Sample Notes: What Is Social Stratification?
3.1 What is Social Stratification?
3.1.1 Social Stratification in Open and Closed Societies
Definition of Social Stratification
- Social stratification is the division of society into different levels (strata) based on factors like wealth, status, power, and prestige.
- It refers to the hierarchical arrangement of individuals where some have more resources and privileges than others.
- Stratification systems influence people’s life chances.
Open vs. Closed Societies
- Open societies: Allow social mobility (movement between strata), e.g., modern industrial societies.
- Closed societies: Little or no mobility; status is fixed by birth, e.g., caste systems.
Achieved vs. Ascribed Status
- Achieved status: Earned through merit, e.g., becoming a doctor through education.
- Ascribed status: Assigned at birth, e.g., royalty, caste, ethnicity.
Poverty and Wealth
- Poverty: Inability to afford basic necessities; may be absolute or relative.
- Wealth: Accumulated assets, property, and income; wealth is a key stratifier.
Power
- Power is the ability to influence or control others.
- Can be based on wealth, occupation, political influence, or social roles.
Social Mobility
- The movement of individuals or groups between layers of a stratified system.
- Upward mobility: e.g., a child of a janitor becoming a lawyer.
- Downward mobility: e.g., losing a job and becoming homeless.
- Education is a major factor in enabling mobility.
Meritocracy
- A system where status is achieved based on individual effort, talent, and achievement.
- Critics argue that meritocracy can hide structural inequalities like racism and classism.
Modern Slavery
- Contemporary forms of forced labor, trafficking, or debt bondage.
- Despite legal bans, it still exists due to poverty, corruption, and lack of enforcement.
The Caste System
- Found in societies like India (historically).
- A closed system based on ascribed status where individuals are born into fixed social groups (castes).
- Movement between castes is prohibited; occupations and social roles are predetermined.
3.1.2 Differences in Life Chances
Life Chances
- Opportunities to improve one’s quality of life and achieve goals such as education, employment, good health, and housing.
- Life chances are heavily influenced by social stratification.
Education
- Children from upper-class families tend to attend better schools, receive tutoring, and pursue higher education.
- Working-class children face overcrowded schools and limited resources.
Employment
- Higher classes often gain access to stable, high-paying jobs.
- Lower classes may work in temporary, insecure, or manual jobs with fewer benefits.
Health
- Upper-class individuals can afford better healthcare, healthier food, and fitness.
- Lower-class individuals may face malnutrition, poor housing, and lack of access to health facilities.
Housing
- Wealthier individuals live in well-maintained areas with good facilities.
- Poorer individuals may live in overcrowded, unsafe housing.
Life Expectancy
- Richer people live longer due to better healthcare and lifestyles.
- Poor communities have higher infant mortality rates and reduced longevity.
3.1.3 Intersectionality
- Intersectionality: A framework that examines how various social identities (age, ethnicity, gender, class) overlap and compound inequality.
- Example: A black working-class woman may experience compounded discrimination based on all three identities.
- Helps sociologists understand that disadvantages are not experienced in isolation but in combination.
3.1.4 Sociological Theories on Social Inequality
Labelling Theory
- Individuals become identified by labels placed on them.
- Stereotypes: Oversimplified ideas about groups (e.g., “poor people are lazy”).
- Master Status: A label that dominates all other aspects of identity (e.g., being known primarily as “disabled”).
- Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: A prediction that causes itself to become true. E.g., a student labelled as a failure may stop trying and thus fail.
Marxism
- Social inequality is a result of capitalist systems that exploit workers (proletariat).
- Exploitation of the Proletariat: The working class produces goods, but profits are taken by the bourgeoisie.
- Ideological Control: Institutions like education and media are used to justify inequality.
- Poverty Trap: Structures that make it difficult for the poor to escape poverty.
- Reserve Army of Labour: Unemployed workers who can be hired cheaply, keeping wages low.