
Broadly, these factors define how societies are classified or stratified:
- Economic condition: the amount someone earns;
- Social class: ta classification based on, for example, economy and caste;
- Gender
- Religion
- Social networks: the connections that people have — and the opportunities these allow people in finding jobs, partners, and so on.
What are the types of social stratification?
Types of social stratification include meritocracy, where place is defined by personal merit. Another would be the caste system, in which social hierarchy is defined by birth. Social stratification can occur in multiple types of ways such as these, but it always denotes a hierarchy of categories of people.
What is social stratification, and why does it matter?
Social stratification causes social disparity and many problems as it is an unjust system with monopoly of power and wealth in a particular group. It affects life chances, lifestyles and prestige. It creates emotional stress and depression for the people belonging to lower social stratum as they have unequal access to wealth, power and prestige.
What are the 4 systems of stratification?
Systems of Stratification
- Stratification. Global stratification refers to the hierarchical arrangement of individuals and groups in societies around the world.
- Slavery. Slavery is a system in which people are bought and sold as property, forced to work, or held in captivity against their will.
- Caste Systems. ...
- Class. ...
- Gender. ...
What is an example of social stratification?
Throughout the Edo period, society was stratified into several groups:
- Samurai – The Samurai accounted for about 10% of the population. ...
- Peasants – The peasants could own land and paid taxes. ...
- Artisans – About 10% of the population were artisans. ...
- Merchants – Merchants were at the bottom of the “officail” social order. ...

What are the three main components of the social stratification system?
Max Weber formed a three-component theory of stratification in which social difference is determined by class, status, and power.
What are the three components of social stratification according to Weber?
It is commonly held that Weber identified three dimensions of stratification: class, status, and party. This has long been the standard view and has been repeated countless times.
Which of the following is a component of stratification?
Max Weber identified the following three components in class systems of stratification: class, status, and power (1922). Class, as stated above, includes wealth and income. Status is the prestige or honor accorded to one's position and/or to one's name. Power is the ability to exert one's will over others.
What are the three main components of the social stratification system quizlet?
Max Weber identified three distinct dimensions of social stratification: economic class, social status, or prestige, and power.
What is the 4 characteristics of social stratification?
Social stratification refers to a society's categorization of its people into rankings based on factors like wealth, income, education, family background, and power.
What are the four major system of social stratification?
Systems of stratification vary in their degree of vertical social mobility. Some societies are more open in this regard, while some are more closed. The major systems of stratification are slavery, estate systems, caste systems, and class systems.
What are the 5 characteristics of social stratification?
Tumin has mentioned the following characteristics of social stratification:It is Social: Stratification is social in the sense that it does not represent inequality which are biologically based. ... It is Ancient: The stratification system is very old. ... It is Universal: ... It is in diverse Forms: ... It is Consequential:
What are the 4 systems of stratification quizlet?
4 systems: Slavery, caste, estate, class!!!!...Terms in this set (24)Slavery. Some individuals own other individuals. ... Caste. Resources and rewards are distributed based on ascribed status!!!! ... Estate. ... Class.
What are the 2 types of system of stratification?
Stratification systems include class systems and caste systems, as well as meritocracy.
What is stratification and its types?
The division of society into classes forming a hierarchy of prestige and power is a universal feature of social systems. Sociologist have distinguished four main types of social stratification namely, Slavery, estates, caste and social class and status.
Which of the following is the base of stratification is?
Social stratification refers to social differentiation whereby society groups people based on their class, economic status, occupation, power, religion caste etc. People are categorised as inferior and superior based on their social position.
What do sociologists see in racism?
Consequently, sociologists view racism , sexism, and heterosexism as playing significant and troubling roles in these processes as well. In this vein, sociologists recognize that racism and sexism affect one's accrual of wealth and power in society.
What is the importance of intersectional approach in sociology?
