Chapter 10

Comparing Systems of Stratification

Chapter Outline

Simple Societies Agrarian Societies Industrial Societies

Simple Societies

The largest simple societies rarely exceeded several hundred members.

Simple societies often wandered over large areas, but the territory inhabited at any given time was small.

The majority of simple societies were hunting and gathering societies.

About 10% of simple societies lived in a fixed location.

Types of Simple Societies

Hunter-gatherers - Moved in search of game and edible plants.

Herders - Lived by herding animals and moved about as their animals required new grazing areas.

Gardeners - Mastered elementary gardening and tended to stay in one spot just long enough to grow one crop.

Hunting and Gathering Societies

Death was the major fact of life. Experienced chronic famines and only

occasional feasts. Possessions were limited to what could

be carried from place to place.

Hunting and Gathering Societies: Stratification

Primary bases of stratification were age and sex.

Adults held power over children, and men dominated women.

Within age and sex groups, simple societies were not very stratified.

Fixity of Residence and Stratification

Fixity of residence

Degree of Stratification Nomadic Sedentary Permanent

Low 89.8 74.3 46.1

Medium 10.2 25.7 24.5

High 0.0 0.0 29.4

100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Ion N = (49) (35) (102)

Agrarian Societies

Agriculture made it possible for people to settle permanently, construct better shelters and accumulate possessions.

Life ceased to be a constant struggle for food.

Society became more complex because of surplus food production.

Agrarian Societies: Productivity

With the invention of plows and animal harnesses, productivity was so great that some were freed from farming.

By freeing 1 in 20 of their society from farming, they could pursue specialized tasks and produce an elaborate social structure.

Agrarian Societies: Warfare

Warfare is chronic in agrarian societies. More than 80% of agrarian societies

have a war at least once every 5 years and 2/3 fight every year.

1/3 of societies lacking agriculture are constantly at war, and nearly half of them fight occasionally.

Agricultural Development and Warfare

Level Of Agricultural Development

Frequency of External wars None Low Medium High

Constant 33.3 57.1 56.0 66.6

Common 23.8 7.1 12.0 16.7

Occasional 42.9 35.8 32.0 16.7

100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

N = (21) (14) (25) (24)

Agrarian Societies: Surplus and Stratification

Increased wealth and a complex division of labor produced greater stratification.

The capacity for labor to produce surplus was the basis for inequalities.

By owning another person one can own the surplus the other person produces.

Agricultural Productivity and Stratification

Level of Agricultural Productivity

Degree of Stratification

None Low Medium High

Low 86.8 78.5 63.5 38.6

Medium 13.2 17.9 31.7 15.8

High 0.0 3.6 4.8 45.6

100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

N = (38) (28) (63) (57)

Correlations between Stratification and Industrialization

Correlations with % of total national income

going to richest 10% of families

Level of economic development .61

TV sets per 1,000 population .65

Per capita gross domestic product .64

Telephones per 1,000 population .66

Average life expectancy .56

Human Population and Development of Agrarian Societies

10,000 years ago, the human population was growing so slowly it would have taken 60,000 years to double in size.

Today, the world’s population is doubling every 37 years.

Population growth was the result of increased food production.

How Do People Get Ahead in Life?

For getting ahead in life, how important is: (% rated Very Important)

Nation “Wealthy family”

“Political connections”

“Hard work”

Italy 40 55 57

West Germany

25 23 60

Great Britain 22 7 84

Australia 18 15 83

United States 14 9 89

Netherlands 11 7 67

Status Attainment in the U.S. and Canada

Father’s occupational prestige

Son’s occupational prestige (Correlation)

United states .40

Canada .40

Native-born .40

Foreign-born .40

English-speaking .40

French-speaking .41

Status Attainment in the U.S. and Canada

Son’s Education

Son’s occupational prestige (Correlation)

United states .60

Canada .61

Native-born .62

Foreign-born .63

English-speaking .62

French-speaking .61