Social

Stratification
SOCI1002
MARCH 14, 2023
Social stratification

 A system by which a society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy (Macionis

and Plummer).

 The presence of distinct social groups ranked one above the other in terms of
factors such as power, prestige/status and wealth (Haralambos and Holborn).
Social stratification cont’d

 Ranking, division or categorization of the groups or members of a particular

society. This ranking is based on access to social goods considered valuable eg.
Power, prestige and wealth.

 Social stratification is often a result of unequal distribution of resources

considered valuable by members of the society.
 Characteristics of stratification

 Social divisions- differences that are rendered socially significant

 1. S.S is a characteristic of society, not just reflection of individual
differences
Persons consider social position as a reflection of personal effort &
talent. Persons who survived TITANIC did not do so because of
any greater ability to swim, or smartness, but rather because of their
privileged position on the ship.
 Characteristics of stratification cont’d

 2. S.S persists over generations

 3. S.S is universal but variable (open versus closed; apartheid, caste,

class). Form of inequality varies from one society to another
Characteristics of stratification cont’d

 4. S.S involves not just inequality but beliefs. Systems of social inequality give
some more resources than others but define certain arrangements as fair.

 5. S.S. engenders shared identity belonging to a particular social category

different from others.
 Identity serves to ‘mark off’ one’s social division from another (closely link to
different culture) – “having a sense of your location”
Social Stratification systems

 There are two types of stratification systems:

 1. Closed system
 2. Open system
Social Stratification system

 Stratification systems differ in opportunities for social mobility

 Closed systems –well defined ranks and rigid boundaries, which are
difficult or impossible for people to cross. People normally remain
in the same social position throughout their lives.
 Provide little opportunities for social mobility. Positions are largely
ascribed - fixed at birth - with little room for change of status
Social Stratification

 Examples of closed stratification systems

 Caste—India
 Estate System—Medieval Europe
 Apartheid systems—in South Africa
 Plantation Slavery– Caribbean and the USA
 Race- USA
 Modern day slavery all around the world- Debt bondage, servile marriages, sex
trafficking, forced labour
Diagram depicting
the caste system
Features of the Caste System

 The following are features of the caste system:

 1. Segmentary divison: the social structure of society is segmented into a number
of social groups called castes. Each of these castes has an established social
structure. Birth determines who belongs to each caste.
 Hierarchy: A ladder of authority where the lower rungs are consistently encircled
by the upper ones.
 Endogamy: Marriage within your caste or sub-caste is considered to be
fundamental to the caste system.
Features of the Caste System

 Food and Drink Restrictions: There are laws governing what types of food and
drink people can consume and from which castes. A cooking taboo establishes
who may be allowed to prepare the food.
 Idea of Pollution: Pollution is avoided by keeping a certain social distance
between castes - for example, through food sharing customs and endogamy .
Estate System

 Estate system:
 Typical of medieval Europe.
 Socialposition defined by law and membership primarily
determined by inheritance.
 Main social groups: nobility, clergy, peasants.
 Mobility was possible only when a higher position is purchased.
Stratification System in Segregationist
USA South
Whites, understood
To be civilized

Legal Segregation
Blacks, understood
To be uncivilized
“One Drop Rule”: If there is
any fraction of black blood in
one’s family, then you are
black.
Racial Stratification in Apartheid South
Africa
Whites (British and Dutch),
located at top of hierarchy.

Coloured (Mixed
Race and East
Indian)

White Suburbs

Black
South Coloured Townships
Africans

Black Townships
Social Stratification Cont’d

 Open stratification systems – less defined boundaries that may be

crossed more readily than in the closed stratification system.
 There are no legally sanctioned inequalities between people and no
barriers to social mobility
 Provide a relatively high rate of social mobility. Positions are
largely achieved - earned – with room for change of status.
 Class system:
 A category of people who share similar opportunities,
economic and vocational positions, similar lifestyles,
attitudes and behaviour.
 A product of the Industrial Revolution and was first
described by Marx in light of two categories:
bourgeoisie and proletariat.
 Though the system is the most open, there are some
restrictions that hinder mobility between classes. Eg.
Education, wealth.
Class stratification
 Based on income and wealth
Ascribed Status

 Ascribed status is a social status that is acquired at birth. It cannot be changed and
it is not voluntarily accepted, although it can be voluntarily assumed later on in life.
For instance the son of a king is a prince, and when the king dies, the prince (the
eldest/eligible son) can assume the position of King. Examples are: medieval
societies; royal families in Europe and other parts of the world; caste systems;
kingdoms, eg. in parts of Asia (Kingdom of Bhutan) and Africa (Lesotho,
Swaziland).
The Kingdom
of Bhutan
 Societies where ascriptive
statuses are given
importance.
Swaziland, Southern Africa
SOCIETIES WHERE ASCRIPTIVE STATUSES ARE GIVEN IMPORTANCE.
Lesotho, Southern
Africa
 Societies where ascriptive values
are given importance.
Achieved Status

 Achieved status is based on achievements, efforts and skills.

This can change over time as people can lose their
achievements or gain further achievements.
 In the case of further achievements, continuing to improve
qualification levels and acquiring a better job can contribute to
increase wealth.
 In the same vein one can lose his/her job and lose their
homes as their wealth has been decreased.
 Includes societies such as contemporary Caribbean, USA.
Barbados, Caribbean.