Sociologists emphasize the importance of taking an intersectional approach to understanding social stratification; that is, an approach that acknowledges the influence of racism, sexism, and heterosexism, among other factors . Access to education—and barriers to education such as systemic racism—are factors that perpetuate inequality.
What percentage of the wealth is stratified?
Wealth Stratification. A look at wealth stratification in the U.S. reveals a deeply unequal society in which the top 10% of households control 70% of the nation's riches, according to a 2019 study released by the Federal Reserve.
How does social stratification manifest?
Regardless of the form it takes, social stratification can manifest as the ability to make rules, decisions, and establish notions of right and wrong. Additionally, this power can be manifested as the capacity to control the distribution of resources and determine the opportunities, rights, and obligations of others.
What is the role of intersectionality in sociology?
Sociologists recognize that a variety of factors, including social class , race , gender, sexuality, nationality, and sometimes religion, influence stratification. As such, they tend to take an intersectional approach to analyzing the phenomenon.
What was the wealth gap in 1989?
In 1989, they represented just 60%, an indication that class divides are growing rather than closing. The Federal Reserve attributes this trend to the richest Americans acquiring more assets; the financial crisis that devastated the housing market also contributed to the wealth gap.
What is social stratification?
Updated September 03, 2019. Social stratification refers to the way people are ranked and ordered in society. In Western countries, this stratification primarily occurs as a result of socioeconomic status in which a hierarchy determines the groups most likely to gain access to financial resources and forms of privilege.
What is social stratification?
Social stratification defines the hierarchical structures of class and status in a society. It forms the larger power structure that influences all the social activities within that particular community. 1. Slavery: The relation of a master and slave was the peak of inequality in human history.
What is the function of functionalists?
Moore in 1945, claims that unequal distribution of rewards serves a purpose in society. In fact, inequality and hierarchy is beneficial. The functionalists believe that there are certain functions like cleaning and maintenance works , which can be carried out by anybody, or many people. However, there are certain jobs that can be done only by a few members of society, and thus are highly paid for, as a motivating factor for those few. Contribution of the talented and best qualified individuals is very essential to society, and thus, they are encouraged by better rewards and higher pay. There are several arguments against this perspective, as inequality or hierarchy is not always observed to be beneficial to society, nor is it rational.
What is stratification in society?
1. Universal: Stratification is applicable to nearly all human civilizations of the past and present. Organization of a community brings along an ordered structure that does not come without a hierarchy. The division of society is thus, a feature typical to the nature or behavior of humans as a combined group. It is a consequence of the structural differences that define each individual as a part of the whole.
Why do functionalists believe in social stratification?
Functionalists believe social stratification is necessary for the functioning and stability of a society.
What was the society divided into?
The society was divided into chiefs, shamans, and other tribe members. Based on the proficiency of some tribals in certain tasks, they were entitled to be heads of the clan due to their skills. Apart from the ancient human lifestyle, social stratification can be seen from the following social systems.
What is the relation between a master and a slave?
Slavery: The relation of a master and slave was the peak of inequality in human history. A slave was defined by L.T. Hobhouse as a man whom law and custom regard as the property of another. Slaves faced inhuman violence, relentless working conditions, with no identity as a human, far from rights of any kind.
Why do intellectuals earn reverence?
The intellectuals earn reverence due to their talent. Higher social position in the hierarchy (achieved by fair or unfair means) tends unequal treatment to individuals. 4. Poverty and Stratification: Surplus wealth or resources left with individuals become the source of any further economic order or stratification.
What is a ranking non-valuative?
Ranking non-valuative i.e. 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.
What is status differentiation?
Status Differentiation: Status differentiation is the process by which social positions are determined and distinguished from one another by way Of associating a distinctive role, a set of rights and responsibilities such as father and mother. Status differentiation operates more effectively when:
What are the qualities of a task?
General qualities of the task e.g. difficulty, cleanliness, danger and so forth.
What are the characteristics of a person that are thought to need if they are to learn and perform the roles effectively?
