Social stratification

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What is social stratification?

is a hierarchy of positions with regard to economic production which influences the social rewards to those in the positions.

In sociology and other social sciences,

social stratification refers to the hierarchical arrangement of individuals into divisions of power and wealth within a society.

Stratification

derives from the geological concept of strata - rock layers created by natural processes.

The term most commonly relates to the socio-economic concept of class, involving the "classification of persons into groups based on shared socio-economic conditions ... a relational set of inequalities with economic, social, political and ideological dimensions."

What is class?

is large set of people regarded by themselves or others as sharing similar status with regard to wealth, power and prestige.

Major forms of stratification

Primitive communalism Slavery Caste Estate

Primitive communalism

characterized by a high degree of sharing and minimal social inequality.

Slavery

involving great social inequality and the ownership of some persons by others.

Caste

in which an individual is permanently assigned to a status based on his or her parents' status.

Estate

in which peasants are required by law to work land owned by the noble class in exchange for food and protection from outside attacks.

Weber's three dimensions of stratification (three-component theory of social stratification)

Class Party (Power) Status

Class

A person's economic position in a society.

(group) set of people with similar amounts of income and wealth.

Party (Power)

A person's ability to get their way despite the resistance of others.

(group) a set of people with similar amounts of power.

Status

A person's prestige, social honor, or popularity in a society.

(group) a set of people with similar social prestige or positive regard from members of a society.

Basic viewpoints why stratification exists

Natural inevitability Structural -functionalist Conflict Evolutionary Symbolic Interactionist

Natural inevitability

suggests that inequality exists because of natural differences in people's abilities and is a just system.

Structural -functionalist

states that stratification is useful to society because it enhances stability and induces members of the society to work hard.

Conflict

suggests that stratification occurs through conflict between different classes, with the upper classes using superior power to take a larger share of the social resources.

Evolutionary

states that people will share enough resources to ensure the survival of the group until a surplus exists at which time power determines how the surplus is distributed.

Symbolic Interactionist

calls attention to the importance of symbolic displays of wealth and power that influence one's definition of self and the importance of ideas in defining social situations.

Three characteristics of stratified systems

1.) The rankings apply to social categories of people who share a common characteristic without necessarily interacting or identifying with each other. The process of being ranked can be changed by the person being ranked.– Example: The way we rank people

differently by race, gender, and social class

Three characteristics of stratified systems

2.) People's life experiences and opportunities depend on their social category. This characteristic can be changed by the amount of work a person can put into their interests.– Example: The greater advantage had by the son

or daughter of a king to have a successful life than the son or daughter of a minimum-wage factory worker, because the king has a greater amount of resources than the factory worker — The use of resources can influence others.

Three characteristics of stratified systems

3.) The ranks of different social categories change slowly over time. This has occurred frequently in the United States ever since the American revolution. The U.S. Constitution has been altered several times to contain rights for everyone.

– Examples: Thirteenth Amendment: Ended slavery in the United States Fourteenth Amendment: Gives African-Americans

citizenship in the United States Fifteenth Amendment: Ended the denial of suffrage based

on race Nineteenth Amendment: The United States government's

recognition of women's suffrage The Civil Rights Act of 1964: Ended racial segregation in

public places in the United States — Also extended the right to vote

Social mobility

is the movement of a person from one status to another, either between generations or within a person's adult career.

Structural mobility

is mobility brought about by changes in the stratification hierarchy for instance as society becomes more technologically advanced.