Module 6: Human Behaviour and Social Sciences
Unit 2: Society: Class, Gender, Ethnicity, Caste, Nation, and Social Change
1. Social Stratification
2. Society & Social Change
1. Social Stratification: Social stratification means dividing people into
layers (or groups) based on things like class, caste, gender, income, and race.
These layers decide who gets more resources, power, and respect.
Key Features:
1. Hierarchical Nature:
Societies have different levels or strata. Higher strata mean greater power, money, and
respect, while lower strata mean poor quality education, poor healthcare, and less
economic opportunities. People are placed in high or low levels in society based higher
and lower strata.
Example: A doctor is seen as higher than a cleaner in status and pay.
2. Structured Inequality:
This system is not random. The system is built so that some people always have more.
Example: Rich children often go to better schools than poor children.
3. Universality:
All societies have some kind of division, though it looks different.
Example: India has caste; the USA has social class.
4. Social Mobility:
In some systems, people can change their status (like class systems,
where people can move up or down), in other they can’t (like caste
systems, where an individual’s position is determined by birth).
Types of Social Stratification:
Class:
Based on money, job, and education which are the primary determinants. People can
move up with effort.
Example: A taxi driver’s child becomes an engineer and moves to a higher class.
Caste:
Based on birth. Very rigid – hard to move up.
Race and Ethnicity:
Differences in skin colour or culture can lead to unfair treatment.
Example: In the past, black people in South Africa had fewer rights than white people.
Gender:
Social roles and power are unequally distributed based on gender. Men often have more
power; women and others face inequality.
Example: Women may earn less than men for the same job.
Nationality:
Citizenship and national identity can also stratify society. Citizens may get more rights
than immigrants or people from other countries.
Functions of Social Stratification:
1. Maintains Order:
It organizes people into roles and responsibilities.
Example: Teachers educate, doctors treat, and police maintain law.
2. Motivates People:
People work hard to reach higher status.
Example: A student studies hard to become a lawyer.
3. Resource Distribution:
Important jobs go to trained people which creates inequality.
Example: A skilled pilot flies a plane, not an untrained person.
4. Identity and Belonging:
People feel connected with their group.
Example: Middle-class families often live in similar areas and share values.
Theoretical Perspectives:
1. Functionalist View (Davis & Moore):
Stratification is necessary to fill important roles by skilled people.
Example: Doctors are paid more because their work is important and needs more
training.
2. Conflict View (Karl Marx):
According to Marx, stratification primarily benefits those in power while the poor remain
disadvantaged. Rich people use power to keep poor people down.
Example: Owners get rich from workers’ Labor.
3. Weberian View (Max Weber):
Social class depends on money, respect, and power. Weber argued that social stratification
is influenced not only by economic position (wealth), but also by respect and political
authority.
Example: A teacher may have respect (status) but not a high income (class).
4. Feminist View:
Patriarchal systems are designed in a way that Men hold more power in society; while
women face inequality in jobs, home etc.
Example: Fewer women in top leadership roles or politics.
2. Society and Social Change:
Social change means big changes in how a society is organized—its rules, culture, and systems.
These changes happen over time and can be caused by technology, politics, economy, or new
ideas.
Main Features/Characteristics of Social Change:
1. Inevitable and Continuous/Always Happens:
Change is a natural and ongoing part of every society.
2. Speed Varies:
Some changes are fast (like mobile phones), others are slow (like changing traditions).
3. Multidimensional Impact/Affects Many Areas:
It can change how we think, behave, work, and live.
4. Intentional versus Unintentional Change/Planned or Unplanned:
Some changes are made on purpose (like new laws), others happen by accident (like
effects of the internet).
Causes of Social Change:
1. Technology:
New tools (like the internet) change how we live and work.
2. Economic Growth:
Shifts such as Industrialization and Globalization redefine work, redistribute wealth, and
alter individuals’ roles within society.
3. Political Changes:
New laws or governments can change people’s rights and services.
4. Cultural Ideas:
Changes in beliefs, values, and ideologies. For Example, changes in gender equality) can
change society’s behaviour like consumer behaviours, workplace norms, and even
political priorities.
5. Demographic Shifts/Population Changes:
Aging, migration, or more births can change what society needs.
6. Education:
More education helps people think critically and push for change. Education encourages
critical thinking and innovation.
Theories of Social Change:
1. Evolutionary Theory:
Societies progress from simpler to more complex forms. Comte argued that societal
evolution is a linear and progressive phenomenon. (Auguste Comte)
2. Conflict Theory:
Change happens through struggle between rich and poor. Marx argued that revolutions
and shifts in power dynamics are essential drivers of transformative social change. (Karl
Marx)
3. Functionalist Theory:
Change helps fix problems and keep society balanced.
4. Cyclical Theory:
Some theorists, like Arnold Toynbee, suggest that societies experience cycles of growth
and decline. Societies grow, then decline, then grow again. It’s a cycle.
5. Modernization Theory:
Poor countries will develop like modern Western countries through tech and progress.
Effects of Social Change:
1. New Norms and Values:
Old traditions may be questioned or replaced.
2. Changes in Institutions:
Schools, families, and governments adjust to new needs.
3. New Movements:
People come together to fight for rights and justice (like women’s rights, climate action).
4. Globalization:
Countries and cultures are more connected, which changes local ways of life.