C EP T, C HA RA C T ER I ST I C S

C ON
AN D F O R M S O F
STRAT IF IC A TI O N
LTU RE, SO C IETY & POLITICS
UNDERSTANDING CU
WHAT PRESSING CONCERN ISSUES
HAVE YOU OBSERVED IN THE
CONTEMPORARY WORLD TODAY ?
 SOCIAL STRATIFICATION

•SOCIOLOGISTS USE THE TERM “SOCIAL STRATIFICATION”

TO DESCRIBE THE SYSTEM OF SOCIAL STANDING.
•IT REFERS TO WHAT SOCIOLOGISTS CALL IT AS “ INSTITUTIONALIZED
INEQUALITY” OF INDIVIDUAL OR “SOCIAL INJUSTICE” DUE TO SOCIAL
CATEGORIES (ARIOLA, 2012).
•IT IS AN INSTITUTIONALIZED PATTERN OF INEQUALITY IN WHICH
SOCIAL CATEGORIES ARE RANKED ON THE BASIS OF THEIR ACCESS TO
SCARCE RESOURCES BRINKERHOFF & WHITE, 1988).
•IT IS THE WAY PEOPLE ARE RANKED AND ORDERED IN SOCIETY (COLE,
2019).
•IT IS A SYSTEM WHEREBY PEOPLE RANK AND EVALUATE EACH OTHER
AS SUPERIOR OR INFERIOR AND, ON THE BASIS OF SUCH EVALUATION,
UNEQUALLY REWARD ONE ANOTHER WITH WEALTH, AUTHORITY,
POWER, AND PRESTIGE. ONE RESULT OF EACH DIFFERENTIATION IS THE
CREATION OF A NUMBER OF LEVELS WITHIN THE SOCIETY. (HEBDING &
GLICK, 1992)
•THE CLASSIFICATION OF PEOPLE INTO SOCIOECONOMIC CLASS, BASED
UPON THEIR OCCUPATION AND INCOME, WEALTH AND SOCIAL STATUS.

•THIS IS THE RELATIVE SOCIAL POSITION OF PEOPLE WITHIN A SOCIAL

GROUP, CATEGORY, GEOGRAPHIC, RELIGION OR SOCIAL UNIT.
 SOCIAL DESIRABLES
•ARE RESOURCES CONSIDERED VALUABLE BY SOCIETIES
•THESE RESOURCES MAY BE TANGIBLE OR INTANGIBLE. SOCIOLOGIST
MAY FOCUS ON ANY OF THESE RESOURCES AS THE BASIS OF THEIR
THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE ON SOCIAL INEQUALITY. IN SHORT, THE
RECOGNITION OF THE EXISTENCE OF THESE SOCIAL DESIRABLES IS
WHAT BRINGS TOGETHER THE SOCIOLOGICAL CAMPS.
 SOCIAL MOBILITY
•THIS REFERS TO CHANGES OF INDIVIDUALS, FAMILIES,
HOUSEHOLDS, OR OTHER CATEGORIES OF PEOPLE WITHIN OR
BETWEEN SOCIAL CLASS IN A SOCIETY.
•IT IS A CHANGE IN SOCIAL STATUS RELATIVE TO ONE'S CURRENT
SOCIAL LOCATION WITHIN A GIVEN SOCIETY.
 TYPES OF SOCIAL MOBILITY
•HORIZONTAL •DOWNWARD
•VERTICAL •INTER-GENERATIONAL
•UPWARD •INTRA-GENERATIONAL
 HORIZONTAL MOBILITY

•THIS HAPPEN WHEN A PERSON CHANGES THEIR OCCUPATION

BUT THEIR OVERALL SOCIAL STANDING REMAINS UNCHANGED.
 VERTICAL MOBILITY
•IT IS A CHANGE IN THE OCCUPATIONAL, POLITICAL, OR RELIGIOUS
STATUS OF A PERSON THAT CAUSES A CHANGE IN THEIR
SOCIETAL POSITION. A PERSON OR SOCIAL OBJECT MOVES FROM
ONE SOCIAL CLASS TO ANOTHER.
 UPWARD MOBILITY
•IT IS WHEN A PERSON MOVES FROM A LOWER POSITION IN
SOCIETY TO A HIGHER ONE. IT CAN ALSO INCLUDE PEOPLE
OCCUPYING HIGHER POSITIONS IN THE SAME SOCIETAL GROUP.
HOWEVER, UPWARD MOBILITY, WHILE SEEN AS A GOOD THING,
CAN ALSO COME AT A COST FOR INDIVIDUALS.
 DOWNWARD MOBILITY
•IT TAKES PLACE WHEN A PERSON MOVES FROM A HIGHER
POSITION IN SOCIETY TO A LOWER ONE. IT HAPPEN WHEN
SOMEONE IS CAUGHT PERFORMING A WRONGFUL ACT THAT CAN
RESULT IN THE LOSS OF THE POSITION THEY CURRENTLY HOLD.
 INTER-GENERATIONAL MOBILITY
•THIS HAPPEN WHEN THE SOCIAL POSITION CHANGES FROM ONE
GENERATION TO ANOTHER. THE CHANGE CAN BE UPWARD OR
DOWNWARD.
 INTRA-GENERATIONAL MOBILITY
•CHANGE IN SOCIETAL POSITION OCCURS DURING THE LIFESPAN
OF A SINGLE GENERATION. IT CAN ALSO REFER TO A CHANGE IN
POSITION BETWEEN SIBLINGS. ONE WAY IS WHEN A PERSON
CLIMBS UP THE CORPORATE LADDER IN THEIR CAREER.
 CATEGORIES OF SOCIAL MOBILITY
Upward/downward
•SOCIAL MOBILITY Vertical/horizontal

