Social stratification is simply a way an individual or a group of people are organized and placed in the society, and this is often based on some factors. It has been established that social stratification is critical in shaping the entire society and everything in it. According to Lavrentsova, (2010), social class has been argued to differentiate individual within the hierarchy of the society by placing individuals into varied groups regarding their social and the economic considerations. The social class takes into consideration an individual’s level of education, wealth, race and ethnicity into consideration. All these elements have been argued to have a greater influence on social stratification. There are certain individual characteristics including the skin color and the cultural background that are often used to place people in either lower, middle and higher level of scales of hierarchy (Anthias, 2001). Studies have pointed out that gender plays a critical role in influencing people’s power as held in the society through dominance or discrimination of women. Lastly, age has been established as a major factor in social stratification and placement in the society since it is believed that older people have the higher level of experiences. It is worth noting that social status is a powerful determinant and affects the action and behaviors of individuals in the society and this has forced all people to struggle for status since it is behind the formation of the social identity of an individual.
Daniel social identity is of a middle class. He is a male of age 19 and a Caucasian. Daniel was born and raised in Australia, and he is an Australian citizen. Australia for many years has been performing well regarding economic growth, rising GDP and increasing international trade and exchange. Despite the numerous economic and social opportunities available in the country, research has pointed out that there is a group of the population that still live in poverty and struggle to make a living particularly the younger generation. It is clear that majority of the younger generation are not involved in economic activities that generate income and based on this fact, their social class is often understood through their parents (Nordlander, Strandh & Brännlund, 2015). It is evident that Daniel belongs to his parent’s class position. Daniel is currently a student hence does not participate in major economic activities, but his parents constantly support him through providing the necessary resources which place him in the middle-class bracket. During the weekend he involved himself in some manual jobs to get money to finance some of his needs. Daniel’s parents were not wealthy when they met, but they continued to work very hard to provide for their needs in a rural country town where Daniel was born and raised.
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The economic status of Daniel is believed to have very little influence on how he grew. Currently, he is an influential member of the society living in one of the largest cities in Australia that cannot be compared to the socioeconomic features of a village that he grew in. Focusing on his early childhood in the village, it is clear that he grew up in a simple way of life. He knew almost all their neighbors and was very welcoming to strangers. On Sundays, together with his parents, Daniel used to attend a church service in the local church that had less than fifty members, and all of them knew one another. His extended families were socially active and took major roles in the community for the good of the entire village. His growth can be said to have been influenced by many people including the extended family members and neighbors. During this time, social class existed, but it did not have a` greater consideration among members of the community. Daniel parents were very strict and thus raised him in the most religious way instilling in him core values including hard work, faithful, trustworthy and being humble which are among the characteristics found in Australia. His parents loved him so much, and once in a while they took him out for leisure and to participate in a number of extra-curriculum activities. Daniel’s mother was a graduate in nursing and used to work in the local dispensary while his father runs a grocery shop. It is evident that his race and ethnicity did not impact his identity. While living in this small village, Daniel was not exposed to diverse cultures or ethnic backgrounds because the majority of the people living in this area had a common cultural and ethnic background. Additionally, he did not experience any form of discrimination as he grew up in this village (Nordlander, Strandh & Brännlund, 2015). However, while living in the city, he encountered diverse cultures that to a greater extent impacted his way of living. In the city, it has been shown that there has been the call for gender equality and being a man this had a significant impact on his social identity. She also adopts the societal stereotypes of being a man including playing and watching football. It is clear that times are changing and both men and women are believed to be equal where roles that were initially performed by men or women only are now shared. Currently, he is 19 years of age and a teenager; however, he believes that things will be quite easier as he grows up and gains more experience as he advanced in age.
Victor was born and grew up in Australia, and his social identity is of an upper class. Victor was born to older parents, and studies have established to have a greater influence in raising a child. He is also a Caucasian and turned 21 last month. Based on ideas of Lavrentsova, (2010), being born from a wealthy family and raised in the city, he also belongs to his parent’s class position. His parents were very wealthy when they met and had continued to work very creating more wealthy that has placed them to the most influential class position in the society. The economic status of Victor is believed to have the greater influence on how he grew. He is a very rich businessman and a highly influential member of the society living in one of the largest cities in Australia that he grew in. During his childhood, Victor grew up in a wealthy family where he was able to access everything that he desired. Coming from an influential family and living in the city, he knew very few members who were living in the city and mostly wealthy neighbors. He did not welcome strangers since they had a well established social class that restricted them from interacting with other members of a lower social class. On Sundays, together with his parents, Victor used to attend church services at the Cathedral Church the largest Catholic Church in the city. His growth was majorly influenced by his parents. At this time, social class played a greater role in his upbringing and influenced his identity. His mother is a CEO in a multinational company while his father is a director of one of the most famous media house in Australia and also runs chains of retail stores that deal with motor vehicles. His race and ethnicity played a major role in influencing his identity because of his social class that only allowed him to interact with members of the same class and same ethnic background.
