SOC101 Q2 Notes
Social Stratification
● The differences between have and have-nots are central preoccupations of
sociologists
● The differences are studied in terms of three variables:
○ Inequality
○ Stratification
○ Class
Social Differences
● Inequality
○ The condition in which people don’t have equal access to social
rewards such as money power and prestige
● Stratification
○ The ways in which these inequalities are likely to be passed from one
generation to the next, producing layers of strata of people in the
society
● Social Class
○ The existence of social groups with unequal access to wealth, power,
and prestige; these sometimes become significant political groups on
the basis of their position in the society
○ Two features of social class:
■ Class in itself
■ Class for itself
Status
● Ascribed Status
○ Social position assigned to person without regard for that person’s
unique characteristics or talents
● Achieved Status
○ Social position attained by person largely through his or her own effort
Systems of Stratification (four types)
● Slavery
● Castes
● Estate System
● Class System
Slavery
● The most extreme form of legalized social inequality
● Enslaved individuals are owned by other people
Castes
● Hereditary systems of rank, usually religiously dictated, that tend to be fixed
and immobile
● Ascribed status – at birth, children automatically assume the same position as
their parents.
● Each caste is quite sharply defined, and members are expected to marry
within that caste.
Estate System
● Associated with feudal societies in the Middle Ages
Class System
● Social ranking based primarily on economic position in which achieved
characteristics can influence social mobility
● In contrast to slavery and caste systems, the boundaries between classes are
imprecisely defined, and one can move from one stratum, or level, of society
to another.
● Even so, class systems maintain stable stratification hierarchies and patterns
of class division, and they, too, are marked by unequal distribution of wealth
and power.
● Class standing, although it is achieved, is heavily dependent on family and
ascribed factors, such as race and ethnicity.
● Rossides (1997) uses a five-class model to describe the U.S. class system:
○ Upper class
○ Upper-middle class
○ Lower-middle class
○ Working class
○ Lower class
Sociological Perspectives on Stratification
Marx’s view
● Marx viewed class differentiation as the crucial determinant of social,
economic, and political inequality.
● In contrast, Max Weber questioned Marx’s emphasis on the overriding
importance of the economic sector, arguing that stratification should be
viewed as having many dimensions.
Marx’s view on class differentiation
● In Marx’s view, social relations during any period of history depend on who
controls the primary mode of economic production, such as land or factories.
● Differential access to scarce resources shapes the relationship between
groups.
● For example,
○ Under the feudal estate system, most production was agricultural, and
the land was owned by the nobility.
○ Peasants had little choice but to work according to terms dictated by
those who owned the land.
● Marx explains how economy takes different shape with an example from
capitalism.
● Capitalism – an economic system in which the means of production
(economic system, market and production) are held largely in private hands
and the main incentive for economic activity is the accumulation of profits.
● Marx focused on the two classes that began to emerge as the feudal estate
system declined, the bourgeoisie and the proletariat.
● The bourgeoisie, or capitalist class, owns the means of production, such as
factories and machinery.
● The proletariat is the working class. In capitalist societies, the members of the
bourgeoisie maximise profit in competition with other firms.
● According to Marx, exploitation of the proletariat will inevitably lead to the
destruction of the capitalist system, because the workers will revolt.
● But first, the working class must develop class consciousness – a subjective
awareness of common vested interests and the need for collective political
action to bring about social change.
● Class consciousness: Awareness of common vested interest
● Two types:
○ False class consciousness: I am being exploited by my boss
○ True class consciousness: All workers are being exploited by the
bourgeoisie
● The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles…the
proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains.
● The economic base shapes the social structure
● The economic base is controlled by ruling class
● Social institutions serves ruling class interests
Different phases of human society:
● Primitive communism – no classes, very low division of labor
● Slavery – Aristocracy and slaves and slaves do most of the work
● Feudalism – feudal landlords and peasants and peasants do most of the work
● Capitalism – bourgeoisie and proletariat
● Socialism/Communism – no classes – equality
Is Stratification Universal?
● Inequality exists in all societies—even the simplest
● Functionalist View
○ Social inequity is necessary so people will be motivated to fill
functionally important positions.
○ Does not explain the wide disparity between the rich and the poor
● Society must distribute its members among a variety of social positions.
● It must make sure not only that these positions are filled but also that they are
filled by people with the appropriate talents and abilities.
● Rewards, including money and prestige, are based on the importance of a
position and the relative scarcity of qualified personnel.
● Stratification is universal and that social inequality is necessary so that people
will be motivated to fill functionally important positions
Weber’s view on class differentiation
● Unlike Karl Marx, Max Weber insisted that no single characteristic (such as
class) totally defines a person’s position within the stratification system.
● He identified three distinct components of stratification: class, status, and
power.
● Class
○ Refers to a group of people who have a similar level of wealth and
income.
● Status group
○ Refers to people who have the same prestige or lifestyle.
● Power
○ Ability to exercise one’s will over others.
● Each of us has not one rank in society but three. Our position in a stratification
system reflects some combination of class, status, and power.
● Each factor influences the other two, and in fact the rankings on these three
dimensions often tend to coincide.
Social mobility
● The movement of individuals or groups from one position in a society’s
stratification system to another.
● Open vs Closed Stratification Systems
● Indicate degree of social mobility in a society
○ Open System
■ The position of each individual influenced by the person’s
achieved position
○ Closed System
■ Allows little or no possibility of moving up
Types of Social Mobility
● Horizontal Mobility
○ Movement within same range of prestige
● Vertical Mobility
○ Movement from one position to another of a different rank
● Intergenerational Mobility
○ Involves changes in the social position of children relative to their
parents.
● Intragenerational Mobility
○ Social position changes within person’s adult life
Social Mobility in the United States
● Occupational Mobility
● The Impact of Education
● The Impact of Race and Ethnicity
● The Impact of Gender