Activity 3

How does Marx’s view of social stratification differ from the Davis-Moore thesis? 

KARL MARX

Marxian Perspective:

For centuries, sociologists have analyzed social stratification, its root causes, and its effects on society. Theorists Karl Marx and Max Weber disagreed about the nature of class, in particular. Other sociologists applied traditional frameworks to stratification. The whole Marxian perspective about social stratification revolves round the concept of social classes. No theorist stressed the signifi­cance of class for society and for social change more strongly than Karl Marx. Marx viewed class differentiation as the crucial deter­minant of social, economic and political inequality. According to Marx, there is always a dominant and a subordinate class- a ruling class and a subject class. The former (ruling class) is the class which owns the means of production and the latter (subject class) sells its labor to survive. The relationship between these classes has always been exploitative in all phases of history with an exception of a simple primitive society. Marx believed that primitive societies were non-class societies. In such societies, there was simple equality and as such there was no stratifi­cation based on class. In Marxian view, the ruling class exploits and oppressed the subordinate class. As a result, there is a basic conflict of interest between the two classes. This conflict between social classes has been continuous since the dawn of history. 

Davis- Moore Thesis:

In sociology, the functionalist perspective examines how society’s parts operate. According to functionalism, different aspects of society exist because they serve a needed purpose. sociologists Kingsley Davis and Wilbert Moore published the Davis- Moore thesis, which argued that the greater the functional importance of a social role, the greater must be the reward. The theory posits that social stratification represents the inherently unequal value of different work. Certain tasks in society are more valuable than others. Qualified people who fill those positions must be rewarded more than others. According to Davis and Moore, a firefighter’s job is more important than, for instance, a grocery store cashier’s. The cashier position does not require the same skill and training level as firefighting. Davis and Moore stated that, in most cases, the degree of skill required for a job determines that job’s importance. They also stated that the more skill required for a job, the fewer qualified people there would be to do that job. Certain jobs, such as cleaning hallways or answering phones, do not require much skill. 

The Difference:

The biggest difference between the views of Marx and Davis and Moore resides in the issue of the distribution of resources, while Marx believes that there is an inequality in the distribution of resources between the ruling and working classes and Davis and Moore theorize that inequality has to happen so that the most important positions are filled by the most qualified. Marx perceives society made up as two classes, the capitalists who own the means of production, and the much larger working class who must sell their own labor power. Thus we can say that the working class is always working no for themselves but for the capitalists in order to survive and producing products that will not only be taken away from them but decrease their human value as well. This inequality is why Marx believes there should be a classless society because the capitalists will continue to exploit the hard working classes until they void themselves of any human value. It is unfair to have a minority ruling wealthy class over a majority class of working laborers. However, Davis and Moore disagree with how it is unfair to have a wealthy class ruling over the working class. The functional theory of stratification provided by Kingsley Davis and Wilbert Moore suggests that social inequalities are functional for society because they provide an incentive for the most talented individuals to occupy jobs that are essential to the orderly maintenance of a society. Davis and Moore believed that rewarding more important work with higher levels of income, prestige, and power encourages people to work harder and longer. They examined role allocation. They believe that education selects talented individuals and allocates them to the most important roles in society. Davis and Moore believe a society will function properly only if it instills certain individuals to certain positions, such that the more important positions are fulfilled by those that are most capable. Stratification is thus filling different levels of prestige with individuals that are qualified.