PAOMBONG HIGH SCHOOL, INC.

School Year 2021-2022

UNDERSTANDING CULTURE, SOCIETY AND POLITICS (GRADE 12)

Mrs. Ana Lyn D. De Leon

Subject Teacher

LESSON 9: Stratification Systems

Components of Social Stratification

There can be found in the social structure a hierarchy of social classes and social statuses in account
of individual differences in terms of wealth, power, influence, intelligence, abilities, educational attainment,
occupation, and such other assets or potentials that an individual might have.
Social stratification refers to the hierarchical arrangements of social statuses, social roles, and social
functions within the framework of the social structure. The components that partake in the social stratification
system are:
1. Social Status. It refers to the social standing or position that a member occupies in the social structure.
There are two types of social status based on how it is attained:
1.1. Ascribed Status. Social status that is effortlessly assumed by an individual as a matter of rightful
inheritance or designation upon birth.
Examples: a. Being born a male.
b. The son of parents belonging to a family of aristocracy or nobility is also an aristocrat or
noble.
c. The daughter of wealthy parents is heiress to the family wealth.
1.2. Achieved Status. Social status that is merited by an individual through effort as a matter of choice.
Examples: a. Being promoted, in a company for commendable job performance.
b. Accumulating wealth through hard earned work.
c. Becoming an architect by passing the licensure exam through study efforts
2. Social Class. It refers to a particular social status group distinguished by its customary modes of behavior
or lifestyle. Social class may be based on one of the following:
2.1. Economic. Individuals are stratified according to possession of wealth or extent of control over
economic resources.
2.2. Education. Individuals are stratified according to highest educational attainment or academic standing
and background qualifications.
2.3. Occupation. Individuals are stratified according to rank or prestige of work practice in terms of authority
and extent of influence.
3. Social Role. The expected behavior that is attached to a particular social status that one is supposed to
carry out or perform in the social structure. The expected behavior attached to a social role constitutes the
following:
3.1. Rights. Something that is due to a person as a matter of just possession. Its compulsory entitlement is
duty-bound. It is a requirement expected in the performance of an obligation.
3.2. Duties. It is the mandatory or obligatory performance of an assignment or task as expected of one's
social role.
3.3. Privileges. The enjoyment of an advantage or benefit received from having something. Privileges are
given on a selective and optional basis which can be forfeited or revoked.
Social Stratification: Four Principles
Sociologists have identified four basic principles of social stratification. First, it is a trait of society, not
simply a reflection of individual differences. Social stratification exists throughout the world — all societies have
had it since before the Dark Ages. Second, it carries over from generation to generation. Status is long-term,
and children are born with the same status as their parents. Third it is universal but variable. Although it exists
in all societies, its structure is different based on culture and history. Fourth, it involves not just inequality but
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beliefs as well. The difference between the strata layers is often based not just on individual differences but
also on the attitudes that members of each layer have.
To illustrate these principles, imagine a town where every resident was identical in every way - they
looked the same, they had the same job, the same amount of money, and so on. The only difference was that
some residents had blue eyes instead of brown eyes (like everyone else). The blue-eyed residents considered
themselves better than the brown-eyed residents and were also treated as such. For decades, the blue-eyed
residents befriended and married only those who also had blue eyes. One day, the brown-eyed residents
purchased colored contacts so they could have blue eyes too. Horrified that they were no longer unique, the
original blue-eyed residents purchased brown contacts so they would still be different and special.
Applying the four principles of social stratification: like all societies, this town created a social hierarchy.
Status was determined by physical differences; if you had blue eyes, you were considered special. Since the
physical characteristic was determined through genetics, your status was ascribed at birth and was the same
as your parents. And not only were blue-eyed residents different physically, they actually believed that they
were better than the brown-eyed residents.
Types of Social Stratification
It may seem like social status never changes - that one is stuck with a status forever. This is mostly true
of a closed system of social stratification in which status is ascribed from birth. In a closed system, there is
little to no social mobility, which is a change in position within the social hierarchy. However, in an open
system of social stratification, status is achieved through merit or effort. In this meritocracy, as it is sometimes
called, social mobility is more likely. Some people move downward in social status because of failure, disgrace,
or illness. Others move horizontally, maybe switching jobs at the same level of the social hierarchy. And the
fortunate few are able to move upward. We love stories of individuals who rise to fame from humble
beginnings, such as Oprah Winfrey and J.K. Rowling.
Stratification exists in all societies but they vary according to the prevailing culture and kind of
relationships existing therein. The two major types are:
1. Class System. It is an open type of social stratification based on free social mobility whereby anyone
has equal opportunities with the rest in society to move along ranks of the social strata.
The United States and the United Kingdom both use a class system, an open system of social
stratification that divides the population into separate classes whose members have different access to
society's resources. There are typically economic and cultural differences between classes. The rich,
who are part of a higher class, are sometimes described as the 'haves' and the poor as the `have-nots:
As an open system, social mobility between classes is possible through education and certain
opportunities. At times, even blood relatives may have different social standings. However, there are
disadvantaged groups that have much more difficulty changing status than others. The U.S. class
system is broadly divided into three main layers: upper class, middle class, and lower class. Again,
those in the lower class that have come from disadvantaged backgrounds have much more difficulty
moving up in society.
2. Caste System. It is a closed type of rigid social stratification based on ascribed and permanently fixed
social status of individuals restricting social mobility and maintaining their place in society.
In contrast with the class system, there are many societies that use the caste system, a closed
system of social stratification in which the population is divided between hereditary groups. In these
cultures, birth alone determines a person's entire future, with little to no allowance for social mobility
based on individual achievement.
If you are born into a low caste, it would not matter if you cured all disease —you would still be
looked down upon by those born into a higher caste.
Typically, the societies that use the caste system are agrarian-rural and dependent on agriculture.
For example, India is almost always mentioned when discussing the caste system because it is
prevalent in their traditional villages. There, people are dedicated to a lifelong routine of working the
land and performing the same jobs as their parents. The caste system dictates not only the type of job
one can have but also the social interactions that are allowed. Marriage is only allowed between
members of the same caste and moving somewhere else to 'start fresh' is not an option.

