Poverty is viewed differently by each sociological perspective; for example, conflict theorists view poverty differently than functionalists. Through the macro-level sociological perspective of conflict theory, sociologists would suggest that poverty and stratification continues around the globe because it benefits the rich members of society. Social stratification is harmful to a society because it only empowers the rich further at the expense of the poor; the gap between the rich and the poor only grows through stratification. This theory can be explained through rich countries using poor nations for their natural resources. The rich country benefits from using the poor nation by paying low wages for labor and therefore increasing their profit;
