CHAPTER 7

SOCIAL STRATIFICATION
SOCIAL STRATIFICATION
 Hierarchical arrangement and
establishment of social categories that
may evolve into social group as well as the
statuses and their corresponding roles.
 Considered as a differentiation of statuses
and social rules.
 Institutionalized inequality.

 Consists of horizontal division or social

strata.
 BASIC COMPONENTS OF
SOCIAL STRATIFICATION
 Social class – category of persons who have
more or less the same socioeconomic
privileges in a society.

Upper Class

Middle Class

Lower Class
 BASIC COMPONENTS OF
SOCIAL STRATIFICATION
 Social Status – social position of a person or
group within the social system.

Former – goes with heredity Latter– associated with merits or

efforts
BASIC COMPONENTS OF SOCIAL
STRATIFICATION

 Roles – connected behaviors, rights,

obligations, belief, and mores as
conceptualized by people in a social
situation.
Rights and Privileges is the
enjoyment of a benefit or advantage.
Obligations and Responsibilities

are one ought to do according to the

role in the society.
TYPES OF SOCIAL CLASS
 Upper Class – are those elite families found
mostly in agriculture, industry, business or government
sectors.

① New Rich are gained enough wealth to enjoy the

lifestyle of traditional rich.
② Traditional Upper Class are descendants of elite
members who may still be wealthy or no longer
so.

 Middle Class are made up of small business and

industry owners, professionals, employees and
some farm owners.
 Lower Class are the largest number and live on
subsistence level. (indigent and unemployed)
TYPES OF SOCIAL
STRATIFICATION
4. Social Distance – show reserve in the social
relationship of different social or racial classes of
people in a society.
5. Class Conflict – occurs when social classes
struggle from more equitable distribution of wealth,
power, goods, and service.
6. Social Mobility – happens when people in the
social system move up or down on the scale.
 Vertical Social Mobility – movement of people
or groups from one position to another in
stratification system.
 Horizontal Social Mobility – movement of
people or groups from one social position to
another with roles of varying importance within
the same social class.
TYPES OF SOCIAL
STRATIFICATION
1. Caste Type – based mainly on inherited
inequality where status are ascribed from birth.
Characterized by endogamy, hereditary
transmission of a lifestyle which often includes
occupation, ritual status based on cultural
notions.
2. Open Class – provides equal opportunity where
social advancement is based on one’s skills,
talents, and efforts. Depends on educational and
professional attainment.
3. Class-Consciousness – being aware of one’s
social class position in society . Understanding of
the economic rank of the class to which you
belong.
FACTORS AFFECTING SOCIAL
MOBILITY
 Geographical mobility and horizontal mobility
generally go hand-in-hand and they are
significant prerequisites to vertical mobility.
Job changes from one company to another
can unfold better chances for moving up.
Striving for upward mobility has impelled
major population movements – from farm to
city, from North to South, East to West, or
vice versa.
 Prepared By:

Group 7