Personal characteristics that people are thought to need if they are to learn and perform the roles effectively such as intelligence, aggressiveness and politeness.
How did Marx's vision of classless society work?
Marx, of course, predicted that one day the proletariat would rise up and overthrow the bourgeoisie and create a communist society, by which he meant a classless one in which everyone had roughly the same amount of wealth, power, and prestige. In Russia, China, and Cuba, revolutions inspired by Marx’s vision occurred in the 20th century. These revolutions resulted in societies not only with less economic inequality than in the United States and other class systems but also with little or no political freedom. Moreover, governing elites in these societies enjoyed much more wealth, power, and prestige than the average citizen. Overall, the communist experiments in Russia, China, and Cuba failed to achieve Marx’s vision of an egalitarian society.
What was the most deplorable experience in American history?
The United States, of course, is all too familiar with slavery , which remains perhaps the most deplorable experience in American history and continues to have repercussions for African Americans and the rest of American society. It increasingly divided the new nation after it won its independence from Britain and helped lead to the Civil War eight decades later. The cruel treatment of slave s was captured in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s classic but controversial book Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which ignited passions on both sides of the slavery debate.
Which country has caste prejudice?
Still, caste prejudice remains a problem in India and illustrates the continuing influence of its traditional system of social stratification. A country that used to have a caste system is South Africa. In the days of apartheid, from 1950 to 1990, a small group of white Afrikaners ruled the country.
What are estate systems?
Estate Systems. Estate systems are characterized by control of land and were common in Europe and Asia during the Middle Ages and into the 1800s. In these systems, two major estates existed: the landed gentry or nobility and the peasantry or serfs. The landed gentry owned huge expanses of land on which serfs toiled.
What is the most closed system in human history?
The most closed system is slavery, or the ownership of people, which has been quite common in human history (Ennals, 2007). Slavery is thought to have begun 10,000 years ago, after agricultural societies developed, as people in these societies made prisoners of war work on their farms.
How many Africans were shipped to the New World?
In the next century, the English, the French, and other Europeans also began bringing African slaves into the Western Hemisphere, and by the 1800s they had captured and shipped to the New World some 10–12 million Africans, almost 2 million of whom died along the way (Thornton, 1998).
Where is slavery still prevalent?
Slavery still exists in parts of Africa, Asia, and South America, with some estimates putting the number of slaves in the tens of millions.
What is class conflict theory?
Class – Conflict theories have explained how the stratification was gobbling up the chances of weak sections of society into becoming better. Thus the class where Weber explained the economic condition has stratified society into four types discussed above.
What were the three components of stratification?
by Prerna. After Karl Marx, Weber work regarding stratification was related to class classification. He divided society by majorly three facts viz. power, class, and status. These three terms were also called three components of stratification in which people belonging to same class enjoys the same lifestyle and are provided with the same amount ...
What is white collar workers?
The propertyless white-collar workers- They were the skilled labors who sat behind the tables to earn a proper salary. Mostly middle-class people were seen doing the white collar jobs. Comparing with the present situation, workers working in MNC’s or power plants can be termed as white collar seeking employees.
What is the propertied upper class?
The propertied upper class – They were the upper-class people who had an immense amount of property which was their way of collecting revenues from tenants. For example, the landlords collected revenue from the tenants when they gave a portion of their land to them.
What were Weber's major factors of social stratification?
Often class and status were taken as one form of stratification but Weber was seen as differentiating major factors of social stratification as the class, status, and power.
What was Max Weber's point of view?
Max Weber was although having a different point of view from Marx. He insisted that the political and social division was mainly based on the account of production rate of deserving people, whereas Marx has seen class division as capitalism and iron cage view. Weber particularly stated that control was in hand of those people who can earn ...
What was Marx's view on the petty bourgeoisie?
The petty bourgeoisie – They were belonging to lower class people. Marx was in the favor of highlighting their declining position in the society.
