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SOCIAL AND POLITICAL
STRATIFICATION
SOCIAL AND POLITICAL
STRATIFICATION

The Concept of Social Stratification
Social Stratification
refers to the division of large social groups into smaller groups
based on categories determined by economics. Members of society
are arranged in hierarchy based on their access to or control over
basic economic resources.
GIVES RISE TO
INEQUALITY“SOCIAL STANDING”

Common Basis of social
stratification:
Wealth Property Gender
Access to political
power
Race and Religion
Access to material and
cultural goods

SOCIAL
EXCLUSION
Process by which individuals are cut off from full
involvement in the wider circles of society. May
be due to poor housing, lack of employment,
inferior schools, or limited transportations. Leads
to lack of opportunities for self-improvement.

SYSTEMS OF STRATIFICATION
 Closed
• Impose rigid boundaries between social groups
• Limit interactions between members who belong to different social groups or
occupy different levels in social hierarchy.
• Resistant to change in social roles
 Open
• Mainly based on achievement, allowing more flexibility in social roles, increased
social mobility, and better interaction

Caste Systems
Are closed stratification systems because people are unable to
change their social standing. Caste systems promote belief in
fate, destiny, and the will of higher spiritual power rather than
promotion of individual freedom. People born into caste
society are socialized to accept their standing for the rest of
their lives.There are no oppurtunities to improve one’s social
position.

Class system
stratification system based on ownership of
resources and the individual’s occupation or
profession. A social class is composed of people
who share the same background and
characteristics (income, education & occupation).

Class system
People are free to move from one social
class to another and achieve higher status in
life through education and employment.
Openness in class systems results in
prevalence of exogamous marriages.

exogamous marriages
Marriages between people from different social
classes
endogamous marriages
Marriages between people from same social class

MERITOCRACY
System of stratification that is determined by
personal effort and merit. Social standing
advancements are determined by how well a
person performs his or her social role.
However it remains an ideal and is only
implemented in business or industry.

SOCIETY IN GENERAL,
STILL REMAINS STRONGLY
INFLUENCED BY OTHER
FACTORS SUCH AS
INHERITANCE AND
PRESSURE TO CONFORM.

Theoretical Perspectives on Social Stratification
FUNCTIONALISM
CONFLICT THEORY
SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM

FUNCTIONALISM
• Examines how the different aspects of society contribute to
ensuring its stability and continued function.
• Each part or aspect of society serves an important purpose
• Stratification is based on intrinsic value of social activities or roles

FUNCTIONALISM
• Davis-Moore Thesis
- Social role that has greater functional purpose will result in greater
reward.
- Certain tasks in society are more valued than others, and those who
perform highly valued work are rewarded with greater income,
prestige and power.

CONFLICT THEORY
• Takes critical view of social stratification
• Considers society as benefitting only a small segment
• Stratification causes inequality
• Drawn from ideas of Karl Marx

CONFLICT THEORY
• Karl Marx
- social stratification is influences by economic forces and relationships in society
are defined by factors of production.
- Two groups:
• Bourgeois (capitalists) – own factors of production ( land, resources,
business and ploretariat ); UPPERCLASS
• Ploretariat – workers who provide manual labor; LOWERCLASS

CONFLICT THEORY
• Karl Marx
- INEQUALITY CAUSES WORKERS TO
EXPERIENCE ALIENATION, ISOLATION, AND
GREAT MISERY DUE TO POWERLESS STATUS.
THIS LEADS TO CLASS CONFLICT.

• Microlevel perspective
• Attempts to explain how people’s social standing affects their
everyday interactions
• Leads to interaction within the same class.
• Stratification becomes a System that GROUPS people
(interests, background, way of life)

• People’s appearance reflects their perceived social
standing
• Theory of Conspicuous Consumption
- Buying certain products to make a social statement about a
status

Social MobilitySocial Mobility
• Ability of individuals or groups to change their
positions within a social stratification system
• How individuals progress from a lower to a higher
class, or how they lose their status and occupy much
lower position in society
• Major factor: Economic status (accumulation of wealth)

• TWO MAIN TYPES:
a) Upward Mobility – upward movement in social class.
May be through education, employment or marriage.
a) Downward Mobility – lowering of social class. Brought
by economic setbacks, unemployment, illness and
dropping out of school.

• Classification based on GENERATION:
a) Intragenerational
- focuses on experiences of people who belong to same
generation.
- changes in mobility throughout the person’s lifetime
a) Downward Mobility
- Changes in individuals belonging to different
generations

• STRUCTURAL MOBILITY
- large-scale changes resulting in
improvement or decline of the conditions
and status of a large group of people.
- Main example: Industrial Age

Social Inequality
Societies are usually characterized by
divisions that reflect unequal distribution
of status, wealth, and power within
society.
SOCIAL INEQUALITY AND POVERTY

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