enumerate four different characteristics of social stratification

Sociologists analyze social phenomena at different levels and from different perspectives. A few simple examples will be illuminating. Firstly by the degree to which a position is functionally unique, there being no other position that can perform the same function satisfactorily. To sum up, Davis and Moore regard social stratification as a functional necessity. Hindu society in traditional India was divided into five main strata: four Varnas and fifth group, the out caste or untouchables. Social stratification is multi-dimensional. Social stratification is an inherent character of all societies. The ‘physician’ had the highest prestige and shoe shiner, the lowest. The Civil service personnel command a status higher than the members of the provincial Service. Status, he says, stands in sharp opposition to the pretension of property. Aristotle was clearly concerned with the consequences of inequality in birth, strength and wealth. Likewise, the marriage of the daughter of the nouveaux riches to men of distinguished lineage may give rise to the problem of status inconsistency. These rules constitute “Social Contract”, under which people give the right to one man to rule, who has collective desire and will. They gave to all others in theirs colonies, and to us an unequal treatment. However, even within the caste system those members who perform their caste roles effectively and efficiently occupy higher’ status. The Western people, wherever they went, claimed racial superiority and attributed their success to it. They argue that all social system share certain functional prerequisite which must be met for survival and effective operation of the system. Stratification was present even in the small wandering bands. The second characteristic of social stratification is its antiquity. Social class refers to the grouping of individuals in a stratified social hierarchy, usually based … Feudalism was replaced by capitalism under which capitalists and the proletariat are two main contending classes. Report a Violation, Social Stratification: Forms of Social Stratification and Rural Social Stratification, Difference between Social Stratification and Social Inequality, Social Control: The Meaning, Need, Types and other details. Every class-society becomes a theatre of conflict-conflict between classes of opposing interests. Do you picture the rich versus the poor? The importance of stratification can be seen with regard to the functions it performs for the individual and society. Machiavelli asked who is fit to rule and what form of rule will produce order, happiness, prosperity and strength. The Brahmins were custodian of law and the legal system which they administered was based largely on their pronouncements. 4. The fittest to survive is the rule which is followed. He argues that differential rewards can encourage hostility, and distrust among various segments of society. Every slave is under a master whom he/she belongs to. Her study was on Israeli Kibbutizim system and many of Kibbutizim are found on the Marxist Principle of from everyone according to ability – to everyone according to need. They say, there is the necessity to distribute prestige according to the importance to society of a social position. Those positions i.e. Without social inequalities, Parsons find it difficult to see how members of society could effectively cooperate and work together. The stratification system has its own consequences. The stratification has something to do; it appears with the very mental makeup of man. Society makes elaborate arrangements for the training of younger generation. This system has to do with the culture of eating, and might therefore be called the alimentary index. The United States has some vertical social mobility, but not as much as several nations in Western Europe. For some, social stratification is so important that anthropologists believe that it is necessary to keep a society functioning. As the members are made aware about the future roles, they start getting training from the childhood. Social stratification is also based on caste. He is the property of his master. In the more advanced society, prestige is the commodity that is in scarce supply and it is, therefore, more valued. Under the caste system, the status of the individual is fixed at birth and different castes are hierarchically arranged. In open society individuals can move from one class or status level to another, that is to say equality of opportunity exists. Social class is one element in stratification, the hierarchical ranking of groups within a society. In this state of nationwide sample of adult was asked to rate ninety occupations in accordance with prestige associated with each occupation. Over the time there developed the three estates – the lords temporal, lord spiritual and the commons. The ruling class engages in welfare activities like making charitable schools, hospitals etc. The population of a society may be divided into freemen and slaves. It is the most popular occupation. Max Weber has profoundly influenced modern sociological writing about social stratification. Hence, their work efficiency is also higher. Where a society is composed of social classes, the social structure looks like a truncated pyramid. