Structural functionalism theory racial stratification in healthcare
![structural functionalism theory racial stratification in healthcare structural functionalism theory racial stratification in healthcare](https://image.slideserve.com/343081/what-is-functionalism-l.jpg)
Bush was not the smartest or most politically talented individual, but he was well connected and born at the top of the stratification system (white, male, wealthy, American), and therefore was elected to a position with great power-the U.S. For example, some would argue that former U.S.
![structural functionalism theory racial stratification in healthcare structural functionalism theory racial stratification in healthcare](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/prof-150703110444-lva1-app6892/95/profdr-halit-hami-z-sociologychapter-9social-stratification-in-the-united-states-55-638.jpg)
But in real life, the system does not work so easily or perfectly. Second, functionalism assumes that the system of social stratification is fair and rational, and that the “best” people end up on top because of their superiority. Thus, functionalism can be critiqued on the basis that there is little connection between income and functional importance. However, if teachers, bus drivers, nurses, cleaners, garbage collectors, or waitresses stopped working, society would close down. Do his earnings demonstrate his contribution to society? If NBA players or famous comedians went on strike and decided not to work, most people would not notice. Are basketball players more essential to society than teachers? Are basketball players more functionally important than teachers? In 2009, comedian Jerry Seinfeld earned $85 million. earns $29,000 per year, whereas a National Basketball Association player can earn as much as $21 million per year.
![structural functionalism theory racial stratification in healthcare structural functionalism theory racial stratification in healthcare](http://image.slideserve.com/171212/structural-functionalist-theories-of-education-l.jpg)
In another example, a primary school teacher in the U.S. According to this critique, the engineers in a factory, for example, are just as important as the other workers in the factory to the success of a project. First, it is difficult to determine the functional importance of any job, as the accompanying specialization and inter-dependence make every position necessary to the overall operation. There are several problems with this approach to stratification.
![structural functionalism theory racial stratification in healthcare structural functionalism theory racial stratification in healthcare](https://triumphias.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/races.jpg)
It is logical that society must offer greater rewards (e.g., income, vacations, promotion) to motivate the most qualified people to fill the most important positions.Ĭritiques of the Functionalist Perspective For example, according to this theory doctors should be rewarded highly, because extensive training is required to do their job. Garbage collectors are important to public sanitation, but do not need to be rewarded highly because little training or talent is required to perform their job. In other words, it makes sense for the CEO of a company, whose position is more important functionally, to make more money than a janitor working for the same company.Ī job’s functional importance is determined by the degree to which the job is unique and requires skill, meaning whether only a few, or many other people, can perform the same function adequately. Inequality ensures that the most functionally important jobs are filled by the best qualified people. Moore in a paper published in 1945, is a central claim within the structural functionalist paradigm, and purports that the unequal distribution of rewards serves a purpose in society. The Davis-Moore hypothesis, advanced by Kingsley Davis and Wilbert E. The layering is useful because it ensures that the best people are at the top and those who are less worthy are further down the pyramid, and therefore have less power and are given fewer rewards than the high quality people at the top. The layers of society, conceptualized as a pyramid, are the inevitable sorting of unequal people. The structural-functional approach to stratification asks the same question that it does of the other components of society: What function or purpose does it serve? The answer is that all aspects of society, even poverty, contribute in some way to the larger system’s overall stability.Īccording to structural-functionalists, stratification and inequality are inevitable and beneficial to society.