Socializing agents are impacted by one�s economic status, one�s family history, and the environment that one is surrounded by. Conflict theory suggests that access to resources is unequal and this is what creates conflict and inequality. There are five main socializing agents: family, school, peers, mass media, and religion. These agents contribute to an institutionalized system of inequality by perpetuating ongoing inequality. There is no way to completely circumvent one�s socializing agents�they are the foundations for who we are and who we will become. I think that these agents are not trying to intentionally create a system of inequality, but the agents follow a known model and the model is of inequality.
An example of this is how family characteristics are passed down from generation to generation. Sometimes, the characteristics lead the family to never have had any college graduates. Because of this, there is no family member, i.e., a socializing agent, who impresses upon the next generation to go to college. Without a drive for education, inequality will persist. The school that one attends is usually located within one�s neighborhood. Therefore, for people who are poverty stricken, they are more likely to get a sub-standard education compared to someone who is well-off. The cycle of inequality continues with the inequality that is inherent in school districts. One�s peers can come from one�s school, so the peer groups that one has to choose from are extensions of financial inequality based upon the fact that students go to a school based on their neighborhood. The mass media continues to perpetuate racial stereotypes, which perpetuates an institutionalized system of inequality. And lastly, religion can prevent people from being accepted into certain social and educational organizations. Religions are also based upon traditions that have always existed. It is difficult to break old habits in order to overcome inequality.