What is Social Stratification?

Ø      What is Social Stratification?

A system by which society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy; it is based on four principles:

1.      Social stratification is trait of society, not simply a reflection of individual differences

2.      Social stratification carries over from generation to generation

3.      Social stratification is universal but variable

4.      Social stratification involves not just inequality but beliefs as well

Determinants of Social Stratification

1.      Economic Resource

2.      Occupations

3.      Prestige

4.      Power

5.      Caste

6.      Education

Ø      Caste and Class Systems

                                                                    I.      Closed Systems(Allow little change in social Position) Caste system

                                                                 II.      Open Systems(Much more mobility) Class system is more open

Ø      The Caste System

A caste system is social stratification based on ascription, or birth.

§         Pure caste system is closed

§         Birth alone determines a person’s entire future

§         People live in rigid categories without any possibility of change

§         Mostly in agrarian societies

§         An illustration of India: Four Castes in Hindu culture

§         Exception to farming families in each caste performs one type of work i.e., priests, soldiers, carpenter etc.

§         Caste system demands that people marry others of the same ranking. Endogamous marriages.

§         Caste guides everyday life by keeping people in the company of “their own kind.”

§         Caste system rest on powerful cultural beliefs.

§         South Africa: Apartheid

Ø      The Class System

Social stratification based on both birth and individual achievement.

§         Class system are more open than caste system(Universal)

§         Schooling and skills for Mobility

§         As a result, class distinctions become blurred, even blood relative may have different social standings

§         Classification on the basis of color, sex and race seen as wrong in modern societies

§         Work is no longer fixed at birth but involves some personal choice (achieved status based)

§         Meritocracy: Social stratification based on personal merit. Equality of opportunity. Inequality of rewards based on individual performance. In a pure meritocracy, social position would depend entirely on a person’s ability and effort. Caste societies define “merit” in terms of loyalty to the system. Caste systems waste human potential but they are very orderly.

Status Consistency: is the degree of consistency in person’s social standing across various dimensions of social inequality. Status consistency in caste system is high but social mobility results in low status consistency in class system.