Social stratification refers to the categorization of society in terms of social classes which can be reflected in all spheres of daily living such as work, education, health, among others. Its existence has triggered a lot of discussion on whether it is necessary in a society with various theories being proposed to argue for or against its purpose in society. Two major theories can be used to dissect the issue; functionalist theory and conflict theory. Functionalists argue that for everything that happens in society, there is a reason for it. Social stratification, in their view, is necessary in society since not all people can be the same, otherwise the society may not move forward (Potts, Vella, Dale & Sipe, 2016). Functionalism argues that social classes, where some people are rich and at the top of the society, others working class, and the rest lower class people, is necessary as it encourages people to work hard and be more productive so they can move up the social ladder. Those in the lower class are vital in providing labor for the necessary but shunned-upon menial jobs. The conflict theory does not support social stratification blaming it for creating an unequal society where the rich keep on getting richer while the struggling working class continue struggling and have little to no chance of upward social mobility. Social stratification, according to conflict theory, is a selfish justification of inequality in a society as it denies people the equal opportunities required for one to effectively decide what to make of their own lives (Lancee & Pardos, 2013).
Social stratification affects every sphere of life with people in different classes sometimes living very different lives despite living in the same country. Wealthy upper class people have access to the best schools and universities where fees are very high and resources are plenty. They can also afford to live luxuriously compared to their lower class neighbors. People in high social classes e.g. celebrity athletes earn millions every year while struggling workers such as teachers earn less than $50000 in a year meaning they live totally different lives (Lancee & Pardos, 2013). Upper class people also regularly abuse their wealth and power to gain unfavorably as was seen in the 2019 College admissions scandal (Shamsian & McLaughlin, 2021). The scandal revealed that rich people were paying huge sums of money to gain college entry for their children in top universities thus filling up spots that were supposed to be filled on merit. The culprits were charged in court and sentenced to varying jail terms but it still shows the influence that power and wealth can have on people’s behavior.
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References
Lancee, B., & Pardos-Prado, S. (2013). Group Conflict Theory in a Longitudinal Perspective: Analyzing the Dynamic Side of Ethnic Competition. International Migration Review, 47(1), 106–131. https://doi.org/10.1111/imre.12015
Potts, R., Vella, K., Dale, A., & Sipe, N. (2016). Exploring the usefulness of structural–functional approaches to analyse governance of planning systems. Planning Theory, 15(2), 162–189. https://doi.org/10.1177/1473095214553519
Shamsian J. & McLaughlin K. (2021). Here's the full list of people charged in the college admissions cheating scandal, and who has pleaded guilty so far. Insider. https://www.insider.com/college-admissions-cheating-scandal-full-list-people-charged-2019-3
