Class Stratification Research Paper

Income and wealth inequality have divided the United States for at least two centuries. Karl Marx a German economist believed that two classes of people exist due to income and wealth inequality the capitalist class and the working class. These two classes of people became ever more prevalent during the Industrial Revolution. Today, more than one hundred years later class conflicts still exist which is what Marx also believed was necessary to produce social change. I am choosing to write about this topic because I feel that class stratification is just as much a conflict today as it has ever been. In an effort to remain as politically neutral as possible Donald Trump’s campaign slogan “Make America Great Again” implies that the income and wealth …show more content…
Erik Olin Wright developed his own that is more reflective of modern capitalist societies. His model includes four levels of stratification the capitalist class, the managerial class, small business class, and the working class. Wright uses four criteria for placement in his class structure one the ownership of the means of production, two the purchasing of the labor of others (employing others), three control of the labor of others (supervising others on the job), and four the sale of one’s own labor (being employed by someone else (Kendall 233). The capitalist class consist of a class of people who hold most of the wealth and power in a society such as banks, major corporations, and land with abundant resources. Although this class has the smallest amount of members it is perhaps the most important and most difficult to reach. What I feel has become lost in today’s society is the idea that opposites in must exist in terms of social stratification. Although Wright’s model contains four levels the lines between those have become so blurred together that Marx’s model appears to be more accurate of today’s …show more content…
Saving money and investing it wisely will significantly increase the chances of improving social status but, this all begins with doing things in an unconventional way. Not going into a significant amount debt just to pay for college provides a much better start to adulthood than the piles of debt a lot of students graduate with. This debt simply begins the burden that weighs down people in to the middle class for life. Our country will continue to face income and wealth inequality issues and consequences so long as we continue to operate status quo. There is a shared responsibility from major corporation owners and government officials alike to address this problem. We face a unique scenario one in which giving people exactly what they are asking for can also in turn do exactly what they don’t want by raising