A survey was taken that concluded that, given a list of people on a sinking boat with only one 4-seat lifeboat available, that people would primarily choose the lifeboat personnel based on socioeconomic status, and skills and talents. The people chosen from the exercise were a baby, its mother, a doctor and a member of parliament, and not the migrant worker, a welfare mother and the captain of the ship. This exercise was called the Lifeboat Exercise.
a) How does this scenario inform us about the nature of social stratification and social conflict within society?
b) Were there any barriers certain people had to overcome and not others? What would happen if certain circumstances of the disaster changed?