 Societies were achieved statuses

are given importance.
Chicago, USA

 Societies where achieved

statuses are given
importance.
Meritocracy

 Meritocracy- based on personal merit --one’s own hard work

 A meritocratic society is based on the premise that all members have equal access
to resources, equal opportunities to earn the same rewards but are rewarded
differently based on their skills, efforts, talents and achievements.
Avenues of Social Mobility

Formal Avenues :

 Education; hard work – begins to open in post-emancipation and independence.

 Marriage – Traditionally important, especially during early colonial societies in
the New World.
 Family status – Traditionally important, still provides some opportunities.
 Talents and Skills – characteristic of a more meritocratic society.
 Physical Attributes – Traditionally important, still provides some opportunities.
 Luck – may provide some opportunities for a few individuals.
 Socialmobility: movement of an individual from
one group to another in society.
 Horizontal: the movement from one social position to
another on the same level. Eg. Changing from a Baptist
to a Methodist.

 Vertical:mobility occurs when individuals move from

one social stratum to another whether it be higher or
lower than the previous. Eg. Moving from wealth to
bankruptcy or from poverty to a Lotto winner.
 Intergenerational mobility: changes in the social
positions of children relative to their parents. a plumber
whose father was a doctor shows downward
intergenerational mobility.

 Intragenerational mobility: changes in social position

within an individual’s adult life. Someone who enters
UWI as a graduate assistant and later becomes Dean of
a Faculty shows upward intragenerational mobility.
“Class, Status and Social Mobility in
Jamaica,” by Derek Gordon
 Written by Jamaican sociologist Derek Gordon, this book analyses the
intergenerational mobility of the male and female labour force of Jamaica and its
impact on changes in the class structure of contemporary Jamaican society.
“Status and Power in Rural Jamaica: A Study of
Educational and Political Change,” by Nancy Foner.

 Written by American anthropologist Nancy Foner, the major themes of this book
focus on the issues central to social mobility in rural Jamaica, especially the role
of education and its impact on social structure as well as individual aspirations
and motivations. It also explores the effect of poverty and blocked mobility in
interpersonal conflicts, status anxieties and cross-class relations.
Theoretical approaches
to Social Stratification
FUNCTIONALIST, MARXIST, AND INTERACTIONIST
The Functionalist Perspective

Considers how stratification Important Question: “How

systems help to maintain far does social stratification
order and stability in meet the functional pre-
society. requisites?”
The Functionalist Perspective

Order, stability and cooperation in society are based on value consensus.

Stratification systems derive from common values.

Rank in society will be based on successful performance in terms of

society’s values.

Rewards based on such ranking.

 FUNCTIONALISM

Talcott Parsons
 Stratification
is the ranking of units of a social system in
accordance with the existing value system.
 Just as value consensus is necessary in society, so too is social
stratification.
 An individual’s rank in society is perceived as the reward
(punishment) for the level of work done.
FUNCTIONALISM

 Parsons acknowledges conflict between the haves and the have-

nots.
 There will be certain tendencies to arrogance on the part of some
winners and to resentment and to a ‘sour grapes’ attitude on the
part of some losers’.

 Conflict is kept in line by the value system.

 Stratification functions to unify or integrate various groups in
society.

 Power and prestige differentials function to coordinate

individuals within a specialized division of labour. It also
furthers the strive towards collective goals.
Kingsley Davis and Wilbert Moore:

 Stratification is an essential element of every society.

 Society is based on a set of functional prerequisites which must be met in order

for society to survive.

 One such prerequisite is effective role allocation and performance.

 Stratification
ensures this by maintaining that all roles within society are filled
by persons who are adequately trained and best suited for them.
Kingsley Davis and Wilbert Moore:

 Justas persons differ in their talents and ability so too do positions differ in
terms of their importance.
 This is reflected in the unequal rewards and privileges attached to each
position.
 Certainpositions are functionally more important than others. Stratification
becomes the device to ensure that the more important positions are
consciously occupied by the most qualified persons.
 Marxist Perspective

 Stratification :
 Is a divisive structure;
 Is a mechanism by which some exploit others;
 Is not a system that fosters integration & furthering of collective
goals.
 Social class stratification in capitalist societies is skewed in
favour of the status quo---the wealthy remain rich and the poor
remain poor---this is known as social reproduction.
Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis

 The view that educational success is based on merit is

an illusion. Educational success is more likely to be
based on class and ascriptive status.

 Theeducation system functions to maintain the status

quo, socializing students into values dictated by the
powerful minority.
Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis cont’d

 The educational system functions through a hidden

curriculum: “social attitudes and values taught in school
that prepare children to accept the requirements of adult
life and to fit into social, political and economic statuses
the society provides”.
 Stratification is the result of a
struggle for scarce resources: wealth,
Max Weber- power and prestige.
Interpretive
Perspective
A distinction is made between those
who own the means of production
and those who do not.
Max Weber - Interpretive perspective

 Weber saw social stratification as a multi-dimensional phenomenon:

 He believes that stratification is not only based on class but also has
a status and power
 Economic, political/legal and social
 Each are intertwined with each other—power and wealth are likely to be
intertwined
Max Weber cont’d

 Difference with Marx:

 Marx thought the revolution would eliminate social
stratification; Weber did not see stratification as
disappearing.