•GEOGRAPHICAL MOBILITY
•ROLE MOBILITY
 SOCIAL MOBILITY
•REFERS TO THE MOVEMENT UPWARD OR DOWNWARD AMONG
THE SOCIAL POSITIONS IN ANY GIVEN SOCIAL STRATIFICATION.
 GEOGRAPHICAL MOBILITY
•THIS IS OTHERWISE KNOWN AS PHYSICAL MOBILITY.
•IT MAY BE A VOLUNTARY MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE FROM ONE
GEOGRAPHICAL AREA TO ANOTHER DUE TO CHANGE IN
RESIDENCE, COMMUTING FROM HOME TO OFFICE, MAKING
BUSINESS TRIPS, AND VOLUNTARY MIGRATION FROM ONE
COUNTRY TO ANOTHER.
 ROLE MOBILITY

•IS THE INDIVIDUAL’S SHIFTING FROM ROLE TO ROLE.

 TYPES OF SOCIAL STRATIFICATION AND THEIR
CHARACTERISTICS

•OPEN SYSTEM Sociologist

•CLOSED SYSTEM
Anthropologist
•ETHNIC SYSTEM
 OPEN SYSTEM
•IT ENCOURAGES PEOPLE TO STRIVE AND ACHIEVE SOMETHING.
•PEOPLE BELONGING TO ONE SOCIAL CLASS HAVE SIMILAR OPPORTUNITIES,
SIMILAR LIFESTYLES, ATTITUDES, BEHAVIOR AND POSSIBLY SIMILAR SOCIO-
ECONOMIC POSITIONS.
•PEOPLE HAVE EQUAL CHANCE TO SUCCEED. WHETHER PEOPLE DO SOMETHING
TO IMPROVE THEIR LIVES OR NOT THIS GREATLY DEPENDS ON THEM.
 CLOSED SYSTEM
•CLOSED SYSTEM ACCOMMODATES LITTLE CHANGE IN SOCIAL
POSITION. THEY DO NOT ALLOW PEOPLE TO SHIFT LEVELS AND DO
NOT PERMIT SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN LEVELS.
• CASTE SYSTEM
• ESTATE SYSTEM
 ETHNIC SYSTEM
• THIS TYPE OF SOCIAL STRATIFICATION IS BASED ON NATIONAL ORIGIN,
LANGUAGE AND RELIGION.
• ETHNICITY SETS SEGMENTS OF SOCIETY APART AND EACH GROUP HAS A
SENSE OF IDENTITY. PEOPLE INTERACT MORE FREELY WITH THOSE PEOPLE
BELONGING TO THE SAME ETHNIC CATEGORY.
 CATEGORIES OF OPEN SYSTEM
•UPPER CLASS Upper-middle
•MIDDLE CLASS Lower middle

•LOWER CLASS Upper-lower

Lower-lower
 UPPER CLASS
•THEY HAVE HIGH REPUTATION IN TERMS OF POWER AND
PRESTIGE. THEY LIVE IN EXCLUSIVE RESIDENTIAL AREA, BELONG
TO EXCLUSIVE PRIVATE CLUBS, AND MAY HAVE STRONG
POLITICAL INFLUENCE IN THE SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT.
•THEY OWN SEVERAL CARS AND PROPERTIES AND THEIR
CHILDREN MAY STUDY IN EXCLUSIVE SCHOOLS.
 MIDDLE CLASS
•THE PEOPLE IN THIS CLASS MAY BELONG TO THE UPPER-MIDDLE CLASS
WHICH IS OFTEN MADE UP OF HIGHLY EDUCATED BUSINESS AND
PROFESSIONAL PEOPLE WITH HIGH INCOMES, SUCH AS DOCTORS,
LAWYERS, STOCKBROKERS, AND CEOS OR
•TO THE LOWER-MIDDLE CLASS OFTEN MADE UP OF PEOPLE WITH
LOWER INCOMES, SUCH AS MANAGERS, SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS,
TEACHERS, AND SECRETARIES.
 LOWER CLASS
•THE LOWER CLASS IS TYPIFIED BY POVERTY, HOMELESSNESS, AND
UNEMPLOYMENT. THE PEOPLE IN THIS CLASS BELONG TO THE BOTTOM OF
SOCIO-ECONOMIC LADDER.
• IN THE UPPER-LOWER CLASS, PEOPLE ARE CONSIDERED AS THE WORKING
CLASS OR LABORERS.
• IN THE LOWER-LOWER CLASS ARE UNEMPLOYED, OR NO SOURCE OF INCOME
EXCEPT BY BEGGING OR DEPENDENT FROM PRIVATE AND GOVERNMENT RELIEF.