The haves according to the conflict theory are

Conflict theory argues that society, individuals, and groups within social confines interact with one another not on the basis of consensus but on conflict. More specifically, it claims that the society is consistently in a state of conflict, especially when there is unequal distribution of resources or competition for the available resources. 

Back to: BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

How does Conflict Theory Work? 

Per conflict theory, there are various forms of conflict that stem from the bid of different groups in a society to gratify their desires. 

For example, all groups in society have different goals and levels of resources they want to attain, thereby causing conflict among the groups. 

Different areas and discussions where the conflict theory is used include wealth and poverty, distribution and non-distribution of resources (material and non-material), power, revolutions and others. 

Karl Marx and some other theorists believe that conflict is a driving force for change, revolution improvement, and development in the society.

Primary Assumptions of Conflict Theory

The conflict theory rests its tenets on four assumptions which are revolution, competition, structural inequality and war. According to theorists, every conflict can be caused by any of these factors and also have any of them as an outcome. 

For better understanding, the four basic assumptions are explained below:

Competition

Competition is an important concept in conflict theory, in fact, conflict often occur as a result of competition. For instance, if resources are not sufficient for individuals living in a community, it leads to scarcity, therefore competition for the available resources. People can compete for real estate properties, lands, money, material resources, among others. For proponents of the conflict theory, societies operate based on competition and not cooperation. 

Structural Inequality

Inequality occur in diverse layers of the economy, even at the structural level. Structural inequality occurs when some set of people are placed higher than the others. When the structure of a society benefits specific individuals at the detriment of other people in the society, it is structural inequality. When some individuals in a society have more power, wealth and influence than others, structural inequality occurs. 

Revolution

It is assumed that a conflict can result to revolution, it is one of the effects when conflicts occur between two groups. In most situations, the revolution is not gradual, rather eruptive and occurs abruptly. 

War

When talking about war, conflict theories are of the opinion that sustained or prolonged conflicts between social classes or groups in a society lead to war. When war happens, it cleanses the society and acts as a unifier. Despite that war cleanses a society, some fragments of conflicts still exist. Another effect of war is that it can create division in the society.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze the family from the perspective of conflict theory

The Conflict perspective refers to the inequalities that exist in all societies globally. Conflict theory is particularly interested in the various aspects of master status in social position—the primary identifying characteristic of an individual seen in terms of race or ethnicity, sex or gender, age, religion, ability or disability, and socio-economic status. According to the Conflict paradigm, every society is plagued by inequality based on social differences among the dominant group and all of the other groups in society. When we are analyzing any element of society from this perspective, we need to look at the structures of wealth, power and status, and the ways in which those structures maintain social, economic, political and coercive power of one group at the expense of others.

According to conflict theorists, the family works toward the continuance of social inequality within a society by maintaining and reinforcing the status quo. Because inheritance, education and social capital are transmitted through the family structure, wealthy families are able to keep their privileged social position for their members, while individuals from poor families are denied similar status.

Conflict theorists have also seen the family as a social arrangement benefiting men more than women, allowing men to maintain a position of power. The traditional family form in most cultures is patriarchal, contributing to inequality between the sexes. Males tend to have more power and females tend to have less. Traditional male roles and responsibilities are valued more than the traditional roles done by their wives (i.e., housekeeping, child rearing). The traditional family is also an inequitable structure for women and children. For example, more than 60 percent of all mothers with children under six are in the paid workforce. Even though these women spend as much (or more) time at paid jobs as their husbands, they also do more of the housework and child care.

Chinese Family in Suriname: According to conflict theorists, the family works toward the continuance of social inequality within a society by maintaining and reinforcing the status quo.

Key Points

• The conflict perspective describes the inequalities that exist in all societies globally, and considers aspects of society as ways for those with power and status to maintain control over scare resources.
• According to conflict theorists, the family works toward the continuance of social inequality within a society by maintaining and reinforcing the status quo.
• Through inheritance, the wealthy families are able to keep their privileged social position for their members.
• Conflict theorists have seen the family as a social arrangement benefiting men more than women.

Key Terms

• family: A group of people related by blood, marriage, law or custom.
• inheritance: The passing of title to an estate upon death.
• Conflict Perspective: A perspective in the social sciences that emphasizes the social, political or material inequality of a social group; critiques the broad socio-political system; or otherwise detracts from structural functionalism and ideological conservativism.

Conflict theory of stratification holds that inequality is harmful to society because it creates a fixed system of winners and losers.

Learning Objectives

• Compare the conflict theory of inequality to the funcionalist theory of inequality

• conflict theory: A social science perspective that holds that stratification is dysfunctional and harmful in society, with inequality perpetuated because it benefits the rich and powerful at the expense of the poor.
• social stratification: The hierarchical arrangement of social classes, or castes, within a society.
• tax break: A deduction in tax that is given in order to encourage a certain economic activity or a social objective.

Conflict theorists argue that stratification is dysfunctional and harmful in society. According to conflict theory, social stratification benefits the rich and powerful at the expense of the poor. Thus, it creates a system of winners and losers that is maintained by those who are on the top. The people who are losers do not get a fair chance to compete, and thus are stuck on the bottom. For example, many wealthy families pay low wages to nannies to care for their children, to gardeners to attend to their rose gardens, and to maids to pick up their dirty socks. These low wage workers do not make enough to move beyond a paycheck-to-paycheck lifestyle, and have no means to move ahead. Therefore, conflict theorists believe that this competitive system, together with the way the game is “fixed”, ends up creating and perpetuating stratification systems.

According to conflict theory, capitalism, an economic system based on free-market competition, particularly benefits the rich by assuming that the “trickle down” mechanism is the best way to spread the benefits of wealth across society. Governments that promote capitalism often establish corporate welfare through direct subsidies, tax breaks, and other support that benefit big businesses. They assume that the market will allow these benefits to the rich to make their way to the poor through competition. For example, the Walton family, the owners of Wal-Mart, receives enormous tax breaks. Whether the benefits of these tax breaks have made their way down to ordinary people through better business practices or better working conditions for Wal-Mart employees is questionable. Conflict theorists would argue that they haven’t, but rather have been used by the Walton family to solidify the patterns of stratification that keep the family rich.

Functionalists criticize this approach by arguing that people do not always act largely out of economic self-interest. For example, Chuck Feeney, the creator of Duty Free Shoppers, has given $4 billion to charities. Bill Gates has given 58% of his wealth to charity. Functionalists also argue that conflict theorists underestimate people’s ability to move upward in society. They argue that if people really want to succeed, they can do so through hard work.