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. The ruling class always holds itself superior to those over whom it rules. Classes according to Marx, are large groups of people who differ from each other by the place they occupy in a historically determined system of production, by their relation to the means of production, and by their role in the social organisation of labour, and consequently the methods by which they receive their share of social wealth and the amount of this wealth they possess. He has ignored other important social relationships. “This variability is a result of the fact that the same necessary function in a social system — for example, the military function and roles — may be somewhat differently valued according to the different sets of values that prevail in different social systems and at different times”. Social stratification is indispensable to any complex society, they say. Plagiarism Prevention 4. This system has led to progress and development of the country. Difference in property results in ‘life chances’, while status differences lead to difference in ‘life styles’. When class endogamy (i.e. In this article we will discuss about Social Stratification:- 1. He showed that in capitalist society the class struggle inevitably leads to the abolition of classes and the establishment of classless society, socialism’. He argues that social stratification acts as a barrier to the motivation and recruitment of talents. Viewed in this way it can be stated that every society is divided into more or less distinct groups. It also comes to be a hereditary one. Does this mean that the skills of the surgeon are twenty times greater or more valuable to society than those of the miner. No one will be placed in a position that will be higher or lower, superior or inferior in relation to other. In certain communities the slaves do not enjoy rights and privileges. It has been contended by them that social stratification inevitably occurs in any complex society, particularly in an industrial society and it serves some ‘Vital functions’ in such societies. Class: There is a vast literature on the definition of class, or social class. Multidimensional theory is associated with the name of Max Weber felt that the influence or the effect that the behaviour of another individual or group, manifests itself in several ways. If, on the other hand, he is born into a family which does not open up these opportunities easily, he is naturally condemned to a lower rung of social fabric. The class structure is ‘closed’ when such opportunity is virtually absent. They have to agree with what they are told is good for them. Every society displays at every point dissensions and conflict, social conflict is ubiquitous. Sociologists disagree on the number of social classes in the United States, but a common view is that the United States has four classes: upper, middle, working, and lower. Meaning of Social Stratification 2. Classless society is just an ideal. In South Africa, the whites constitute a status- group; membership of which cannot be acquired by Africans; no matter how wealthy or skilled they may be. Described as a form of primitive communism, generally the resources were equally divided among all the tribals. Communities which belong to one of the four varnas or classes are called savarna. If we analyse the above description of life-chance, as suggested by Gerth and Mills, it will be apparent that life-chances are mutually determining, that one life-chance can determine another and vice versa. Functionalists are primarily concerned with the function of social stratification, with its contribution to the maintenance of society. They, it appears, had the priestly and other classes. Even though such persons start working later yet the economic returns and social prestige associated with their work is higher than others. Balban (1266- 86), a Turk by origin, was full with the notion of racial superiority, and held that a Turk alone had the qualities to rule. The Brahmins or priests, members of the highest caste, personify purity, sanctity and holiness. Since socialisation is not always perfect and since conformity is not uniform, and further since the values which the society upholds do not remain the same over time, the structure and nature of stratification prevalent in a society always undergo changes. Fourth, the sociologists cast doubt on the implicit assumption that actual differentials of reward do reflect difference in the skills required for particular occupations. Classes arise for reasons of historical necessity connected with appearance of exploitative modes of production. They will be accorded high prestige. Attempts have been made by P.K Hatt and C.C. Instability 11. Sometimes manufacturers have an edge over traders in terms of enjoyment of social esteem. It is of varied nature. 1. Power 4. St. Thomas and St. Augustine made distinction based on power, property and prestige. "Muslim Hausa social organization is characterized by a complex system of stratification, based on occupation, wealth, birth, and patron-client ties. Thirdly, Marx’s class theory is wrong because it does not recognise the importance of other antagonism such as the struggle of racial, national and religious groups. Mobility paid no taxes, neglected the feudal duties but secured all the dues for themselves. “Borrowed by analogy from the earth sciences, the term ‘social stratification’ has come into general sociological use only since about 1940. Differentiation and ranking are further solidified by the evaluation process. In Russia, for example, about nine-tenth of arable land consisting of large estates belonged to the Czar, the royal family and to about one lakhs of the noble families. It is more true in case of those societies in which statuses are achieved. Eva Rosenfeld has shown in her study that