social stratification

Examples of social stratification in the following topics:

• Power and Inequality

  • In sociology, social stratification is a concept involving the classification of persons into groups based on shared socioeconomic conditions; it is a relational set of inequalities with economic, social, political and ideological dimensions.
  • Theories of social stratification are based on four basic principles:
  • Social stratification is a trait of society, not simply a reflection of individual differences.
  • In modern Western societies, stratification is broadly organized into three main layers: upper class, middle class, and lower class.
  • Social stratification has been shown to cause many social problems.

• Marx's View of Class Differentiation

  • In the Marxist perspective, social stratification is created by unequal property relations, or unequal access to the means of production.
  • In Marx's view, social stratification is created by people's differing relationship to the means of production: either they own productive property or they labor for others.
  • A temporary status quo could be achieved by employing various methods of social control—consciously or unconsciously—by the bourgeoisie in various aspects of social life.
  • The means of production would be shared by all members of society, and social stratification would be abolished.
  • " Marxism is associated with a view of stratification that pits the owners of means of production against the laborers.

• Social Status

  • Pulling back into a larger perspective, these same factors accumulate into a system of social stratification.
  • Social stratification is a conceptual social hierarchy in which individuals are ranked in terms of their perceived value to society.
  • However, social stratification is not limited to economics; perceived moral value is also integrated into the stratification so that a poor member of the clergy is in a higher social rank than a rich criminal.
  • These "three P's" combine to produce social stratification.
  • Thus, social stratification is demonstrated by economic class and the cultural preferences that it engenders.

• Explaining Poverty: The Sociological Debate

  • Sociologists take two opposing approaches to explaining economic stratification: structural-functionalism and conflict theory.
  • A structural-functionalist would argue that Justices receive high pay and high esteem to motivate people to accept a job with a great deal of social responsibility and public scrutiny.
  • A conflict theorist would say that passing court seats between members of the social elite insulates the judicial branch from the interests of the lower classes.
  • Two classic sociological approaches to poverty and social stratification are structural-functionalism and conflict theory.
  • The structural-functionalist approach to stratification asks the question: what function or purpose does stratification serve?

• Weber's View of Stratification

  • Max Weber formed a three-component theory of stratification in which social difference is determined by class, status, and power.
  • Working half a century later than Marx, Weber derived many of his key concepts on social stratification by examining the social structure of Germany.
  • Weber differs from Marx in that he did not see this as the supreme factor in stratification.
  • Status refers to a person's prestige, social honor, or popularity in a society.
  • Using Weber's theory of stratification, members of the U.S.

• Global Stratification and Inequality

  • Stratification results in inequality when resources, opportunities, and privileges are distributed based on position in social hierarchy.
  • Educational attainment is associated with increased wealth, health, and social status.
  • Thus, a child's social class has longterm effects on their access to resources and opportunities.
  • Stratification refers to the range of social classes that result from variations in socioeconomic status.
  • Stratification is generally analyzed from three different perspectives: micro, meso, and macro.

• The Feminist Perspective

  • Feminist theory analyzes gender stratification through the intersection of gender, race, and class.
  • In sociology, social stratification occurs when differences lead to greater status, power, or privilege for some groups over others.
  • Gender stratification occurs when gender differences give men greater privilege and power over women, transgender, and gender-non-conforming people.
  • Intersectionality suggests that various biological, social and cultural categories, including gender, race, class and ethnicity, interact and contribute towards systematic social inequality.
  • This 1919 German social democratic election poster advocates for the rights of women.

• Open vs. Closed Stratification Systems

  •  Social stratification describes the socioeconomic levels of a society as "layers," with the wealthiest and most powerful citizens being at the top.
  • Sociologists who study stratification have identified open class systems and compared them to closed class systems.
  • Individuals can move up or down in the social rankings; this is unlike closed systems, where individuals are set in one social position for life despite their achievements.
  • The United States exhibits an open stratification system, where individuals can move between social statuses based on achievement.
  • This fifteenth-century woodcutting illustrates the closed stratification system of the three estates of the French Ancien Régime.

• Stratification

  • Global stratification refers to the hierarchical arrangement of individuals and groups in societies around the world.
  • Sociologists speak of stratification in terms of socioeconomic status (SES).
  • Inequality occurs when a person's position in the social hierarchy is tied to different access to resources.
  • For example, within a given social class, women are less likely to receive job promotions than men.
  • Analyze the three dominant theories that attempt to explain global stratification

• Introduction

  • Stratification refers to the hierarchical arrangement of people in a society.
  • This chapter focuses on economic stratification; meaning how people are differentiated based upon their wealth (and/or power).
  • Sociology has a long history of studying stratification and teaching about various kinds of inequality, including economic inequality, racial/ethnic inequality, gender inequality, and other types of inequality.
  • Before answering these complex questions, we will broadly define socioeconomic status and social class in America.
  • The chapter then turns to dominant theories on stratification, and explores class, race, and gender inequality in more detail.