Occupational Structure As An Element Of Social Stratification In Contemporary Society

This paper aims to make an inventory of several theoretical models of social stratification which can be operational in a possible approach for the analysis of social stratification set in post-communist Romanian society. Therefore, the article presents classical models: the one established by Marx, in which view in any society there can be identified, for the final analysis, using the economic criteria, two diametrically opposed classes, between them being developed conflictual relationships (the class of owners and the class of those who do not capital goods); the model proposed by Max Weber which presents a more complex perspective on society, identifying the following structures: social classes - by applying the economic criteria, designed in a much larger perspective than Marx, involving factors relating to the credentials and qualifications of the individual, which allows him to access certain occupations that gives him different positions in the labour market, being placed according to the American terminology in the "blue collar" class (those who perform manual work) or the "white collar" class (performing activities within nonmanuale occupations); social status - in his opinion relates to social positions which differ according to social prestige granted by other individuals and, in modern societies, it began to be expressed in terms of lifestyles, which varies independently from class; political parties, consisting of groups of people involved in the use and allocation of power, that can influence the economic conditions of individuals and groups, influencing the class. Contemporary sociologists have tried to separate themselves from classical theories conceptualizing contemporary class using the occupational structure as the basic element, starting from the assumption that the material and social inequalities are mainly related to the type of jobs held by individuals. There were thus carried out operational descriptive schemes, considering stratification as an unproblematic element, part of the social order (see the functionalists), or schemes inspired from Marx or Weber, which focuses on the explanation of the relations between classes and society, enrolling in conflictualist paradigm to demonstrate divisions and tensions within society. Both types get criticism due to some of their limitations. The paper suggests that if we try to apply an operational scheme to identify social structure set in post-communist Romanian society, it would be appropriate to include such dimensions that capture the position of individuals in relation to society's resources (monetary capital, physical or labour resources) and also dimensions regarding the type of occupation and income, the level of skills and expertise of individuals, in order not to exclude from the analysis unemployed persons at the time of research. We also consider that the structure of Romanian society includes three fundamental classes specific for developed capitalist societies, differences consisting in their proportion in society, in detriment for the poor class, due to the nature of the transition process in Romania.