Chapter 7Stratification: Rich and Famous—or Rags and Famine?

Soc 100 Dr. Santos

The Importance of Stratification

• Social stratification refers to how individuals and groups are layered or ranked in society according o how many valued resources they possess

– An ongoing sorting process – Legitimated by cultural beliefs

Three main assumptions underlie the concept of stratification

• People are divided into ranked categories• There is an unequal distribution of desired

resources• The criteria societies uses to rank others

depends on:– The society’s history– Its geographic location– Level of development– The society’s political philosophy– The decisions of those in power

Micro-level factors: Prestige and Influence

• Cultural capital – knowledge and access to important information in society

• Social capital – networks with others who have influence

• Individual qualities also influence cultural and social capital

Meso-level factors: Access to resources

• The family reinforces status though the socialization process

• Educational organizations treat children differently according to their social status

• Religious affiliation reflects one’s social status• Political systems reinforce the stratification

system through laws, courts, and policing• Access to healthcare depends on one’s

position in the stratification system

Macro-level factors influencing stratification

• The economic system • The geographic location of nations • Resources

– Strong educational system– Well-paying jobs– Productive land– Ample supply of water– Access to technology

Theoretical Explanations of Stratification

• Symbolic Interaction– Individuals learn their social position through

socialization– Cultural capital influences children’s school and

home environments– Symbols also often represent social positions

• Conspicuous consumption is displaying goods in a way that others will notice and that will presumably earn the owner respect

Meso- and Macro-level Theories of Stratification

• Structural Functionalism– Stratification within societies is an inevitable

—and probably necessary—part of the social world

– The stratification system provides each individual a position in the social world

– The stratification system motivates individuals to carry out their roles

Meso- and Macro-level Theories of Stratification

• Structural Functionalism – Davis and Moore

• Some positions are more highly valued because people feel they are very important to society

• Societies must motivate talented individuals to occupy the most important positions

• Differential rewards must be offered to attract the most qualified individuals into the most valued positions– As a result, stratification is inevitable

Meso- and Macro-level Theories of Stratification

• Conflict Theory– How do societies produce necessities?– How are relationships between rich and

poor people shaped by this process?– How do many people become alienated in

their routine, dull jobs in which they have little involvement and no investment in the end product?

Meso- and Macro-level Theories of Stratification

• Marxism– Marx saw four possible ways to distribute

wealth:• According to each person’s needs• According to what each person wants• According to what each person earns• According to what each person can take

Meso- and Macro-level Theories of Stratification

• Marxism• Marx thought there were two economically-

based social classes – The bourgeoisie are the capitalist class; the haves

• Control the means of production, or the necessary resources to create capital

• Control the norms and values of society• Use their power to make the distribution of resources

seem “fair” and justified• Use social control to maintain their control in society

Meso- and Macro-level Theories of Stratification

• Marxism• Marx thought there were two economically-

based social classes – The proletariats are the working class; the have-nots

• The proletariats will remain exploited as long as they do not develop a class consciousness, or a shared awareness of their poor status in relation to the means of production

• Intellectuals in society could help the proletariat develop a class consciousness and to mobilize to overthrow the bourgeoisie to create a classless society where all wealth is shared

Meso- and Macro-level Theories of Stratification

• Recent conflict stratification theorists argue that there are 5 social classes:

– Capitalists– Managers – Petty bourgeoisie– Workers– Underclass

Meso- and Macro-level Theories of Stratification

• Evolutionary Theory, a synthesis– The basic assumptions of evolutionary theory are:

• To survive people must cooperate• Conflicts of interest occur over important decisions that

benefit one over another• Valued items are always in demand and in short supply• There is likely to be a struggle over these scarce goods• Customs and traditions determine the distribution of

scarce resources

Meso- and Macro-level Theories of Stratification

• Evolutionary Theory, a synthesis– Structural functionalism

• Talented individuals need to be motivated

– Conflict theory • Individuals will attempt to control as much wealth, power,

and prestige as possible, resulting in potential conflict • The importance of exploitation in creating inequality

