Sociological Approach To Social Inequality

“Present at least two different sociological approaches to social inequality and discuss these approaches with reference to a concrete problem area of contemporary relevance”.

This essay examines the sociology regarding gender inequality, more precisely the problem area; working-women are in the lowest-wage jobs and make less than men working the same job, although there is a decrease in the wage gap in industrialized countries. Seen as unequal to men, due to the norm that women in history have taken care of the household and men have provided by working. Even though several countries have been headed by a woman (Denmark, Germany) women do not share the same job positions as men on a global scale. Men is seen as the higher class, better skilled

Power is exercised mostly by men, holding the higher positions and thereby power over the women, meaning that women are not able to move into higher paid positions as quickly as men. One of the most influential sociologists regarding power is Michel Foucault. Power for Foucault is what makes us what we are. He challenges the idea that power is created by people through coercion or domination, instead seeing it as dispersed and pervasive. . ‘Power is everywhere’ and ‘comes from everywhere’ so it is neither an agency nor a structure (Foucault 1998: 63). Instead, Foucault says it is a kind of `metapower´ that infuses society and is in constant change and negotiation. As one of the few writers on power, Foucault sees power is not just a negative, coercive thing that forces us to do things against our wishes, but it can also be a productive at positive force in society. In fact power produces; it produces reality; it produces domains of objects and rituals of truth. The individual and the knowledge that may be gained of him belong to this production’ (Foucault 1991: 194). Furthermore, power is seen as a major source of social discipline and traditionalism. Foucault pointed to a new form of disciplinary power, stemming from 18th century Europe, seen in workplaces, prisons, e.g. the Panopticon. ´The Panopticon; is polyvalent in its applications; it serves to reform prisoner, but also to treat patients, to instruct schoolchildren, to confine the insane, to supervise workers, to put beggars and idlers to work. It is a type of location of bodies in space, of distribution of individuals in relation to one another, of hierarchical organization, of disposition of centres and channels of power, of definition of the instruments and modes of intervention of power, which can be