social stratification

Sociology, 12th Edition by John Macionis

Copyright 2008 Prentice Hall, a division of Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Social Stratification

A system by which a society ranks

categories of people in a hierarchy



Basic Principles

• A trait of society

– Doesn’t reflect individual differences, but

society’s structure

• Persists over generations

– Social mobility happens slowly.

• Universal but variable

– While universal, it varies in type.

• Involves not just inequality, but beliefs

– Ideologies justify existence of social

stratification.



The Caste System

• Birth determines social position in four ways:

– Occupation

– Marriage within caste

– Social life is restricted to “own kind.”

– Belief systems are often tied to religious

dogma.

• Many of the world’s societies are caste

systems.

• Caste system is illegal, but elements survive.

Social stratification based on ascription, or birth



Class Systems

• Social mobility for people with education

and skills

• All people gain equal standing before the

law.

• Work involves some personal choice.

• Meritocracy: Based on personal merit

Social stratification based on both birth and

individual achievement



Class Systems

• Status consistency–The degree of

uniformity in a person's social standing

across various dimensions of social

inequality.

• A caste system has limited social mobility

and high status consistency.

• The greater mobility of class systems

produces less status consistency.



Ideology

• Plato

– Every culture considers some type of

inequality just.

• Marx

– Capitalist societies keep wealth and power for

a few.

• Spencer

– “Survival of the fittest”

Cultural beliefs that justify particular social

arrangements, including patterns of inequality



The Davis-Moore Thesis

• The greater the importance of a position,

the more rewards a society attaches to it.

• Egalitarian societies offer little incentive

for people to try their best.

• Positions a society considers more

important must reward enough to draw

talented people

Social stratification has beneficial consequences

for the operation of a society



Karl Marx:

Class and Conflict • Most people have one of two relationships with

the means of production.

– Bourgeoisie own productive property.

– The proletariat works for the bourgeoisie.

• Capitalism creates great inequality in power

and wealth.

• This oppression would drive the working

majority to organize and overthrow the

capitalism.



Why No Marxist Revolution?

• Fragmentation of the capitalist

class

• Higher standard of living

• More worker organizations

• More extensive legal protections



Was Marx Right?

• Wealth still remains highly concentrated.

– One percent of the population owns 40% of the

property

• White-collar jobs offer no more income,

security, or satisfaction than factory work

did a century ago.



Was Marx Right?

• Current workers’ benefits came from

struggle.

– Workers have lost benefits recently.

• Ordinary people still face disadvantages

that the law cannot overcome.



Max Weber:

Class, Status, and Power

• Socioeconomic status (SES)

– Composite ranking based on various

dimensions of social inequality

• Class position

– Viewed classes as a continuum from high to

low

• Status

• Power

• Inequality in history



Stratification and

Interaction

• Differences in social class position can

affect interaction.

• People interact primarily with others of

similar social standing.

• Conspicuous consumption refers to

buying and using products because of the

"statement" they make about social

position.



Stratification and Technology:

A Global Perspective • Hunting and gathering societies

• Horticultural, pastoral, and agrarian

societies

• Industrial societies

• The Kuznets curve

– Greater technological sophistication

generally is accompanied by more

pronounced social stratification.



Social Stratification

• Vonnegut: An egalitarian society can exist

only if everyone is reduced to the lowest

common denominator.

• Davis-Moore thesis: Class differences reflect

variation in human abilities and the relative

importance of different jobs.

• Marx: Inequality causes human suffering and

conflict; social stratification springs from

injustice and greed.

social stratification

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