Cultural and Economic Forces in the Maintenance of Reproduction of Social Inequality - Essay Example

There is certainly the difference of social class due to economic differences. The wealthy and poor are discriminated not only by money but by their appearance and cloths also. The social class has mobility unlike racial stratification. For e.g. some maids may be working to support their studies and after which they will be working in higher paying and more skilled jobs which would take them to higher class socially. The maids and the hotel guests are two poles of different social class based on their economic conditions.

The two groups have homogeneity within the group while great difference between the groups. Hence it is better explained by economic polarization of Esteban and Ray (As cited in Palacios-Gonzlez and Garca-Fernndez 1). The polarization differs from inequality in the sense that as the income increases the inequality decreases. The income is considered around the global mean while the polarization centers on many factors. As the polarization increases the social conflict also increases (Mogues and Carter (4).

It is true, though, that the different class of hotel maids put them at culturally disadvantaged position as well. They are excluded from high culture group and restricted in their cultural practices (Benett et al 268). It is to be noted here that the cultural capital alone is not sufficient to remove such class inequality, possession of social capital is necessary to give future generations advantages or being the high social class citizen. In other words the social class with economic capital provide transmission and reproduction of social advantages to next generation while lack of these results in exclusion from advantageous social class (Benett et al 268-269).

Case 2- Minorities in the bus (William Harry Shipps): The minorities including the black Americans had taken to travel en mass in particular buses and avoid those carrying predominantly white people. The racial and ethnic basis of social inequality still continues despite the abolition of slavery in USA. The Marxist view considers inequalities unacceptable though at the same time it finds these inevitable as consequences of unequal availability of cultural and economic capital. According to them the system allows uninterrupted access to strategic and basic resources to some people while restricting access of these to others.

Moreover, different groups in social hierarchy are placed at various social distances in terms of cultural and other factors. This different access to opportunities is explained by a number of ideological explanation that not only maintain the social distances but also make these look normal and inevitable (Bartlett 199-200). As a result Marxist explain class as group's ability to own or access a good and that where blacks and other American minorities are still at disadvantage. The other reasons for persistence, of this social inequality, is non-mobility that makes racial categories inert for very long time compared to the social class categories. For e.g.

blacks are considered as racially subordinate group when it comes to education and occupational opportunities. These opportunities overlook the individual qualities and