Education and Society

Role of Education in Social Mobility and Social Stratification

By

M.VIJAYALAKSHMI

Assistant Professor

UNIT-III

Education and Society

Unit – 3: Education and Society3.1 Role of family, community and society in

promoting education.

3.2 Concept of social system and education as a sub-system.

3.3 Role of Education in Social Mobility and Social Stratification.

3.4 Education for the 21st Century - futuristic perspective - concerns and issues.

3.5 Principles of education - four pillars as envisioned by Delor's Commission.

UNIT-III

Education and Society

3.3 Role of Education in

Social Mobility and

Social Stratification.

Role of Education in Social Mobility

Meaning

• Changes which are observed in the social status, class, economic condition and standard of life of a person are spoken of as Social Mobility

Definition

• Social mobility is meant any transition of an individual from one position to another in a constellation of social group and strata

- P.A.Sorokin

• Social mobility is the movement of person from social group to social group

- William Cecil Headrick

Types of Social Mobility

Horizontal Social

Mobility

Vertical Social

Mobility

Horizontal Social Mobility

• When the movement of a person occurs from one situation to another at the same level i.e., within the single stratum

• There is no change in the social status of the individual but there is a change in his affiliations

According to Sorokin -Horizontal Social Mobility Forms

• Inter-Group Mobility in Race, Sex and Age Group

• Occupational Mobility

• Inter Religious Mobility

• Territorial Mobility

• International Mobility

• Family and Kinship Mobility

• Party Mobility etc

Vertical Social Mobility

• By vertical mobility meant the relations involved in a transition of an individual for social object from one social stratum to another - Sorokin

• The movement of a person from one stratum to another of the society

• There is a change in the status of the individual

According to Sorokin -Vertical Social Mobility - 2 Types

• Upward Social Mobility

(Ascending Mobility)

• Downward Social Mobility

(Descending Mobility)

Upward Social Mobility (Ascending Mobility)

• It refers to the movement from lower to higher position

• Ascending mobility means the entry of persons from lower strata and prestige to higher strata and prestige groups

Downward Social Mobility (Descending Mobility)

• It means going down of a person from higher position prestige and status to lower ones

• It may occur due to political changes, economic depression and crisis of character etc

Factors Affecting Social Mobility

• Economic Prosperity

• Structure of Society

• Level of Aspiration and Achievement

• Demographic Structure

• Education

• Occupational Prestige

• Administration

• Legal and Political Factors

• Intelligence Factor

Education and Social Mobility

• Proper development of man

• Wholesome and balanced development

• Both formal and non-formal education brings social mobility

• Formal education – Vertical mobility

• Education – Occupational Mobility

• Develop motivation – improvement of his social position

• Helps in gaining higher income – means for upward social mobility

• Helps to attain a high social position in the society

• Helps in preparing one-self for self-employment

• Medium of instruction – play a great role in bringing about mobility

• Teacher’s Mobility through professional growth

• Social mobility of students

• Non – formal Education

Role of Education in

Social Stratification

Meaning

• A system which ranks the social groups into relations of superiority and inferiority in status on the basis of a set of norms

• The norms of social stratification are based on caste, class, race and ethnicity (slavery), power, nationality etc

• The term stratification refers to arrangements of layers i.e. grouping of people into superior and inferior positions with different access to power and privilege

• The term ‘Stratification’ is derived from Geology

• Geologist – layers in the earth

• Sociologist – layers in social life

Social Stratification refers to the hierarchical arrangement of groups of people in terms of criteria like economic, wealth, property, power, prestige and social honour. Social Stratification existed as far back as human civilization itself.

Definition• R.W. Murray

• Social Stratification is vertical division of society into higher and lower social units

• Landberg

• A stratified society is one marked by inequality by differences among people that are evaluated by them as being lower and higher

According to Lamm

“There are a good number of factors which give rise to social stratification viz., age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, disability, slavery, estate, class, caste and so on”

If systems of stratification are ancient and basically alike in their main features, there must be some common social processes that bring such system into being, shape them and maintain them.

• Four such processes can be identified

Differentiation

Ranking

Evaluation

Rewarding

Characteristics • Melvin (1953)

It is ancient

It is social, not biological

It is governed by social norms and sanctions

It is unstable because of influence of different factors

It is connected with social institutions

It is universal and is present everywhere

It is diverse in its forms

It is consequential

• Social Stratification is an ongoing process of differentiation

• Social Stratification is an institutionalized form of social inequality

• Social Stratification is universal

Major Bases of Social Stratification

• Class• It refers to differentiation at the level of wealth.

In this sense it can be termed as economic differentiation

• Power• It refers to differential access to power in

society. It includes political, social and other types of power

• Status• It refers to distribution of prestige or social

honour

Education and Social Stratification

• Caste, Class and Education

• Women’s Education

• Education of the poor and slum-dwellers

• Religious groups

• Variety of languages

• Many cultures

• Excessive population

• Poverty

• Disorganization of the joint family

• Disorganization of values

• Martial Disorganization

• Materialism

• Politicization

• Social Disorganization

• Individual Disorganization

• Economic difficulties

Sources are taken from

• Slidesharenet.com

•Web sources

THANK YOU