stratification is inevitable. Social stratification is a sociological phenomenon in which people in the society are placed in different ranks with reference to same economic conditions. Ranking is a selective process in the sense that only some statuses are selected for comparative ranking and of all criteria of ranking only some are actually used in ranking process e.g. Social stratification may be based on a variety of forms or interpenetrating principles such as free and unfree, class, caste, estate, occupation, administrative hierarchy or income level. T.B. This functional base has given rise to sub castes. First he gave more importance to status groups than Marx did. Every know society, past and present, thus differentiates its members in terms of roles they play in the group. Thus, like Marx, Weber recognised the essential significance of property differences in the formation of status groups and in sharpening the lines of the distinction and privilege among them. He felt that there were at least three independent orders or hierarchies in any society. Further, different ways of earning it are subject to varying evaluations. In the U.S.A., for example, areas of residence are demarcated, more or less, on class lines. This explains the psychology behind the ‘lord’ and ‘servant’ relationship. jobs are rated as harder or easier, cleaner or dirtier, safer or more dangerous and people are judged slower, smarter or more skillful than others without implying that some are socially more important and others less because of these characteristic. Broadly, the term denotes a style of life which is distinctive of a particular social status. As Sorokin pointed out, “Unstratified society with | real equality of its members is a myth which has never been realised in the history of mankind”. Such inequality has been perceived by the earlier thinkers in different terms like economic, political, religious etc. A point should, however, be made here. But in the primitive world chieftainship, individual prowess and clan or family property introduce an incipient stratification. Inequality 2. According to them stratification exists in every known human society. Those status roles which are popular, about which people know to be very prestigious are evaluated higher e.g. There is always an ecological correlate of class status. Health care, education,’ income and positions of prominence are a few of the advantages. Obviously, ‘power’ is inextricably mixed up with property. Such distinctive patterns will be found most likely in those societies with a high degree of concern for status-honor, where individual behaviour is always shaped by a concern for whether it is appropriate for membership in a particular socio-economic level. The stratification system is very old. Personal characteristics such as beauty, skill, physical strength and personality may all play a role in the perpetuation of inequality. In the view of Marx, the concept of class is fundamental. While personal ability and achievement play an important role in a person’s position in the stratification hierarchy, it is also a function of the social … The existence of stratification has led to the centuries old problem of social inequality. To liberate itself, therefore, the proletariat must abolish itself as a class, thus abolishing all classes and class rule as such. The social differentiation on the basis of high and low is the historical heritage of all societies. The multitudes were serfs. They argued that with the advancement of economy, there is minimum opposition or hostility among classes. Status groups are stratified according to the principles of their ‘consumption’ of goods as represented by special ‘style of life ‘.Therefore, acquisition of wealth is not by itself sufficient basis for entry into a high status group, such as aristocracy. Those persons who work hard and are intelligent move up in the social ladder. This brings us close to the occupational criterion. The economic status of an individual can be determined by two different measures: income and wealth. (e) Social stratification is closely connected with other social institutions. In society where there is an unequal distribution of rewards, those who have power take hold these rewards. The differentiation between classes existed as early as the Indus Valley society. In all societies learning, whether sacred or secular, distinguishes those who have it from those who do not. The fast exploitative mode of production was slavery, in which the principal classes were slaves and slave-owners. Such a system has given rise to different classes like Upper, Middle, Working and Lower or caste groups like Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Sudras. Fifth, Tumin has rejected the view of Davis and Moore that the function of unequal rewards is to motivate talented individuals and allocate them to functionally most important positions. status roles which are preferred by majority of I the people are evaluated higher e.g. However, in contrast to its earth-science usage the sociological usage of the concept of stratification often includes, implicitly or explicitly, some evaluation of the higher and lower layers, which are judged to be better or worse according to a scale of values”. It is understandable that rankings along several dimensions of social stratification may all be highly correlated with one another (i.e., all high, all medium or all low in rank) or much less highly correlated (some high, some medium, and some low in rank). Men have long dreamed of an egalitarian society, a society in which all members