ABSTRACT
Structure constrains and channels agency, while agency contributes to maintaining and/or changing structure. Human actions may largely reinforce the structure, but they can also, at times, play a part in how those structures evolve. This chapter discusses a conceptual framework that introduces an intermediate level of culture. It discusses five social structures. They are: age, disability, religion, sexuality and language group. The chapter examines an important point to emphasize about social structures is that they are highly significant in relation to inequality. This is because they create "social divisions", separate groups or categories, some who are advantaged by their position within the hierarchy and some who are disadvantaged. The chapter focuses on most of the differences in outcomes between rich and poor. Whether in measures of IQ, health, violence or educational attainment, which are so often used to justify elitism, hierarchy and social exclusion, are in fact caused by social status differentiation itself.
