Conflict Perspective of Crime and Deviance

(Karl Marx)

When it comes to crime, conflict theorists don't examine how and why crimes happen. Rather, they look at how society creates and defines deviants.

Karl Marx, the first conflict theorist, believed that capitalistic societies are split into two classes: the bourgeoisie (rich) and the proletariats (poor). The bourgeoisie are the ones who own the means of production, while the proletariat (the working class) are the ones who manufacture all of the goods. The rich extract capital from the goods that are built and then pay the workers a wage.

Division of Labour is the main component of social inequality

(J.D. Pooley / Getty Images)

Did you know that the eighty-five richest people in the world have a net worth that equals the net worth of halfof Earth's population's? It's true. Inequality exists in every society, and you can see it clearly when you look at the Walmarts in America. The reason why it is so vivid in this company is because you can see (via news reports and studies) that the owners make so much more than the store employees, and it is because of the division of labour; CEOs use this aspect of society to exploit the working class.