are equal. They assure that the parts of society form an integrated whole and thus, examine the ways in which the social stratification system is integrated with other parts of the society. Both the property owners and the property less can and frequently do, belong to the same states-group. Social stratification is the emergence of classes, relationships between different groups that are most likely based off of inequality and access to wealth, power, and prestige. At the other extreme, untouchables are defined as unclean and impure, a status which affects all other social relationships. Positions usually require long period of training which involves certain sacrifices such as loss of income. Slavery was followed by feudalism under which the landowners and the serfs constituted two principal classes. If we use it as a single criterion of class, ignoring all these considerations, the chances are that we shall arrive at erroneous inferences. ‘Property’ refers to the rights one enjoys over goods and services. The slave can always be brought and sold, though his treatment and the degree of protection accorded him vary from place to place and from time to time. Under the achieved form of social stratification, the social statuses are assigned according to the worth of the individual. Thus, class conflict, according to Marx, takes place between capitalist and the proletariat under capitalism. It refers to the presence of social groups which are ranked one above the other in terms of the power, prestige and wealth their members possess. Those who belong to a particular group or stratum will have some awareness of common interest and common identity. For only by doing so societies can establish general and uniform rules or norms that will apply to many and diverse individuals who are to occupy the same status e.g. The interplay of class, status and party in the formation of social group is complex and must be examined in particular societies during particular time periods. A social class as defined by Maclver and Page, “is any portion of a community forked off from the rest by social status”. difficulty, cleanliness, danger and so forth. We have seen that in a stratified society, social positions are evaluated according to a scale of values. The most important criteria for understanding the process of differentiation is ranking. In industrial societies there are both status groups and social classes. Because of this kind of ‘hidden persuasion’, dress occupies a very high place in one’s life-style in modern society. The holder of the land was called vassal; the multitudes who cultivated were the serfs and the people still lower to the serfs were slaves. So the relationship between social groups is one of reciprocity. That is, the concerned individuals or groups satisfactorily fulfill the requirements of all the criteria which are taken into account in determining social status. Prestige, reward involve the exercise of greater power. Sorokin has criticised Marx’s theory on three grounds. The four chief bases of class are ownership of wealth, occupation, income, and education. The settler group contains people at all class levels, from rich to poor, who continue to maintain a sense of prestige and entitlement. The high rewards attached to these positions provide required motivation for such performances. Estate system is synonymous with feudalism, which remained basis of social stratification in Europe from the fall of Roman Empire to the rise of the commercial classes generally and to the French Revolution (1989) particularly. Raymond Aron and Lipset have tried to argue against Marx’s theory of class. Exploitation and oppression will be the concepts of the history which have no place in the description of contemporary social reality. There are some tasks which require training or skills and there are limited number of individuals with ability to acquire such skill. Gerth and Mills are of the view that life-chances include “everything from the chance to stay alive during the first year after birth to the chance to view fine arts, the chance to remain healthy and grow tall, and if sick to get well again quickly, the chance to avoid becoming a juvenile delinquent — and very crucially, the chance to complete an intermediary or higher educational grade”. Rosenfeld’s study lends some support to the functionalist claim that social stratification, at least in terms of power and prestige, is inevitable. However, modern stratification fundamentally differs from stratification in the primitive societies. For example, manager of an industry attains a dominant position not by physical strength, nor by his age, but by having socially defined traits. It follows from Parson’s argument that there is a general belief that stratification system are just, right and proper, since they are basically an expression of shared values. It could be argued that a doctor is functionally more important than a nurse. Dahrendorf says as Marx himself talked of Division of Labour, we can see that economic factors are not the important factors. Greater amount of property means greater power, and less amount of property means less power. Is the money ‘old’ and ‘dignified’ or ‘new’ and ‘ostentatious’? Social stratification may be based on a variety of forms or interpenetrating principles such as free and unfree, class, caste, estate, occupation, administrative hierarchy or income level. Weber treats Marx’s concept of class as an ideal type, a logical construct based on observed tendencies. Societies reward positions that are more difficult or important. Sprott has