SOURCE: Banaag, Lee Mark T. and Ma. Theresa M. Cruz. (2016). Socio-Anthro: An Integrated and
Interdisciplinary Approach to the Study of Society, Culture and Politics. Books Atbp. Publishing
Corp.: Mandaluyong City.

What is Social Stratification?

Stratification is a hierarchy of positions with regard to economic production which influences the social
rewards to those in the positions. The higher one's social class, the higher their levels of political participation
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and political influence.
In all societies, people differ from each other on the basis of their age, sex and personal characteristics.
Human society is not homogeneous but heterogeneous. Apart from the natural differences, human beings are,
also differentiated according to socially approved criteria. So socially differentiated men are treated as socially
unequal from the point of view of enjoyment of social rewards like status, power, income etc. That may be
called social inequality. The term social inequality simply refers to the existence of socially created inequalities.
Social stratification is a particular form of social inequality. All societies arrange their members in terms
of superiority, inferiority and equality. Stratification is a process of interaction or differentiation whereby some
people come to rank higher than others.
In one word, when individuals and groups are ranked, according to some commonly accepted basis of
valuation in hierarchy of status levels based upon the inequality of social positions, social stratification occurs.
Social stratification means division of society into different strata or layers. It involves a hierarchy of social
groups. Members of a particular layer have a common identity. They have similar life styles.
The Indian Caste system provides an example of stratification system. The society in which divisions of
social classes exist is known as stratified society. Modern stratification fundamentally differs from stratification
of primitive societies. Social stratification involves two phenomena (i) differentiation of individuals or groups on
the basis of possession of certain characteristics whereby some individuals or groups come to higher than
others, (ii) the ranking of individuals according to some basis of evaluation.
Characteristics of Social Stratification
On the basis of the analysis of the different definitions given by eminent scholars, social stratification
may have the following characteristics.
(a) Social stratification is universal: There is no society on this world which is free from stratification.
Modern stratification differs from stratification of primitive societies. It is a worldwide phenomenon.
According to Sorokin "all permanently organized groups are stratified."
(b) Stratification is social: It is true that biological qualities do not determine one's superiority and
inferiority. Factors like age, sex, intelligence as well as strength often contribute as the bases on which
status are distinguished. But one's education, property, power, experience, character, personality etc.
are found to be more important than biological qualities. Hence, stratification is social by nature.
(c) It is ancient: Stratification system is very old. It was present even in the small wandering bonds. In
almost all the ancient civilizations, the differences between the rich and poor, humble and powerful
existed. During the period of Plato and Kautilya even emphasis was given to political, social and
economic inequalities.
(d) It is in diverse forms: The forms of stratification are not uniform in all societies. In the modern world
class, caste and estate are the general forms of stratification. In India a special type of stratification in
the form of caste is found. The ancient Aryas were divided into four varnas: the Brahmins, Kshatriyas,
Vaishyas and Sudras. The ancient Greeks were divided into freemen and slaves and the ancient
Romans were divided into the patricians and the plebeians. So every society, past or present, big or
small is characterized by diverse forms of social stratification.
(e) Social stratification is consequential: Social stratification has two important consequences, one is
"life chances" and the other one is "life style". A class system not only affects the "life-chances" of the
individuals but also their "life style".
The members of a class have similar social chances but the social chances vary in every society.
It includes chances of survival and of good physical and mental health, opportunities for education,
chances of obtaining justice, marital conflict, separation and divorce etc.
Life style denotes a style of life which is distinctive of a particular social status. Life-styles include
such matters like the residential areas in every community which have gradations of prestige-ranking,
mode of housing, means of recreation, the kinds of dress, the kinds of book, TV shows to which one is
exposed and so on. Life-style may be viewed as a sub-culture in which one stratum differs from another
within the framework of a commonly shared over-all culture.

