Social stratification systems refers to hierarchical ranking of people in categories by a society. This means that a society is divided into layers or strata. People in societies contrast from each other in terms of their personal characteristics, sex, and age, which makes the human society heterogeneous. These natural differences make individuals unique in various societies. However, social stratification differentiates people based on socially approved criteria. It is considered as a specific form of social inequality because societies tend to organize its members based on equality, inferiority, and superiority. Members of a particular strata share a mutual identify and have a similar lifestyle ( Rothman, 2015). This paper seeks to discuss social stratification system, ways in which societies stratify their members, types of stratification systems, and consequences of stratification.
Stratification of Members by Societies
In the past, societies did not used to stratify its members. The members shared a mutual social standing. However, with evolution, societies became complex and began classifying its members into categories, class, and caste. Stratification has become a norm across the globe. Today, members in all societies throughout the world are stratified. Although stratification occurs in all countries worldwide, some nations are more stratified compared to others. Counties that are more stratified have their beliefs and systems built upon deep-rooted systems. A stratified society is characterized by unequal distribution of rewards. People are categorized in a hierarchy depending on how much of rewards of their society they own. For instance, wage earners may be demoted while landowners may receive promotions ( Rothman, 2015).
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Factors of stratification differ from one society to another. Societies stratify its members into socioeconomic strata based on their derived power (political and social), social status and wealth, occupation, income. Others include grouping people based on ethnicity, cultural beliefs, investment dividends, the net value of assets and money a person possess, or the wages of a person. Generally, societies classify people are based on how poor or rich they are. Moreover, social standing is another factor that society stratifies its member. For instance, in some cultures, people value charisma and wisdom and those who possess these aspects are respected more than those who do not have them. In other cultures, elders are well-celebrated while in others, they are disregarded ( Rothman, 2015). Therefore, cultural beliefs often enhance inequalities facilitated by stratification.
Types of Stratification Systems
The major types of stratification include slavery, estate, class, and caste. Caste is a stratification system where a person is classified based on the birth obligations and rights ascribed to a certain group. This means it is hereditary, whereby if you are born in the lowest social class, you will be ascribed automatically to the lowest caste group. For instance, in India, people are grouped into four occupational categories. First is the Brahman that involves teachers and priest, second is the Kshatriya, that involved soldiers and rulers, third is the Valshya that involved traders and merchants, and fourth were Shudra who included laborers and peasants ( Tumin, 2018).
Slavery is considered the worst form of social stratification. It includes certain people being masters of others and owning them. The law of slavery dictates that a slave must adhere to the commands and will of their masters. Masters have unlimited power over their slaves. Some people became slaves by being unable to pay debts they owe. Since they fail to pay the debts in cash, they pay by working for the creditor. Others became slaves through engaging in criminal activities. For example, if a person kills someone, they were forced to surrender as slave as a way of compensation. The common source of obtaining slaves was wars. During war, people captured, held as captives, and turned into slaves. Slaves were treated as inferior thus slavery dehumanizes people ( Tumin, 2018).
Estate is a stratification system that was established in Europe’s middle ages. This system of stratification focuses on birth, possessions and wealth. Members were divided in three castes. The first included nobles, wealthy families, and rulers. The second included the clergy, who applied a great political power in all nations in Europe. They were crowned as kings after receiving permission from the Pope. The third estate involved commoners mostly comprising of serfs. If a person inherited or bought lands, he automatically inherits the serfs. In the history of French Revolution, the first and second estates did not pay taxes, while taxation was imposed heavily on the third estate ( Tumin, 2018).
Class stratification is based on owning material wealth and money. An individual born in the lowest social class can become a member of the upper class by working very hard and accrue wealth. In the modern society, categorizing people based on class has become increasingly dominant. Therefore, in this type of stratification, the position of a person is highly dependent on the achievement and ability of a person to make wealth ( Tumin, 2018).
Social Stratification in the U.S
In the United States, it is evident that certain groups have higher power, status, and wealth than other people in different groups. It is very easy to identify the rich and the poor. There exist a wide gap between the “haves” and the “have-not”. For instance, Rockefellers are still enjoying the status and wealth acquired in the 19th century by their family members. On the contrary, some families whose parents were former slaves, are still struggling ( Beeghley, 2015).
The stratification system in the U.S is based on the socioeconomic status. This classification formula positions a person based on their occupation, education, income. The society values occupations that need advanced degrees, longer periods of education, and wealth. A combination of these factors is a determinant of an individual’s social class in general. In the U.S the social class includes four categories, the upper class comprising of large investors and entrepreneurs, middle class comprising of fire fighters, air traffic controllers, teachers and nurses, the working class comprising of clerical and manual service workers, and the lower class comprising of the unemployed and part-time service workers. In the U.S, social class is a crucial aspect because a class stratification system is what is used in the country. In this class system, the social status of an individual is dependent on their achievement. Generally, this means Americans can either earn or choose their social status. It permits social mobility meaning a person can move up or down the hierarchy of society. Individuals are offered equality of opportunities, which is popularly known as the “American Dream” ( Beeghley, 2015).
Consequences of Class Stratification System and how it is Perpetuated
Generally, stratification systems lead to inequalities, which persists for subsequent generations. It separates a society into two groups that are mutually opposing each other, whereby one group exploits the other. Although class stratifications depends on how hard a person works to accumulate wealth, it depends with the exposure or access to opportunities that would allow a person to acquire wealth. For instance, if an individual has means and opportunities to further their education, they are more likely to have an upper hand in the job market. However, these opportunities are not available to everyone due to the existing inequalities in society both socially, economically, and financially. The people in the lower class commonly face this problem. This problem can be addressed by providing equality opportunities to all individuals in society ( Marginson, 2016). Therefore, equal distributions of resources and opportunities will enhance accessibility by everyone in society in spite of their status.
References
Beeghley, L. (2015). The Structure of Social Stratification in the United States, The, CourseSmart eTextbook . Routledge.
Marginson, S. (2016). The worldwide trend to high participation higher education: Dynamics of social stratification in inclusive systems. Higher Education , 72 (4), 413-434.
Rothman, R. A. (2015). Inequality and stratification: Race, class, and gender . Routledge.
Tumin, M. M. (2018). Some principles of stratification: A critical analysis. In Inequality (pp. 7-20). Routledge.
