Essay Example on Social Stratification: Who Gets Access to Resources?

Introduction

What is social stratification? How does social stratification affect people of a different gender or different race in the workforce? What are factors that ensure the unequal distribution of resources among people of different race and gender? Social stratification refers to the unequal distribution of power, people, and resources in society (Danaj 2016 p. 1). Our society is divided into layers. These layers define the access a person has to resources; the highest layer has people with access to most of the resources while the lowest layer has people with the least access to resources.

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This study relates to social stratification and sociology. Race and Gender inequities are described based on how they are affected and attributed by social stratification factors. Bodily differences are used to justify social inequity. This study identifies bodily stratification and points out the theories highlighting the difference and inequalities. In addition, I will argue that inequity is derived from the struggle for resources as perceived in different terms of gender and race. The concept of social division will also be elaborated in order to understand social stratification.

This study aims to explore social stratification as it relates to social inequities; race and gender. Race is one of the lines in which our society is stratified. Race socially means the difference people perceive among other people in the community. Gender conversely, means the difference between men and women; sexism. Gender stratification perceives men to be superior and more respected than women.

The following analysis discusses the extent of gender and racial inequality:

Employment

According to Pager and Western (2009 p. 777), racial inequality based on joblessness has increased substantially among young men than women. According to Tomaskovic-Devey (1993, p. 1), there exists a trivial pay gap between people of a different gender.

In addition, according to Pager and Western (2009 p. 777), firms are more reluctant to hire young minority men especially blacks because they believe they are unreliable, dishonest, or they don't have cognitive skills. These negative altitudes symbolize the existence of a racial difference between different racial lines. These self-adopted attitudes promote racial stratification in the hiring decision-making process. Moreover, the starting pay of blacks is lower than their fellow white counterparts. Conversely, some employers are likely to hire a black person four times more than a white person (Pager and Western 2009 p. 777 p.778). The hiring decision has led to racial disparity in the hiring process, especially due to factors affecting it, such as racial attitudes.

Types of jobs

Based on "Wage Inequality in the Workplace Report | Hired" (2019), inequity is seen in different jobs; for instance, technology companies prefer to hire men than women in the current market. These technology companies have often been reported to interview only men for the task of their job position. Women conversely preferred in companies such as media. Women have a high chance to get a job in companies involving the media than a qualified man. Gender stratification based on the type of job is widely spread, and people od different gender has a different probability in getting employment in different companies.

People of different race have different in getting a job. White people have a higher probability of getting a job position than a qualified black person. Based on the type of work, white people are often considered for a simple task while black people may get the position if it includes refuges. Many companies offer better jobs to white people than to black people.

Overwork

In the past years, the number of people working for long hours has increased (Cha and Weeden 2014, p. 2). According to Cha and Weeden (2014 p.2), the number of men working for long hours has increased more than the number of women working for long hours. The study showed a 13 percent increase in men while the number of women working for long hours increases merely by 3 percent. Based on social stratification, men are more preferred for working for a long hour than women in the same job position. Many jobs with night-shifts prefer to hire men than women in the same job position. In addition, women are less likely to enter jobs that require them to work for long hours (Cha and Weeden 2014 p. 3).

Conversely, the gender-gap that exist in the workplace grows due to additional hours as men are willing to work in the addition hours than women. In addition, the gender-gap in over may lead to wage difference due to the increase in the hourly wage of over-workers. This relationship shows the extent exhibited by gender overwork stratification in the workplace.

Sexual harassment

Gender harassment has recently decreased in the workplace (Stamarski and Son Hing 2015). Although women harassment new forms. Employers form offensive comments, for instance, to pregnant women. Organizational decision makers form the opinion that pregnant women are not worthy of promotion, promoting gender social stratification. For example; in Moore v. Alabama, an employee eight months old was criticized due to her pregnancy and denied promotion (Stamarski and Son Hing 2015).

Institutional Discrimination

In accordance with Stamarski and Son Hing (2015), institutional discrimination can be outlined as biased human resources on a group of people based on their skills, abilities, and performance. Institutional discrimination on women occurs during recruitment of the company's personnel. Institutional require people of a different gender to be represented equally. Under-representation of a specific gender in a particular type of job gives the concept of institutional discrimination (Stamarski and Son Hing 2015). Institutional discrimination among women also occurs in aspects such as compensation, opportunities, and punishments. Generally, institutional discrimination gives insight into the favor of men against women. These lead to factors affecting the growth of women career in the workplace generally.

