Social Stratification, Social Class, and Ethnicity Social Stratification, Social Class, and Ethnicity
Social StratificationSocial Stratification
A system by which a society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy based on their access to scarce resources.Looking Up
Four Basic Principles of Social Stratification:Four Basic Principles of Social Stratification:
It is a characteristic of society, not simply a reflection of individual differences.
It persists over generations. It is universal but variable. It involves not just inequality
but beliefs. Constitutional Peasant
Cultural beliefs serve to justify social stratification.
Cultural beliefs serve to justify social stratification.
That is part of the reason why it persists.
Types of Stratification SystemsTypes of Stratification Systems
Caste System- social stratification based on ascribed status.
India and South Africa
Class System- social stratification based on achieved status.
Caste System ClassesCaste System Classes Brahmin- scholars and priests Kshatriya- political leaders and
warriors Vaishaya- merchants Shudras- menial workers,
artisans Untouchables Caste System
Status: Position in societyStatus: Position in society
Ascribedborn into or comes without efforte.g., kinship, race, gender
Achievedmust work to get
Interpretations of StratificationInterpretations of Stratification Functionalist
Meritocracy Social Conflict (Marx) Max Weber
Wealth, Prestige, PowerSocioeconomic status- An individual’s comparative status in a society based on factors (education, income and occupation).
People in the US are stratified based on the following:
People in the US are stratified based on the following:
IncomePrestigeWealth
EducationPower
IncomeIncome Wages or salaries from work and earnings from
investments. Distribution of Income in the US
–Top 5th 47%–Next 5th 24%–Third 5th 16%–Fourth 5th 10%–Bottom 5th 4%
WealthWealth Total value of money and other assets, minus
outstanding debts.Distribution of Wealth in the US
–Top 5th 80%–Next 5th 15%–Third 5th 5%–Fourth 5th less than 1%–Bottom 5th less than 1%
Social mobility—moving across ‘class’ linesSocial mobility—moving across ‘class’ lines
Intergenerational mobility—change in social position of children relative to their parents
Intragenerational mobility—change in social position of a person within their life
What factors encourage or discourage each form of social mobility?
Social Construction of Race and EthnicitySocial Construction of Race and Ethnicity
A process by which people come to define a group as a race based in part on physical characteristics, but also on historical, cultural (religious) and economic factors
Often an ideology constructed by the dominant or majority group which has the power to define itself legally but also to shape a society’s values
Social Construction of GenderSocial Construction of Gender A process by which people come to
define a gender based on social distinctions between males and females that do not inevitably result from biological differences between the sexes.
Gender-role socialization begins at birth and continues throughout life
An ideology constructed by the dominant or majority group which has the power to define itself legally but also to shape a society’s values
Institutional Discrimination Institutional Discrimination Affects gender, racial and ethnic groups, and
possibly other minorities Denial of opportunities and equal rights to
individuals or groups that result from the normal operations of a society
Bank loan policy that single women (or African Americans) are poor lending risksZoning policies that require large lotsOther examples?