The Functionalist View of Stratification

1. Main Principles of Structural Functionalism:
a. Societies are complex systems of interrelated and interdependent parts and each part of a society
significantly influences the others.
b. Each part of the society exists because it has a vital function to perform in maintaining the existence or
stability of society as a whole; the existence of any part of a society is therefore explained when its
function for the whole is identified. In other words, the function of anything which is assumed to be

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"beneficial function", explains why a structure exists.
c. The tendency of society is toward stability, harmony, or equilibrium, in other words toward balance.
Society is seen as a self-regulating system and all of the constituent elements of a society must
contribute to maintaining this state of harmony.
d. Overall, the assumption of functionalism is that all social structures contribute to the maintenance of the
system and the existence of any given structure is explained by means of its consequences (functions)
which must, by definition, be beneficial to the maintenance of stable order.
2. Functionalism on stratification: the Davis Moore Thesis
a. With particular respect to the issue of social stratification or social inequality, the functionalist view
argues that social inequality is necessary because it fulfills vital system needs.
b. One such functionalist view of inequality was developed by Kinsley Davis and Wilbert Moore and has
come to be known as the "Davis-Moore Thesis." This functionalist theory of stratification was first
discussed by the authors in 1945 in the article, "Some Principles of Stratification" which appeared in the
American Sociological Review and was later extended and refined in Davis' book Human Society
(1948).
c. Davis and Moore argue like this:
• They claim that no society is un-stratified. So, inequality is universal.
• This universal nature of stratification must mean that inequality is not only unavoidable, but indeed
necessary to the smooth working of society.
• Then Davis and Moore set out to explain how inequality benefits society. (They assume it is beneficial
then try to explain how it must be beneficial).
• They ask: Why are some positions in society higher than others? Why do the higher positions carry
more status and rewards? The answer they come up with is this:
1. Societies are stratified because inequality fulfills an important need of all social systems.
2. Society must distribute its members among the various positions in society.
3. People have to be motivated to fill certain positions and perform their duties
4. Filling the positions within a social structure is a basic need of any society. This is accomplished
through the unequal distribution of rewards.
5. Not all positions are equally pleasant, equally important, or equal in terms of required talent and
ability
6. There must be rewards to provide inducements and those rewards must be distributed unequally to
assure that all positions get filled. The inequality of rewards corresponds to what Davis and Moore
call functional importance of the position.
7. The most important positions are rewarded the most—the least important are rewarded the least.
• Ranking of positions occurs according to functional importance and the amount of training or talent
associated with the position. High income, power, prestiges of a particular position are due to
functional importance or scarcity of trained personnel.
3. Summary of the Davis-Moore Thesis:
a. Social positions have varying degrees of functional importance.
b. Talented and trained individuals are scarce because acquisition of training and skills requires people to
be sufficiently motivated to pursue them.
c. Stratification, or unequal distribution of rewards ensures that the most talented and trained individuals
will fulfill the social roles of greatest importance.
The basic tone of the Davis-Moore thesis, as Irving Zeitlin says, is that "the rich and powerful and
prestigious are at the top because they are the most talented and the best trained and also because they make
the greatest contribution to society's preservation."
4. Criticism of the Davis-Moore Thesis: The Nature of Social Mobility:
a. Scarcity of rewards is not a "natural" scarcity but rather an artificial scarcity—especially within a system
of private property in production—property is, for example, exclusionary rights.
b. Some rewards are not functionally determined at all, but rather must be understood within the context of
wealth ownership and institution of inheritance.
c. Control of access to training by powerful and privileged groups creates artificial scarcity of talent.
d. Davis and Moore claimed that their theory was applicable to all forms of society. Critics of the Davis-
Moore viewpoint argued that it did not make much sense in non-competitive societies—for example
feudalism, where all positions are distributed not by merit but by birth. And, more importantly what about

