Table of contentsIntroductionTypes and causes of social inequalitiesTheoretical perspectives: functionalism and conflict theoryThe contrast between conflict theory and functionalismConclusionReferencesIntroductionThe majority of societies are based on idea of ​​justice and equality, but in every society and culture there is at least one inequality. Social inequality is the existence of unequal opportunities for different social positions and statuses within a society. There are five types of social inequality: inequality of wealth, inequality of treatment and responsibility, political inequality, inequality of life and inequality of belonging. Examples of social inequality include the wage gap, gender inequality, racial inequality, and social class. Social inequality exists due to culture, beliefs, and the government in power or social stereotypes. Some countries around the world, like Saudi Arabia, have been very controversial when it comes to gender inequality. Women are told that they can do whatever they want if it does not affect their household chores. The Western world believes that women in Middle Eastern countries are oppressed, but these women believe that this is not the case, as supported by functionalism and conflict theory (Fatany, 2004). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Types and Causes of Social Inequality Stratification is very closely related to social inequality. This concept refers to the relationship between certain variables such as wealth and social status. Society is in a hierarchical system. Stratification examines the systematic pattern of inequality between generations that has been built into societies (Habibis). Marx is often criticized for focusing only on economic factors because that is what determines social class, but true stratification theory amounts to reductionism. Non-Marxists would believe that inequalities of honor or power are considered the most fundamental sources of class formation, while economic sources come second (Grusky). Dahrendorf (1968) argued that “differential authority in associations is the ultimate cause of the formation of conflicting groups.” In Ireland, those in power decide the minimum wage, those who deserve a house and an education. They are the source of most of the conflicts in the housing crisis. Social mobility, also closely related, is the ability to move up or down in the hierarchical stratification system. If there is a change in position in a profession but not in social class, it is called horizontal mobility (Collins Dictionary). Whereas if there is a change in social class, we speak of vertical mobility. A person who starts in retail and becomes a wealthy business owner would move up in class while a person who goes bankrupt would move down in the class system. There are several reasons why different social inequalities exist around the world and why they persist. . The first is ideology, which is the cultural belief on which countries base their actions, which serves to legitimize key interests and justifies stratification. The second is habitualization, the idea that the behaviors, norms, and values ​​that an individual learns are drawn from and ingrained in their social situation due to prolonged exposure to such a social situation that will be transmitted from generation to generation (PenguinDictionary). Third, being enslaved people who are socially excluded and who lack the power and resources to challenge the existing social order. People who don't have social status don't have the power to change the system. However, a movement like Black Lives Matter or the MeToo movement, bringing together many people working together, can make a difference. Finally, coercive power and violence keep individuals in their place in the hierarchical system because they can make them afraid to question the system. People in power can use their authority against people and keep them in power. Poverty can be a major cause of inequality. To explain the reason for poverty, there can be two reasons. Blame the poor or blame society. The main cause of unemployment is lack of employment. The poor can be the problem because there are plenty of opportunities, you just have to find them. The reason they are unemployed is because they lack motivation, skills or education. The other way to look at it is to blame society. Society does not provide enough opportunities, such as a good education and jobs that pay enough to live and escape poverty (Williams, 2014). People who have lived in poverty for a long time are more likely to fall into the poverty trap. This means that inequality will increase in the next generation. Theoretical Perspectives: Functionalism and Conflict Theory Living in an unequal society can cause stress and anxiety within a society. This stress and anxiety can harm your health. People living in societies where they feel untreated can lose confidence. When they no longer have self-confidence, they may not progress in society as well as they should have. Also, when people feel like they haven't been treated fairly and start to hate competition or people in power. Poor people feel like they have to work too much just to stay alive, while there are those who were born rich and would have it easier in their eyes. There can be conflict between those who are unequal to each other, such as in class systems, between the sexes, or between people living unequal to each other. This brings us to the questions of theoretical frameworks: functionalism and conflict theory. Is this unfair treatment functional or is it just constant unfair treatment that leads to conflict within a population? Functionalism is a theoretical framework that views society as a complex system that works together to promote balance and stability in society. This theory is based on the work of Herbert Spencer, Emile Durkheim, Talcott Parsons and Robert Merton. This theory believes that every aspect of society, such as social norms, roles and even inequalities, has its function. Functionalist theory would view social inequalities as inevitable and functional for society. People living in poverty can make people not want to be in that situation, the education system can make people want to excel, succeed and access well-paying jobs. Although no one wants to be poor in a poorly paid job, it plays a central role in society and is indispensable. For example, “dirty” jobs like cleaning or garbage disposal, no one wants to do them, especially for low pay and in bad conditions, but someone has to do them. Since these jobs are not as important to society,that is why they do not have an income as high as that of a lawyer. This theory emphasizes that inequality is both inevitable and functional, in that there will always be people in low-paid jobs that need to be filled and there will always be jobs with status and good benefits people aspire to. There is a clear difference. between employees, managers and owners, which leads to different social classes. The owner of a factory would earn much more than the employee who works there (Raffo et al). The owner would fall into the upper class, the manager would fall into either the middle class or working class based on salary and the employee would fall into the working class. Social class works in a cycle, if born into a middle class family a person is unlikely to get the best education or land a well paying job. A person born into a wealthy family would progress through higher education, which would provide them with better opportunities. People living in the working class working eight hours a day, five to seven days a week for the minimum wage and could earn €22,000 a year. A lawyer working the same number of hours would earn more than half, or around €55,000 per year, as a junior lawyer. There are many inequalities here. Being primarily a social status, a lawyer would have a higher status than that of a person working for minimum wage. People earning €55,000 per year belong to a higher social class than those earning €22,000 per year. There are many unknowns as to why one person ended up earning more than the other. Factors such as education, gender, race, whether or not they have a disability. Although inequality may be functional, it is also important to recognize that it might not be inevitable if everyone had a fair starting point in terms of opportunities. The Contrast Between Conflict Theory and Functionalism Conflict theory is the opposite of functionalist theory. Conflict theory is based on the work of Karl Marx who viewed society as an arena of inequality that generates social conflict and social change. Life is a competition and focuses on the distribution of resources, power and inequality. Functionalism focuses on the stability of society due to inequality, while conflict theory is concerned with inequalities in society and how they lead to change. According to Marx's theory, there are two main types of people: capitalists, who control capital and the means of production, and the proletariat who are below the capitalists and who provide the labor. Marx's theory considers that there is a constant struggle between the two classes. We now know (Dahrendorf, 1958) that trying to reduce conflicts in society to a common principle is fruitless. This leads either to meaningless generalizations, as if every society faces a social conflict, or to empirically unjustifiable oversimplifications, as if the history of all societies until now has been a history of class struggles. . Feminism is a term used to defend the rights of women in the political arena. grounds for equal rights of both sexes. Here are three main types of feminism, socialist, cultural and radical feminism. Social feminism is a theory that analyzes the connection between the oppression of women in society and any other oppression in society such as racism. Cultural feminism considers that men and women have different approaches to the world and that it 2012.