1

Social stratification and a stratified world?

Market size by GDP, 1995(Size of country indicates GDP)

2

Social Stratification

A class hierarchy

3

Marx -Social Stratification – A Two class hierarchy – based on economic

ownership

• The Bourgeoisie(The ownersand controllers of the means of production)

• The Proletariat(the non owners or workers)

4

Marx - Conflict of interests in a two class society

££££££££ ££££££££

5

Weber’s Social Stratification

A four-class hierarchy based on economics, power and status

6

The Upper class - wealthy and

powerful

7

The Middle class – Non-manual workers

8

The Working class – mainly manual workers

9

The Underclass - very poor, e.g.the unemployed and homeless

10

A stratified World?

11

The world stratified into two layers?

Rich World

Poor World

12

The world stratified into four layers?

13

Put simply - countries roughly break along a class hierarchy e.g.

Upper Class Countries

USA, Japan, Singapore, European Union, Australia, New Zealand

Middle Class Countries

Russia, Poland, Czech Republic, Brazil, Mexico and Turkey

Working Class Countries (developing)

China, India, Africa, Ghana, Nigeria Pakistan, Indonesia

Underclass Countries

States such as , Albania, Afghanistan, Somalia, Sierra Leone, Bangladesh

14

Stratification and social mobility

• Just as individuals and classes can be economically and socially mobile, some sociologists say that countries are economically and socially mobile.

• NB Besides class inequalities gender, ethnicity, age and locality are also dimensions of inequality both between and within countries.