indicated that “in the Civil Services, grades are distinguished by the shape of chair upon which the official sits and the size of the desk at which he writes”. This mechanism is social stratification. A number of theoretical approaches to social stratification have been put -forwarded. The system of stratification motivates the individuals to work hard so that they can improve upon their social status. Social Stratification. Throughout history, inequality has existed in our society. Their arguments run as follows. Prohibited Content 3. They took the ‘natives’ to be of inferior racial origin. There is a status division between the minority claiming descent from the American settlers and the indigenous majority. Social stratification has never been uniform in all societies. It is also very much in existence amongst us even today in all parts of the world. The working class has developed new attitudes and aspirations which are not receptive to revolution. In Europe society was divided into land lords and serfs. marriage within the class) is encouraged and customarily practiced, class status can be perpetuated over relatively long periods. Besides these classes of an exploitative society, Marx recognised that social differentiation produced many other groups with conflicting interests. What is the meaning of the term life-style? Persons with appropriate knowledge and training occupy appropriate positions. (d) Stratification is dynamic in nature, mainly due to dynamic social forces. Weber says that status groups are formed on the basis of common amount of socially ascribed prestige or honour. “The significance of a class system is that it greatly affects the social rewards of people. Functionalists assure that there are certain basic needs or functional prerequisites which must be met for the survival of the society. In theory, each is as important as every other. In open stratification systems, social mobility is possible, although some members of the population do not have the opportunity to fulfill their potential. The term stratification refers to a process by which individuals and groups are ranked in a more or less enduring hierarchy of status. Social classes, says Ginsberg, may be described as portions of the community, or collection of individuals, standing to each other in the relation of quality and marked of from other persons by accepted standards of superiority and inferiority. Stratification is that system by which different positions are hierarchically divided. Marx’s basic thought was that the proletariat which sets all the means of production in motion yet never owns them is the ‘last class ‘. You are a man of culture. © 2017 SociologyDiscussion - All rights reserved, Stratification Structure in Socialist Societies, Social Stratification: Meaning, Features and Classes in US, Social Stratification: Meaning, Origin, Development and other Details, Social Disorganization: Meaning, Characteristics and Causes, 100 + Sociology Questions & Answers for MA Entrance Exams (2019,2020,2021), 100 + Sociology Questions and Answers for M.Phil Entrance Exams, 100 + Sociology Questions and Answers for Ph.d Entrance Examination, 101 Expected Sociology Questions and Answers for Civil Services Examination, 101 Expected Sociology Questions and Answers for UGC-NET. All stratification systems have some common elements. Differences in property create classes, differences in social prestige and honour generate states groups and strata and differences in power generate political parties. Content Filtrations 6. Thus, if a man is accidentally born into a wealthy family, he can afford to seek education in institutions of renown which, in turn, helps him get a high salaried appointment. He admits that differences in property can constitute the basis for differences in honour or prestige, but he insists that other factors are just as important if not more so. (iii) The amount of knowledge that individuals acquire, either formally through education, or informally, affects the way they behave. It is historical as we find it in all societies, ancient and modern; and it is universal as it exists in simple or complex societies. In India, for instance, white collar occupations usually obtain a higher evaluation in comparison with blue-collar occupations. They most be segregated from members of other castes and live on the outskirts of the villages, In general the hierarchy of prestige based on notions of ritual purity is mirrored by the hierarchy of power. To the extent that evaluation is a learned quality, a consensus tends to develop within a culture individuals tend to share a common set of values. At the base of the structure lies the lowest social class arranged in a hierarchy of rank. Even in the non-literate societies stratification is very much present. The pressures to adopt appropriate styles may be sufficiently subtle so that an individual is unaware of the extent to which he orients his choices to considerations of status”. Before publishing your articles on this site, please read the following pages: 1. Plato was one of the first to acknowledge that inequality is inevitable and to suggest ways in which the distribution of money, status and power could be altered for the betterment of both the individual and the society. All of these criteria tend to make up what we have already noted a distinct life style or manner of living. Copyright 10. If, for example, a high caste Brahmin marries a girl belonging to a comparatively lower caste, a status inconsistency is the probable outcome.

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