Bourdieu's Theories Of Inequality

Bourdieu’s writings are widely used by sociologists as they are more suited to determining causes for inequality due to their accuracy and credibility. Functionalist theories stress the importance of social structures and societal norms to promote stability. Theorists deny the existence of issues relating to class structure, and maintain that the stratification of the classes is a necessary function of an ordered society. By this account, functionalists believe that inequality serves a purpose and that it is an enduring societal trait. However, a more realistic approach by Bordieu declared that a lack of material/cultural/symbolic capital and social background would result in a poor class habitus, creating the illusion that the social order is naturally occurring phenomenon (Murariu, 2010).
The process being that if an individual is hardworking, dedicated and talented they will ultimately achieve success. However, Bordieu's Theory of Habitus stressed the huge influence of education upon one's ability to attain success. Supporting this, the 'Economist' stated that children of successful capitalists were more likely to remain in their station through elitist education systems (Economist, 2015). Bordieu believed the domination of education is of paramount importance to elites because it grants them valuable cultural capital in a world that prioritised credentials (Murariu,