Social and Political Stratification
There are no opportunities to improve
Sociologists use the term social stratification
to describe the system of social standing. Karl Maxx
looked at it in terms wealth produced in relation to
the ownership of means of production. For example,
if you are the owner of the company you get most of
the profits gained by your company’s operation
compared to that of your employees. Wealth may
refer to money, properties, and similar tangible
resources.
Max Weber, on the other hand, differentiates
them into three: wealth, power ,and prestige.
Individual’s social standing can be measured, all at
once, based on their relative access to these three.
For example, a college professor may have less
power and less wealth, but he/she enjoys a lot of
prestige. A government employee may have less
wealth and less prestige, but he/she may have more
power. Political stratification can be related to
norms, values, class structures, status groups,
associations, and laws, which structure the relations
between individual.
Karl Marx Max Weber
Power Wealth Prestige
Material Political or Material Widespread
prosperity, social prosperity respect and
ownership authority or admiration felt
of the control, for someone
means of especially due to his/her
production that which achievements
s is exercised or quality
by a The lower class is typified by poverty,
government
The concept of Social Stratification
Social Exclusion- Process by which individuals are
cut off from full involvement in the wider circles of
society. May be due to poor housing, lack of
employment, inferior schools, or limited
transportation. Leads to lack of opportunities to
self-improvement.
Systems of Stratification
Closed
 Imposed rigid boundaries groups
 Limit interaction between members who
belong to different social groups or occupy
different levels in social hierarchy
 Resistant to change in social roles
Open
 Mainly based on achievement, allowing
more flexibility in social roles increase
social mobility and better interaction.
CASTE SYSTEM
Are closed stratification systems because people
are unable to change their social standing. Caste
systems promote belief in fate, destiny and the will
of higher spiritual power rather than promotional
individual freedom. People born into caste society
are socialized to accept their standing for the rest of
their lives.
one’s social position.
CLASS SYSTEM
Stratification system based on ownership of
resources and the individual’s occupation or
profession. A social class is composed of people
who share the same background and characteristics.
(Income, Education & Occupation). Under the class
system, people are free to move from one social
class to another and achieve higher status in life
through education and employment. Openness in
class systems results in prevalence of exogamous
marriage.
The lower class
homelessness, and unemployment. People of this
class, few of whom have finished high school,
suffer from lack of medical care, adequate housing
and food, decent clothing, safety, and vocational
training.
The working class
The working class are those minimally educated
people who engage in “manual labor” with little or
no prestige. Unskilled workers in the class
dishwashers, cashiers, maids, and waitresses usually
are underpaid and have no opportunity for career
advancement. They are often called the working
poor. Skilled workers in this class carpenters,
plumbers, and electricians are often called blue
collar workers.
The lower middle class
Often made up of educated people with lower
incomes, such as managers, small business owners,
teachers, and secretaries.
The upper middle class
Often made up of highly educated business and
professional people with high incomes, such as
doctors, lawyers, stockbrokers etc.
The upper class
Often made up of Top level executives, celebrities,
heirs, politicians. They are the wealthiest among the
class of society.

Theoretical Perspectives on Social Stratification

Conflict theory
 Takes critical view of social stratification
 Consider society as benefitting only a small
segment
 Stratification cause inequality
 Drawn ideas of Kal Marx

Karl Marx
Social stratification is influence by economic forces
and relationship in society are defined by factors of
production.

Two groups
 Bourgeois (Capitalist)- Own factors of
production(Land, resources, business and
proletariats); Upper class
 Proletariat-Workers who provide manual
labors; Lower class

Inequality causes workers to experience alienation,

isolation, and great misery due to powerless status.
This leads to class conflict.

Symbolic interactionism
 Microlevel perspective
 Attempts to explain how people’s social
standing affect their everyday interactions
 Leads to interaction within the same class
 Stratification becomes a system that groups
people (interest, background, way of life)
 People’s appearance reflects their perceived
social standing
 Theory of Conspicuous Consumption
- Buying certain products to make a social
statement about a status

Social Mobility
Ability of individuals or groups to change their
positions within a social stratification system. It is
how individuals progress from lower to a higher
class or how they lose their status and occupy a
much lower position in society. One major factor is
the economic status or accumulation of wealth.
Types:
1. Upward Mobility- Upward movement in social
class. Maybe through education, employment or
marriage.
2. Downward Mobility- Lowering of social class,
brought by economic setbacks, unemployment,
illness and dropping out of school.