Living in the city for many years, Victor was exposed in various cultures and ethnic backgrounds that influenced his identity. Currently, he lives in the city where he grew up and continues to experience the cultural diversity that further impacts his identity. It is evident that the above factors of social classification experienced by Victor and Daniel have a greater influence on their life and growth. On the one hand, Daniel was born and raised in a middle-class family while Victor in the upper-class family. The middle class is characterized by the lower financial status that did not expose them to diverse opportunities in life as enjoyed by Victor from the upper social class with a high level of financial status. The rural living influences the way of life of an individual and how he is raised. At this social standing, Daniel had to work very work and obtain a job that would enable him to access anything that he might need. Daniel often asked his parents for support even though what he used to get was not enough for his entire needs. Daniel parents had to work very hard to provide basic needs for the family, and this instilled a notion of one having to work very hard to get anything that one desires. Victor, on the other hand, obtained everything that he wanted since his parents were very wealthy and could afford anything that their child would wish to have. The parents had decent jobs and money was not a challenge to the theme; therefore, there was no need for Victor to get involved in any work to generate income. Evidently, his parent’s socioeconomic status played a critical role for Victor to obtain a higher level of education and this impacted his future significantly. His parents were able to acquire higher education levels that placed them higher in the society implying that they place a lot of emphasis on education.
Based on ideas of Lavrentsova, (2010), social stratification, in this case, can be understood as something that took place and persisted through generations. Evidently, it is clear that none of the two generations was affected with greater issues such and politics, global social stratification or even religion. Daniel did not relate to various things such as racism that in most occasions affect the group of the minority race. Being raised in a village as a Caucasian, there was no significant negative impact on his life. Race and ethnic background played a major role in the life of Victor and this greatly influenced his social identity. The two individuals were born and raised in Australian a rich country with economic opportunities but from different areas where Daniel was raised in village and Victor was raised in the city. Additionally, the two had been afforded economic resources to some extent. Based on ideas of Lavrentsova, (2010), Daniel being of the middle social, economic status, he was able to acquire a significant level of education up to college level and was forced to work hard to get what he wanted. Victor, on the other hand, is of upper socioeconomic status and acquired education up to a doctorate level and could access diverse employment opportunities either in the family business or somewhere else. Focusing on the parents of the two individuals, it is clear that there was a clear distinction like jobs they did. Victor’s parents were exposed to various occupation opportunities, unlike Daniel’s parents who were only able to work around the village. The mothers of the two individual were working outside home implying that the society had already evolved giving women an equal opportunity to pursue their carriers rather than staying at home and performing housework. These women have ventured into their dream career hence obtaining a social position in the society. The two parents can be said to have come from a society with good socio-economic standings a vital element in the social class (Nordlander, Strandh & Brännlund, 2015).
In conclusion, the essay has critically focused on the comparative analysis of two individuals, Victor and Daniel with two different social identities to understand how factors of social stratification produce social identities taking into consideration the political, economic and social context of the country they live in. In the modern day, there has been increasing calls for equality where men and women are believed to be the same, and this has enabled the majority of the women to be engaged in various careers. The society is stratified based on an individual’s socio-economic status, and this has forced them to struggle hard to acquire money that would improve their social position in the society. Those at middle social class are required to work extra hard to obtain what they might need, but those at the higher social class have the financial resources to access and obtain what they wish to have. The race and ethnic background that an individual identified to has a major impact on the social class of an individual. Age and gender are not a major determining factor, but it has a slight impact on the formation of social identity.
References
Anthias, F. (2001). The Concept of ‘Social Division’ and Theorising Social Stratification: Looking at Ethnicity and Class. Sociology , 35 (4), 835-854.
Lavrentsova, E. (2010). PRIMARY DIMENSIONS OF STRATIFICATION. Trakia Journal of Sciences , 8 (3), 254-257.
Nordlander, E., Strandh, M., & Brännlund, A. (2015). What does class origin and education mean for the capabilities of agency and voice?. British Journal of Sociology of Education , 36 (2), 291-312.
