Introduction
Although most of our contemporary societies strive towards being egalitarian societies where equality for all dominates, the actual situation on the ground is often not the case. An observation through most societies reveals a polarized structure whereby the population is segmented along the lines of socially defined characteristics of individuals as Rothman notes. These characteristics are the basis for social differentiation and placement of people into certain social groups. Social differentiation yields social stratification whereby the society ranks individuals or even groups into a hierarchy based on the commonly accepted basis of valuation such as wealth, social status, power, education, race, gender and so on (Rothman). One of the systems of social stratification and the focus of this paper is stratification into social classes. Social classes tend to group people is based on socially defined characteristics such as income, wealth, education, and occupation. Social classes are in themselves an institutionalized system of inequality because they often result in differential access to power, autonomy, resources, social status, etc across social groups (Rothman). Due to the multifaceted and wide-ranging impacts of the existence of inequalities based on our social classes, it is thus worth exploring this issue of class inequality. This is discussed below based on the podcast of Henry Clay Frick’s and Lareau’s research on childrearing practices among different social classes.
Societal Inequalities and Social Classes
Societies, since ages ago, have had to contend with the issue of inequalities emanating from our differentiation into social classes. In the podcast, Anthony, and Reynolds depict the life of an industrialist whose love for steel and shrewdness in satisfying his desire for more money helped steer him into one of the wealthiest people in Pennsylvania at the time. Frick belonged to the upper class which seemingly enjoys a better social status, more influence, prestige, privileges consistent with the defining factors of a social class. Although he is, for the most part, remembered for his numerous deeds of philanthropy, a look into Frick’s life depicts instances that explicitly propagated class inequality. For example, Anthony, and Reynolds recount how Frick adamantly opposed the labor demands of his striking workers and instead resorted to using excessive force on them. Following the workers’ strike, Frick hired and armed Pinkerton agents to guard the mills surrounded by what was dubbed as "Fort Frick." Eventually, the Homestead Strike led to what was dubbed "Battle of Homestead," a violent clash between Frick's Pinkerton agents and the workers that left scores of people wounded and others dead.
The South Fork Club and Class Inequality
Additionally, while Frick was noteworthy for co-founding the exclusive South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, the aftermaths of the catastrophe that befell this dam further depict the class inequality that reigns within the society as Anthony, and Reynolds narrates to their audience. Firstly, the club members hailed from the rich and elite members of the community then. Heavy Spring rains coupled with the club's inadequate maintenance of the South Fork Dam eventually caused the dam to give way leading to the catastrophic Johnstown Flood that killed more than two thousand people. Here, again, class inequality reared its ugly head in several ways. For instance, although the flood victims sued the club for its negligent maintenance of the dam, the elite club members were able to fend off any lawsuits that would have blamed the club as noted by Anthony, and Reynolds. Although the flood victims were offered with relief assistance, evidently, justice was not meted out to the affected which was highly likely due to their belonging to a perceived lower social class. These, among other instances, illustrate the social stratification into categories that often confer privileges to the people in the upper echelons of society while those in the lower ranks often tend to suffer.
Invisible Inequality and Child Upbringing
While most cases of inequality in Frick’s scenarios above were often straightforward, Lareau, in her research article, tried to demonstrate the invisible inequality that occurs as a result of variant socialization processes that characterize a child upbringing. These socialization processes are usually directly or indirectly influenced by the social class of the child's family. Lareau noted that in middle-class families, children are often occupied in organized activities coupled with a lot of parental "concerted cultivation" which is beneficial in fostering the child's growth. This is unlike in the working class and low-income families where a child's growth is thought of as occurring spontaneously as per the natural growth cycle, for as long as the child is provided with love, food, and security. Consequently, class inequality sets in because children from working-class and low-income families may not have equal chances to fully maximize their social and cognitive development as compared to their peers from middle-class families.
The Impact of Cultivation on Class Inequality
Lareau writes that concerted cultivation helps children to develop a sense of entitlement as opposed to the pattern of "establishment of natural growth" where children exhibit constraint within their social interactions. The utility of this in class inequality is that children who have developed a sense of entitlement are more likely to be bold while expressing themselves. Instead of displaying powerlessness in their institutional relationships, they learn to make the institutions work to their advantage and so on. A sense of constraint, on the other hand, imparts a sense of learned helplessness and powerlessness in these children, which further widens their perceived notion of belonging to an inferior class. Educators are viewed as social superiors further propagating class inequality and so on. Indeed, differences in family dynamics as dictated by the family's social class could be a significant cause of disparities that have profound long-term consequences on the lives of these children.
Works Cited
Anthony, Dave, and Gareth Reynolds. "Podcast 346". Henry Clay Frick (Live In Pittsburgh), 2018, http://thedollop.libsyn.com/346-henry-clay-frick-live-in-pittsburgh. Accessed 14 Nov 2018.
Lareau, Annette. "Invisible Inequality: Social class and childrearing in black families and white families." American sociological review (2002): 747-776.
Rothman, Robert A. Inequality and Stratification: Race, class, and gender. Routledge, 2015.
