02.Social Stratification Lecture

8/13/2019 02.Social Stratification Lecture

1/21


2/21

Defined as:

A system by which a society ranks and

categories of people in a hierarchy

Soc ial strat i f icat ion exists in al l societ ies.


3/21

STRATIFICATION

(f) TWO STATUSES DEFINED

(i) ASCRIBED

(ii) ACHIEVED


4/21

Sociologists distinguish between

Closed Systems Caste Systems

Allow little change in social position Open Systems Class Systems

Permit much more social mobility


5/21

Social Mobility

Horizontal Mobility: Changing jobs at the same class

level

Vertical Mobility: movement from one position to

another of a different rank

Movement can be upward or downward

VERTICAL MOBILITY STUDIES

(i) INTRAGENERATIONAL MOBILITY

(ii) INTERGENERATIONAL MOBILITY

(iii) STRUCTURALl MOBILITY

.

Types of Social Mobility


6/21

Understanding Stratification

Slavery Most extreme form of legalized social inequality; Enslaved individuals are

ownedby other people

Castes Hereditary systems of rank, usually religiously dictated, that tend to be

fixed and immobile

Social stratification based on ascription, or birth

Little or no social mobility

AN ILLUSTRATION: INDIA

Four major casts or Varna

Brahmin ((Scholars and priests)

Kshatriya(Nobles and warriors)

Vaishy, (Merchants and traders)

Sudra (Working class, peasants)

Caste position determines life from birth

Estates Estate System:Feudalism; required peasants to work land leased to them by nobles.

Historical Systems of Stratification


7/21


Systems of Stratification

SocialClasses

Rossides (1997) uses five-class model to describe U.S.

class system: Upper class

Upper-middle class

Lower-middle class

Working class

Lower class

.


8/21

The Class System

Greater mobility Open class system

Social stratification based on both birth (Ascribed)and individual achievement (Achieved)

Schooling and skills lead to social mobility Work is no longer fixed at birth but involves some personal

choice

Income is a crucial factor

MERITOCRACY A concept that refers to social stratification based on

personal merit

Includes knowledge, abilities, and effort

Pure meritocracy has never existed


9/21

STATUS CONSISTENCY The degree of consistency in a persons social

standing across various dimensions of social

inequality

Low status consistency means that classesare

harder to define than castes


10/21

STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONAL APPROACH

Social stratification plays a vital part in the operation

of society


11/21

The Davis-Moore Thesis

Social stratification has beneficial consequencesfor the operation of society

The greater the functional importance of a position,the more rewards a society attaches to it

Any society can be egalitarian, but only to the extentthat people are willing to let anyone perform any job

Positions a society considers crucial must offer

enough rewards to draw talented people away fromless important work


12/21

Social-conflict Analysis

Argues stratification provides some people with

advantages over others


13/21


Karl Marxs View of Class

Differentiation

Social relations depend on who controls

the primary mode of production

.

Perspectives on Stratification


14/21



Karl Marxs View of Class Differentiation

.

Capitalism:economic system in which the means of

production are held largely in private hands and

the main incentive for economic activity is the

accumulation of profits

Bourgeoisie:

capitalist class; owns the means of production


15/21


Class Consciousness: subjective awareness of common vested

interests and the need for collective political action to bring

about change

False Consciousness: attitude held by members of class thatdoes not accurately reflect their objective position

.

Perspectives on StratificationKarl Marxs View of Class

Differentiation Proletariat: working class

Alienat ion

The experience of isolation and misery resulting

from powerlessness


16/21

CRITICAL REVIEW

Ignores that a system of unequal rewards is

needed to place people in the right jobs and to

motivate people to hard work

The revolutionary change Marx predicted failedto happen, at least in advanced capitalist

societies


17/21



Max Webers View of Stratification

No single characteristic totally defines a persons

position with the stratification system. Threedimensions of stratifications are:

PowerWealth Prestige


18/21

Max Weber

According to Max Weber, Wealth & income

differences produce classes, prestige

differences produce status group and political

power difference produce what he termed

political power or parties.


19/21

CRITICAL REVIEW

Industrial and postindustrial nations still show

patterns of social inequality


20/21

POVERTY

Relative Poverty

The deprivation of some people in relation to

those who have more Absolute Poverty

A deprivation of resources that is life-threatening


21/21

Explaining Poverty

Two opposing explanations

One View: Blame the Poor

The poor are primarily responsible for their own poverty

Culture of Poverty

A lower-class subculture that can destroy peoples ambition t improvetheir lives

Another View: Blame Society

Society is primarily responsible for poverty

Primary cause is loss of jobs in inner cities

Government should fund jobs and provide affordable child

care for low-income mothers and fathers

Documents

02.Social Stratification Lecture