Outline and Assess Marxist Explainations to Social Inequlaity

OUTLINE AND ASSESS MARXIST EXPLANATIONS OF SOCIAL INEQUALITY

Marxism is a conflict theory, established by Karl Marx. Marxists that believes class division within society exists between the ruling class, known by Marxists as the bourgeoisie and the proletariat, the working class. Marxists believe that the working class, proletariat, are oppressed through the unequal distribution of wealth, power and status. However, Marxism can be criticised as it is economically deterministic and the revolution predicted by Marx didn’t happen.

The relationship between the two classes is based upon exploitation and class conflict. The heart of this class conflict is what Marx called the mode of production; this is made up of two things: the means of production, referring to the resources needed to produce goods (e.g. capital, factories and raw materials) and the relations of production, these are the ways in which people are organised to make things (i.e. roles and responsibilities. Proletariat produce more goods only to get paid a low wage in return, the bourgeoisie pockets the different between their workers’ wages and the value of the good produced which enables the bourgeoisie to gain large profits from the ‘surplus value’. Furthermore, workers begin to feel alienated as new technology is introduced and causes them to lose control of their jobs – this process unites the working class based upon a shared, exploitative experience. Nevertheless, it appears as if the working class rarely see themselves as being exploited; Marxists consider this to be a result of the ideological apparatus, such as education and the media, that indoctrinates the working class into believing that capitalism is fair and natural – the working class are said to be in a state of false class consciousness.

Marxists also believe that a middle class also exists, but it is fragmented and as the concentration of wealth increases, causing the gap in wealth between the rich and the poor to grow and grow – in other words, society becomes polarised. This leads to the ruling/capitalist class getting smaller and richer while the working class will get larger and poorer, eventually leading to revolution therefore members of the ‘middle class’ will either rise to the bourgeoisie or fall into the proletariat. Marxists believe the working class will eventually develop a class consciousness and will become aware that they are being exploited and will try and do something to change their position; i.e. a revolution.

Though these ideas have been the subject of many criticisms. Marxism has been accused of being economically deterministic or reductionist. This refers to the fact that all major Marxist ideas are based on the economic relationship between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat; however many conflicts cannot be explained in monetary terms – such as age, gender and ethnicity.

Also, while Marx did acknowledge