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those aspects of a class society that do not operate like merit systems?
Conflict View of Stratification
• Conflict theory suggests that men, as the dominant gender, subordinate women in order to maintain power
and privilege in society.
• According to conflict theory, capitalist economic competition unfairly privileges the rich who have the power to
perpetrate an unfair system that works to their advantage.
• "Losers" who are at the bottom of the social stratification have little opportunity to improve their situation,
since those at the top tend to have far more political and economic power.
• Functionalists argue against the conflict theory approach by contending that people don't always act out of
economic self-interest, and that people who want to succeed can do so through hard work.
• Conflict theory asserts that social problems occur when dominant groups mistreat subordinate ones, and thus
advocates for a balance of power between genders.
• Friedrich Engels compared the family structure to the relationship between the bourgeoisie and the
proletariat, suggesting that women had less power than men in the household because they were dependent
on them for wages.
• Men, like any other groups with a power or wealth advantage in Conflict Theory, fought to maintain their
control over resources (in this case, political and economic power). Conflict between the two groups caused
things like the Women's Suffrage Movement and was responsible for social change.
• Conflict theory of stratification holds that inequality is harmful to society because it creates a fixed system of
winners and losers.
Three Component Theory of Stratification
The three-component theory of stratification, more widely known as Weberian stratification or the
three-class system, was developed by German sociologist Max Weber with class, status and party as distinct
ideal types. Weber developed a multidimensional approach to social stratification that reflects the interplay
among wealth, prestige and power.
Weber argued that power can take a variety of forms. A person's power can be shown in the social
order through their status, in the economic order through their class, and in the political order through their
party. Thus, class, status and party are each aspects of the distribution of power within the community.
Class, status and power have not only a great deal of effect within their individual areas but also a great
deal of influence over the other areas.
• Wealth: includes property such as buildings, lands, farms, houses, d as well as other assets -
Economic Situation
• Prestige: the respect with which a person or status position is regarded by others - Status Situation
• Power: the ability of people or groups to achieve their goals despite opposition from others - Parties
Social Mobility
Social mobility is defined as movement of individuals, families, households, or other categories of
people within or between layers or tiers in an open system of social stratification. Open stratification systems
are those in which at least some value is given to achieve status characteristics in a society. The movement
can be in a downward or upward direction. Absolute social mobility refers to the overall numbers of people who
end up in a different layer of stratification from that of their parents. Relative social mobility refers to the
differences in probability of attaining a certain outcome, regardless of overall structural changes; a society can
have high absolute mobility and low relative mobility. The availability of at least some social mobility can be
important in providing pathways to greater equality in societies with high social inequality.
Mobility is most often quantitatively measured in terms of change in economic mobility such as changes
in income or wealth. Occupation is another measure used in researching mobility, which usually involves both
quantitative and qualitative analysis of data. Yet other studies may concentrate on social class. Mobility may be
intragenerational, within the same generation or intergenerational, between one or more generations.
Intragenerational mobility is less frequent, representing "rags to riches" cases in terms of upward mobility.
Intergenerational upwards mobility is more common, where children or grandchildren are in economic
circumstances better than those of their parents or grandparents.
Types of Social Mobility
In social stratification the movement occurs in three directions:
(a) From lower to higher
(b) From higher to lower

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(c) Between two positions at the same level
Social mobility is of two types:
(i) Vertical mobility
(ii) Horizontal mobility
Vertical Mobility
It refers to the movement of people from one stratum to another or from one status to another. It
brings changes in class, occupation and power. It involves movement from lower to higher or higher to
lower. There are two types of vertical mobility. One is upward and the other is downward mobility.
When an individual moves from lower to higher status, it is called upward mobility. For example, if the
son of a regular employee joins a bank as an officer, it is said to be upward mobility but if he loses the job
due to any other reason, he is downwardly mobile from his previous job. So downward mobility takes place
when a person moves down from one position to another and change his status.
Horizontal Mobility
It refers to the movement of people from one social group to another situated on the same level. It
means that the ranks of these two groups are not different. It indicates change in position without the
change in status. For example, if a teacher leaves one school and joins another school or a bank officer
leaves one branch to work in another or change of residence is a horizontal mobility.

SOURCE: Ariola, Mariano M., LL. B.; Ed. D. (2016). Understanding Culture, Society and Politics: K to 12 Basic
Education Curriculum Senior High School – Core Subject. Unlimited Books Library Services &
Publishing Inc.: Manila.

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