Amazon warehouse workers have injury rates that are on average close to twice as high as the company's competitors and in one case five times higher according to the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (2023). Which sociological perspective would note that profits are more important than worker's health and safety?

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The question describes Amazon warehouse injury rates being much higher than competitors and asks which sociological perspective would note that profits are more important than workers' health and safety.
Option a: Functionalist. This view tends to emphasize social order, stability, and the interrelated parts of society working together. It would focus on how institutions (like work organizations) function to maintain equilibrium, not necessarily highlight profit-at-any-cost as a defining lens. While functionalists might discuss how safety systems contribute to productivity, this option doesn’t inherently foreground profits as the dominant lens; it’s more about social order.
Option b: Feminist. This perspective centers on gender, inequality, and the lived experiences of women and other marginalized groups in sociology. It would scrutinize power, patriarchy, and the distribution of resources across genders. Although feminist analysis can critique workplace safety and labor conditions, the core emphasis is not specifically on profits overriding health as a general principle.
Option c: Conflict. The conflict perspective argues that society is composed of groups with competing interests, and power dynamics favor the elite or those who control economic resources. It would highlight how profits and class interests can take precedence over workers’ welfare, viewing labor conditions as a product of capitalist competition and exploitation. This framing directly aligns with the idea that profits are prioritized over health and safety.
Option d: Interactionist. The interactionist (symbolic interactionism) approach focuses on micro-level everyday interactions and meanings, such as how workers and managers interpret safety norms in daily work life. While it can illuminate workplace culture and safety practices, it does not inherently argue that profits trump health at a systemic level.
In sum, among these perspectives, the conflict theory explicitly emphasizes the primacy of economic interests and power disparities, making it the most fitting lens for the claim that profits are prioritized over workers’ health and safety.

BHE4-06-091 Culture and Society 2025.2

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