The Inequality Of Class Stratification - 950 Words

1. Are we really equal? â€Å"Man was born free, and he is everywhere in chains† (Rousseau, 1994, p.45.). This report will develop from the foundation of Rousseau, exploring the notion that all humans are understood as equal, yet disparities across society are widespread. I will assert that class stratification is manifested within the micro-level sociology of education. It will demonstrate that class inequalities are maintained and reproduced through the means of social, economic and cultural capital. It is suggested that middle classes possess such attributes, thus experience advantage, whereas working class lack such capital, therefore are faced with disadvantage. I will present empirical data to illustrate the relationship between†¦show more content†¦It suggests that in 2008/09 there was a 23.9% disparity between FSM students and all other pupils achieving 5 or more GCSEs graded at A* to C or equivalent. More recently, in 2012/13 there was a 16% difference between FSM students and their counterparts. It is noteworthy that from 2008 through to 2013, despite incremental improvement, the amount of FSM participants attaining the criteria remained less than all other students. A further aspect to this data presents the percentage of pupils accomplishing 5 or more GCSEs at A* to C level including English and mathematics. Percentages in this category are significantly lower than the initial data, moreover FSM students performed disproportionately worse than other pupils. In 2008/09, there was a 2:1 ratio, thus for every FSM candidate, two students from the ‘all other pupil’ category were achieving the measure. The chart elucid ates how pupils from low income families are statistically less likely to achieve as many A* to C GCSEs than any other student. Appendix 2 This table presents the percentage of applicants accepted to higher education degree courses from seven socio-economic classifications from 2002-2008. The ‘lower managerial’ category had the highest percentage of accepted applicants, with an average of 36.23% per year. In contrast, the ‘lower supervisory’ background averages on 4.73%. It is fundamental to recognise that these categories