and Marxist explanations of stratification. Here is an answer that would score well. Davis and Moore argued in 1945 that stratification is a universal necessity, because a society must fill all its roles, fill them with those best able to perform them, ensure the necessary training occurs, and have those roles performed conscientiously. Unequal rewards, on their account, are the mechanism that attracts able people into important positions and motivates them to train. Marx offered an entirely different explanation of the same inequality: that it arises from a group’s relationship to the means of production, with a ruling class controlling production and a subject class working for them, and that ruling class ideology produces a false class consciousness in which the arrangement appears natural. The two accounts therefore disagree about what inequality is for: Davis and Moore see it as serving society, whereas Marx saw it as serving one class. Both have been criticised. It is not obvious that the most highly rewarded roles are the most functionally important, and there is no proof that exceptional talent is required or can be reliably measured; equally, Weber argued that Marx was right about the main division but wrong to expect polarisation. Notice what that answer does. Every claim is attributed to somebody. It states the disagreement precisely rather than saying the two perspectives differ. And it gives the criticisms the same seriousness as the theories.

State who argued what

Assemble a sentence that reports a theoretical position properly rather than asserting it.

Answering on stratification

A question asks you to assess sociological explanations of social class. Take the decisions in order.

• How should you open?
• You want to bring in Weber. What is the strongest way to do it?
• You have set out Davis and Moore’s theory. What must follow?
• How should the answer end?

Explain the three positions

Explain and assess sociological explanations of social stratification, using the theorists named in your specification.

• State Davis and Moore’s claim that stratification is a universal necessity, with the date
• Give all four of their requirements for a society to function
• Explain how they argued unequal rewards work
• Give two criticisms of their theory
• Explain Marx’s account of class, using means of production, ruling class and subject class
• Explain ruling class ideology and false class consciousness
• Explain where Weber agreed with Marx before saying what he rejected
• Reach a judgement, attributing every claim rather than asserting any of them yourself