• It results in only some amount of inequality may be useful in highly complex societies

Individual Life Chances and Lifestyles

• Life chances refer to one’s opportunities, depending n their achieved and ascribed status in society

• Important institutions that impact life chances are:– Education– Health, social conditions, and life expectancy– Family life and child rearing patterns – Lifestyles– Attitudes toward Achievement– Religious membership– Political behavior

Social Mobility: The Micro-Meso Connection

• Social mobility refers to the extent and direction of individual movement in the social stratification system

• Three issues affect mobility:– Variations in times of social mobility– Factors that affect social mobility– Whether there is a “land of opportunity”

Types of Mobility

• Intergenerational mobility refers to change in status compared to your parents’ status, usually resulting from education and occupational attainment

• Intragenerational mobility refers to the change in position in a single individual’s life

• Vertical mobility refers to movement up or down in the hierarchy, which sometimes involves changing social classes

Factors Affecting Mobility

• Mobility depends on micro-level factors – Socialization – Education

• Mobility depends on macro-level factors– Occupational structure– Economic status of the society– Population changes– Importance of ascribed status– The global economic situation

Major Stratification Systems: Macro-Level Analysis

• In ascribed stratification systems characteristics individuals are born with determines ones position in society

• In achieved stratification systems individuals are allowed to earn positions through their ability and effort

Ascribed Status: Caste and Estate Systems

• Caste systems are the most rigid ascribed systems and are maintained by cultural norms and social control mechanisms that are deeply imbedded in religious, political, and economic institutions

– Importance of socialization– Stability maintained by ideology

Ascribed Status: Caste and Estate Systems

• Castes predetermine:– Occupational positions, marriage partners,

residences, social associations, and prestige levels

• Castes are recognized though:– Clothing, speech patterns, family name and

identity, skin color, r other distinguishing characteristics

Ascribed Status: Caste and Estate Systems• Estate systems are ascribed pre-industrial

systems characterized by the concentration of economic and political power in the hands of a small minority of political-military elite, with the peasantry tied to the land

– Peasants receive protection and enough food to survive from the nobility

– Estate systems are based on:• Ownership of land• Position one is born into• Military strength

Achieved Status: Social Class Systems

• Social class systems of stratification are based on achieved status

– Members of the same social class have similar income, wealth, and economic position

– They share comparable styles of living, levels of education, cultural similarities, and patterns of social interaction

• Social class position is based on three main factors: property, power, and prestige

Achieved Status: Social Class Systems

• Property, or wealth, refers to owning or controlling the means of production

• Power is the ability to control or influence others

– Power elite– Pluralism

• Prestige involves the esteem and recognition one receives, based on wealth, position, or accomplishment

Poverty: Multi-Level Determinants and Policy

• Absolute poverty, or not having resources to meet basic needs, means no prestige, no access to power, no accumulated wealth, and insufficient means to survive

• Relative poverty refers to those whose income falls below the poverty line, resulting in an inadequate standard of living relative to others in a given country

Poverty: Multi-Level Determinants and Policy

• Social costs of poverty• Loss of talent and abilities• Financial cost of addressing needs of and

regulating the poor• Cultural contradiction of values

Poverty: Multi-Level Determinants and Policy

• The “functions” of poverty – Convenient scapegoat for societal problems– Creates jobs for those who are not poor– Provide an easily available, exploitable

group of laborers– Reinforce and legitimate our lives and

institutions– Constantly reaffirm the values of the affluent

Eliminating Poverty: Some Policy Considerations

• “Women, Infants, and Children Program” or WIC

• Head Start

• Workfare– Are there jobs available at a “living wage”?– Cutting taxes reduces our ability to help– Prisons absorb public funds

Macro-Level Stratification: National and Global Digital Divide

• The global social world is increasingly based on producing and transmitting information through digital technology

• Individuals with insufficient access to computers and lack of technical skills face barriers to many professions and opportunities

• Computer and Internet use is largely stratified in the world