Gender, Ethnicity and Social Stratification: Rethinking Inequalities

Abstract

The growth of interest in non-class forms of social division and identity, accompanied by an increasing focus on ethnic and gender inequalities (Therborn 2000), characterizes contemporary sociology. However, this has not been accompanied by a rethinking of social stratification theory; the latter is still generally seen to be about economic inequalities organized on the basis of class (Scott 2000). In this chapter, I will argue that material inequality is informed by claims and struggles over resources of different types, undertaken in terms of gender, race and ethnicity as well as class.¹ This position allows us to include these categorical formations, alongside class, as important elements of social stratification, i.e. as determining the allocation of socially valued resources and social places/locations. I will also develop the concept of social division, which I believe is a useful concept for understanding social inequalities, particularly in the light of the problems of traditional stratification theory with dealing with non-class forms of inequality.