How Social Class Creates and Solves Conflicts in Modern-Day American Society

Doing Sociology Part 2
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Doing Sociology Part 2
Society is divided into rival social classes because the gap between the rich and the poor widens. In the last century, extreme conflicts have been witnessed between rival social groups caused by growing inequality. The history of class conflict in America dates back to early civilization when European settlers introduced it through racial discrimination. This conflict subjected African Americans and Native Americans to slavery. Stemming from cultural and racial rivalry, class conflict emerged under the control of the upper-class elites. This conflict occurs when power, positions, and resources are unequally distributed between individuals and societies.
Power, wealth, and property ownership divided American society into different categories of social classes, with some identifying with the upper class and others grouped into the middle, working, and lower class. The upper class has been elites who hold more wealth and have the power to influence and control the economy. This assignment examines the research question: How has social class created and solved conflicts in modern-day American society? To do so, we interviewed various participants to find their opinions regarding class and conflict.
A questionnaire with ten closed-ended questions was administered to five respondents with various demographic factors. Every interview took approximately 25 minutes. The first respondent was a thirty-year-old African-American male who identified with the working class. The participant stated that he is a college graduate working as a healthcare provider in a community hospital, earning $ 65,000 annually. He lives in a rental house. The interview with this participant occurred in his home, where he felt comfortable answering the questions. Asked how often he encounters conflict, the respondent said that he experiences conflict once a month to several times a year. However, he stated that he understands the procedure of conflict management and always succeeds in solving conflict.
The second participant was a 45-year-old Caucasian female engineer. This individual has a Master’s degree, lives in his own house, and works more than 40 hours weekly. She did not feel comfortable disclosing her annual income. The interview took place at the respondent’s home. Based on these factors, this individual is classified under the middle class. The participant noted that she experiences conflict once a month to several times a year. When it occurs, she always addresses it successfully. According to the respondent, she often experiences positive conflict at the workplace, which she says is healthy as it creates new ideas and promotes growth.
The third respondent was a 28-year-old female. The participant, a sales representative at a sales company, has a bachelor's degree and earns $20,000-50,000 annually. She lives in a rented house. The interview was conducted at the participant’s workplace. This participant was classified as a working class. She noted that she experiences conflict nearly once a month to several times a year. Although she knows the procedure of solving conflict, she reported that she sometimes does not succeed in solving conflict. Occasionally, she disagrees over a task with his colleagues, forcing his supervisor to step in and address the problem.
The fourth respondent was a college graduate looking for employment. This individual indicated that he is of lower class because he does not have a stable income. He does menial jobs and earns less than $20,000 annually. This i...