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Social Stratification

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Social Stratification

People in all communities vary in age, gender, and personal characteristics. People are

characterized as superior, inferior, or equal to some generally acknowledged basis of

valuation in a hierarchy of status levels based on social position differences in social

stratification. The United States, like other societies, is stratified, and this stratification is

frequently based on a person's socioeconomic status, mainly determined by educational

achievement, employment, or income/wealth. Many Americans are familiar with the upper,

middle, and lower social hierarchy.

The American upper class is a social category of individuals who hold the greatest

social status, owing to their economic affluence or a high salary. One-third of the country's

wealth is owned by the upper class, accounting for 1% of the population(Ingraham, 2017).

This class has more money than they can spend, leaving them plenty of free time to pursue

various interests. They reside in posh districts and gather at lavish private clubs. As a result,

they wield a considerable degree of power and influence on a national level.

The middle class, which comprises 52% of the population, is a socioeconomic stratum

between the lower and upper classes(Kochhar, 2018). These folks have enough disposable

income to afford some pleasures and own a home or a car, which may involve loans. Most

people assume the middle class earns enough money to save for retirement and fulfill some

necessities, yet most individuals live paycheck to paycheck. The lower class is the lowest

social rank or standing are, sometimes referred to as the working class. It comprises people

who have low-paying careers and little financial security. They suffer from a lack of medical

care, proper housing, and food, sometimes due to poor income, lack of skills, or education.

Due to various circumstances, people in the United States can move up or down the

social ladder. People who receive a college degree, find a job with a higher salary, or start a
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business can advance up the social ladder. On the other hand, people can experience

downward mobility due to a loss of income, a company shutdown, or a divorce. Although

climbing the social ladder is conceivable, it is now more difficult to climb the economic

ladder in the United States than 20 years ago(Zarroli, 2014).

Social stratification produces social disparities and numerous issues because it is an

unequal society with a concentration of wealth in one group. It impacts people's way of life as

people from lower socioeconomic strata experience emotional stress due to uneven access to

income, health, social welfare, and wealth. The discrepancy is frequently cited as a cause of

social unrest in the country. Because of social stratification, certain individuals have

restricted access to education(Sowmya.S, 2017). As a result, they seldom complete their

studies, restricting their opportunities for work and their possibilities of improving their

education and breaking the poverty barrier.

Their socioeconomic status influences a person's physical health and their capacity to

acquire proper medical treatment. Individuals of lower socioeconomic levels have a wide

range of health issues due to their economic situation since they cannot get healthcare as

frequently as those with higher status. When they do, it is frequently of inferior quality.

Family life is strongly influenced by social class, and there is a higher chance of divorce

among low socioeconomic. In the US, there is a higher chance of divorce in marriages for

couples with low socioeconomic statuses than for those in higher socioeconomic

groups(Wilcox & Wang, 2017), which is often be attributed to greater financial stress.

However, factors like class expectations can also play a role.

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References.

Ingraham, C. (2017). The richest 1 percent now owns more of the country's wealth than at

any time in the past 50 years - The Washington Post.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/12/06/the-richest-1-percent-now-

owns-more-of-the-countrys-wealth-than-at-any-time-in-the-past-50-years/

Kochhar, R. (2018). Middle class keeps its size, loses financial ground to upper-income tier |

Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/09/06/the-american-

middle-class-is-stable-in-size-but-losing-ground-financially-to-upper-income-families/

Sowmya.S. (2017). A Study on the Positive and Negative Impacts Of Social Stratification in

Urban and Rural Areas. November, 206–211.

Wilcox, W. B., & Wang, W. (2017). The Marriage Divide: How and Why Working-Class

Families Are More Fragile Today | Institute for Family Studies.

https://ifstudies.org/blog/the-marriage-divide-how-and-why-working-class-families-are-

more-fragile-today

Zarroli, J. (2014). Study: Upward Mobility No Tougher In U.S. Than Two Decades Ago :

NPR. https://www.npr.org/2014/01/23/265356290/study-upward-mobility-no-tougher-

in-u-s-than-two-decades-ago