Race, Ethnicity, Gender and Social Class (Essay Sample)

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Race, ethnicity and gender are normally highly and intensely correlated to social class. The feeling has led to the eruption of multiple theories especially in the sociology that elaborates on class, ethnicity, and gender units. Selection of an appropriate theory is highly relevant to developing clear elaborations on this model of sociology. Relevance of gender in the evaluation and analysis is highly vital in enabling the social class differences that are highly notable in the current American systems. Consideration of the essence of the religious contribution in the construction of the social issue factor is equally vital.
The people in power have also been active in inclining or subverting the discrimination factors that are notable in terms of race, ethnicity and gender and influencing of the assimilation process (Healey, 2012). In general the social class subdivision in the American society is derived from the small differentiating element such as race, ethnicity and gender. The elements are also used by people aspiring to climbs certain ladders in political or financial realms. Leaders in the past have utilized such ladders to climb or us the majority population of American to achieve certain desired criteria. American social class is majorly segmented into three main domains having the high class, medium and low class. Low-class people are mainly African Americans, who have been consistently denied a chance to grow in terms of education, skills or job wise.
Consistent with (Barak, Leighton & Flavin, 2010), the application Marxist Theory regarding racism and racial inequality written by Peter Bohmer is highly elaborative in highlighting the great essence of racial or ethnical discrimination in the American setting. According to Bohmer, intensive racism well directed to the African-Americans and other people from minority races. The element of racism has been a central cause of intensive debating. The current impacts of racial discrimination are notable in terms visualizing the inherent African American statistics. There are huge variations in the infant mortality rates and subsequent life expectancies or even unemployment statistics on African American people. The main tribulations have been extended to other factors like poverty rates or levels and disparity in household incomes, and extended experienced in the stereotypes in the mass media segments. The main segments illustrate the remains of racism or even attached racial and ethnical inequality that continues to affect the American society.
The theory notes that racial discrimination is majorly used in terms of the economic basis to neglect certain sector of the population in availing opportunities. The progression of such systems cripples equal socio-economic growth for African-American and minority groups. The absence of prosperity pushes them to the endpoint neglect and reduction of competitive basis. According Bohmer, Marxist theory mainly acknowledges that racism is mainly potential in serving the interests of segmented capitalist section of the society. The theory acknowledges the huge injustices undertaken while dividing and segregating the black and white workers at workplaces. This act highly reduces their impact as they should combine and create unit that presents their petitions and grievances as workers. Such unity would highly result in enhanced bargaining power that creates a big worry to the capitalist. The extremes noted by the theory are that it is very notable in the eventual segmentation of labor markets (Healey, 2012).
According to (Barak, Leighton & Flavin, 2010), a great deal of social analysis that mainly entrenches on the injustices or even subsequent inequalities in U.S. people or society has been always been acted upon by varying ideologies that attach to Karl Marx theory. The Marxist traditions and findings are hence every instrumental in analyzing the impacts of the current scenario. According to Marxism, there is a notable and comprehensive perception that capitalism is normally an economic system that cherishes only two main classes of any society. The two groups are mainly capitalist and workers. The capitalist control, regulates and invests in the varying means of production, capital and they recurrently portray the urge to highly increase or augment the profits. On contrary, there is a working class that mainly constitutes largely huge chunk of the population well entrenched in the ability of selling of the power or even capacity at work only to get return in terms of wages. In the end, profits emerge hugely from paying the employees less money than they deserve or as compared to the value addition they made. According to Marx, this act is highly preferable as exploitation. Such relations between capitalists and worker are typical with intensive causes of conflict (Healey, 2012). Workers are hugely embroiled in the strong push to have their wage rates elevated and advancement or improvement in the working conditions.
Employers in contrary try to create an obstacle in the wage increment process on the rates of work done in a unit time. In most scenarios, the employers normally have an advantage since they have the authority to fire or hire. According to Marxist mode of thinking exploitation, can only be dropped in case the working class overthrows the capitalism. According to Marxist workers, are mainly left with few opportunities of raising their economic potential through formation of unions and organizations to fight for them. Any contemporary disunity or fight back amongst the workers creates a weaker approach or structure that can be exploited by the employer to challenge them. The strong insight is highly inherent in Marxist analysis of benefits of racism that heavily dwells on the huge attempts by the capitalists to subdivide racially the black and white workers. Marxist theory notes the emotional or psychological attached to the primary identification of white workers as whites. Such clear, distinctions place the whites in different level making them appear as different workers as compared to blacks. Such motives aim at divide and rule as it creates a divide in the workforce.
The two segments cannot fight for their rights equally. It furthers presents a mixed up with two systems fighting differing goals from a common employer. The most important assurance in ending the racial exploitation is mainly through the creation of an interracial working class in US. The typical features of racism mainly appear with the aim of creating a defined or systematic oppression of people of African-Americans or even other minority group people. The oppression bases on the ideology that white have supremacy as compared to the blacks who are hugely considered inferior. The two main aspects of racism that have been in place since 1600’s have always shaped U.S community and society to the present (Dill & Zambrana, 2009).
Historically, the barbarism of slavery reduced into racial discrimination (less lethal) owing to the great contribution of various leaders who led US at a point in history. The struggle is still on until equality in the labor markets is met so as to expand the viability of the minority in the America setting. Slavery increased due to demands for growing materials like cottons, food, beverages, and tobacco to the Western Europe and the British colonies that were expanding capitalists. Provision of cheap labor was of great importance to such systems. The fall of the system created a relatively lenient slavery model referred to racial discrimination. A system that deterred minority groups from exposure to paying labor levels in the job settings (Dill & Zambrana, 2009).
Gender inequality is equally entailed by the capitalist to oppress the women in the social class especially those women with ambitions of achieving higher scales in their profession. Women who work with equal or even with more enthusiasm and devotion are denied their equal chances of climbing upper on the ladder. The system creates a de-motivating factor amongst the women as it does provide the same playground for job growth and enhancement especially with reference to some kind jobs that are highly inflexible. The stigmatizing component of the system is that it ties the women to long-term inequality. Women are equally compelled with extremes rules and regulations that impeded the social functions and roles at the household level. Strict rules are eminent in the women working environment that wholly inhibits their contribution to the household chores expected in the society. Women biologically or naturally are exposed to limiting factors like pregnancy periods, childcare, and household level activities that undermine their ability to optimally be productive in an employment. The capitalist exploit this disadvantage to benefit themselves and deny the women crucial roles and offices in the employment (Arrighi et al., 2007).
Women have always fought for being accorded equality, same opportunities and respect in the contemporary society and workplace. They have continuously shown that they have caught up with counterparts, the men basing on education, skills, and other factors. According to the current statistics women in the US, have surpassed men in terms of educational excellence and achievement. With regards to such foundation, there is no need or huge urge for the opposing or contesting the women equality or female achievements. While young adult women are privy to the essence of balancing the household chores and family roles while undertaking work roles. They fight for inclusive consideration of the newly redefined policies aiming at increasing the contribution of women to their productivity. Women have intensely shown huge capacity in undertaking roles in the jobs earlier thought to be designed for men. Such jobs mainly included the ...