Racial discrimination based on discrimination promotes disparity in certain aspect in the workplace. White people are likely to receive more opportunities and representation than the job market. White people are also expected to be equally represented compared to black people. The number of personnel per white person is high compared to the number of black people.

Unequal pay

According to Tomaskovic-Devey (1993 p. 1), there exists a small pay gap between people of a different gender. Men are paid high than women working in the same job position ("Wage Inequality in the Workplace Report | Hired" 2019). In addition, the research indicated that 60% of the men are offered higher salaries than a won for the same role in the same company. The root of low pay for women is not well defined; hence, it is established as gender stratification. According to the "Wage Inequality in the Workplace Report | Hired" (2019) research, 72% of the men believe that a pay gap exists while 90% of the women are certain that a pay gap also exists.

Based on racial stratification, "Wage Inequality in the Workplace Report | Hired" (2019) indicated that black women are paid the least compared to white women. Based on "Wage Inequality Continued in 2018: Disparities by Race and Gender Persist" (2019), black women are constantly experiencing persistence and worsening wage gaps. Black men also earn less compared to their counterpart white men (Hagewisch, Phil, and Hartmann 2018). In addition, many black people are unemployed compared to white men.

Opportunities

Women are socially likely to receive fewer opportunities than men (Stamarski and Son Hing 2015). Women are under-represented in higher levels of management and leadership within the organization. In addition, compared to men, women are likely to be given a few challenging roles that don't result in their overall growth. For instance, In the workplace, women have less access to high-level challenges and responsibilities which result in promotion. Based on Stamarski and Son Hing (2015), men are likely to be given vital leadership assignment roles. These issues promote social stratification in the workplace that promotes gender inequality. Manager conversely gives women a few promotion roles; hence promoting the probability of promotion in men. For instance, a woman of the same qualification as a man in the company is less likely to be promoted compared to the man. This promotes men dominance in the hierarchies promoting stratification.

Conversely, White people are having more opportunities for getting promoted than black people. In the workplace, racial inequity paves the way for the favor of white people. Many employers' attitudes toward black people act as a barrier preventing their growth. For instance; in a situation with an equally qualified a black and a white person, many employers would choose to promote the white person. Racial stratification in authoritative position renders the minority powerless. This identifies the job policies that run major business, promoting inequality.

Conclusion

This study has indicated how the workplace promotes social stratification. The workplace demonstrates the unequal distribution of power, people, and resources among its different diverse divisions.

The context discussed above shows the gender and racial inequality as it relates to social stratification. The workplace is demonstrated to be divided into the two layers; authorities and employees. Gender inequality is demonstrated among men and women, while racial disparities refer to people perception of others, such as black or white people. This research has clearly shown the source of inequality is due to socio-economic factors and the struggle to attain resources. Social division among people, and the different perception of each other fuels the spirit of social stratification.

This research shows that minorities are negatively affected by inequality, while others benefit positively. Conclusively, Social stratification leads to the growth of a group of people while other groups realize failure and stagnation in their efforts. It is good to acknowledge the decrease in inequality in the past decade, although people must work together to promote a fair and competitive environment for everyone.

Works cited

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Cha, Youngjoo, and Kim A. Weeden. 2014. "Overwork and the Slow Convergence in the Gender Gap in Wages." American Sociological Review 79 (3): 457-84. https://doi.org/10.1177/0003122414528936.

Eads, Alicia, and Laura Tach. 2016. "Wealth and Inequality in the Stability of Romantic Relationships." RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences 2 (6): 197-224. https://doi.org/10.7758/rsf.2016.2.6.10.

"Ethnic, Racial & Gender Stratification in Society." n.d. Study.Com. Accessed June 19, 2019. http://study.com/academy/lesson/ethnic-racial-gender-stratification-in-society.html.

Hagewisch, Ariane, M Phil, and Heide Hartmann. 2018. "The Gender Wage Gap: 2018 Earnings Differences by Race and Ethnicity." Institute for Women's Policy Research. 2018. https://iwpr.org/publications/gender-wage-gap-2018/.

Koskelar, L, and G. A. Howell. 2002. "The Underlying Theory of Project Management Is Obsolete." 2002. https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/underlying-theory-project-management-obsolete-8971.

Mouw, Ted, and Arne Kalleberg. 2010. "Occupations and the Structure of Wage Inequality in the United States, 1980s to 2000s." American Sociological Review - AMER SOC...