SOCIAL STRATIFICATION

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1. Social Stratification Irish Verone Mendoza Polidario 4 th year Social Studies Major

2. Meaning & Nature Social Stratification refers to the ranking of individuals and groups in any given society . Tends to be transmitted from one generation to another. Hierarchical arrangement and establishment of social categories that may evolve into social groups as well as of statuses and their corresponding roles . Separating people or objects into categories

3. Social Structure Differentiation of statuses and social roles into ranked orders. “ Institutionalized Inequality ” Social Process Splitting up of society into social categories that develop into social groups cooperating, competing, conflicting- for the status quo or social change Social Problem Involves bitter feelings of discontent and of strong demands for equality or social justice.

4. Basic Concepts of Inequality The situation in which the economic goods in a society are distributed unevenly among different groups or categories of people.

5. Macro Concept of Social Stratification ATTRIBUTIONS It assigns to people different attributes as a result of differences. People are treated differently due to their presumed ethnic characteristics. STEREOTYPE One assumes that persons who falls into a particular category on the basis of certain characteristics also have many characteristics that we assume to belong to that category

6. Macro Concept of Social Stratification SELF-FULFILLING PROPHESIS Once we categorize people through assigning a stereotype, our perception of their behaviour is being filtered through that stereotype. As a consequence, the person may begin to act as we expect him or het to act. SOCIAL COMPARISONS People need to compare themselves with others in order to establish for themselves what kind of people they are.

7. Macro Concept of Social Stratification A FAIR WORLD People are more concerned about establishing equity (just division of rewards) than equality (equal division of rewards) JUST WORLD HYPOTHESIS People like to believe that there is justice, that people get what they deserve.

8. Social psychological research indicates that people make attributions about themselves and others, compare themselves with others, form judgement about who is better and who is better and develop beliefs that justify inequalities.

9. Social differentiation has been made distinct from social stratification. Differentiation refers to how things or people can be distinguished from one another. People may be differentiated on the basis of the colors of their skin, colors of hair, and the like. Stratification refers to the ranking of things or people. In closed stratification, people cannot change their rankings, In open stratification, people can change their ranking.

10. Dimensions of Stratification These are categories that separate people or objects

11. Wealth and Income What people own and inherit is called wealth. It consists of the value of everything a person or group owns. Income refers to how much people get. It is the amount of money one person or group receives

12. Inequalities of power Sociologists define power as the ability to control one’s life (personal power) and to control or influence the action of others.

13. Inequalities of prestige Social recognition that a person or group receives from others. Esteem, respect or approval that is granted by an individual or a collectivity for performance or qualities they consider above the average. Societies differ in what attributes they attach prestige to: Religion, holiness, zeal Occupational ranking Consumption patterns Leisure activities Membership in organizations

14. Methods of Determining Class Division Subjective Method. Personal ascription of the class one belongs to. Reputational Method. Old-timers identify the social classes that exist in the community and to place each resident in one or another category. Objective Method. Division according to income, occupation, education and type of residence.

15. Theories of Social Stratification

16. Conflict Theory (Karl Marx) Stratification is the result of the struggle among people for scarce rewards and it persists in society because the “haves” are determined (exploiters) and equipped to preserve their advantage by dominating and exploiting the “have nots ” (exploited). Class conflict over material privilege and power; those who own the means of production (capitalists or bourgeoisie) and those who sell their labor (worker or proletariat)

17. Conflict Theory (Karl Marx) Viewed the: nation or state as an instrument of oppression; religion as a method of diverting and controlling the masses; the family as a devise of keeping wealth and education in the hands of the few People’s lives are centered on how they deal with the material world. The key issue is how wealth is distributed among the people

18. Conflict Theory (Karl Marx) Four ways in which wealth can be distributed To each according to need. Basic economic needs of all of the people are satisfied. To each according to want. Wealth is distributed according to what people desire and request. To each according to what is earned. To each according to what can be taken- by using whatever means. Everyone ruthlessly attempts to acquire much wealth as possible without regard for the hardship that might be brought on others.

19. Conflict Theory (Max Weber) People are motivated by self interest. Group conflict is a basic ingredient of society Those who do not have property can defend their interests less well than those who have property Economic institutions are of fundamental importance in shaping the rest of society

20. Conflict Theory (Max Weber) Those in power promote ideas and values that help them maintain their dominance Only when exploitation becomes extremely obvious will the powerless their dominance.

21. Functionalist Theory ( Kingley Davis and Wilbert Moore) If all the positions that have to be filled in a society were equally important and everyone were equally capable of doing their jobs, there would be no need of stratification. But this is not the case. Some tasks are clearly more necessary than others, and some require a great deal more talent and training. Social inequality is viewed as both necessary and constructive.

22. Similarities of Stratification Theories ( Theodore D. Kemper) Both theories acknowledge that the evaluation of the contributions of jobs to society also determines unequal rewards. The Marxist theory leans heavily on the significance of power in the distribution of resources; while the functionalist emphasize the necessity of assigning some position or work higher status than others. Both theories recognize that social power plays a part in determining the unequal distribution of rewards.

23. Comparison of Stratification Theories Functionalist View Stratification is universal, necessary and inevitable Social organization (the social system) shapes the stratification system Conflict Theory Stratification may be universal without being necessary and inevitable The stratification system shapes social organizations (social system)

24. Comparison of Stratification Theories Functionalist View Stratification arises from the societal need for integration, coordination and cohesion Stratification facilitates the optimal functioning of society and the individual Conflict Theory Stratification arises from group conquest, competition, and conflict Stratification impeded the optimal functioning of society and the individual

25. Comparison of Stratification Theories Functionalist View Stratification is an expression of commonly shared social values Power is usually legitimately distributed in society Conflict Theory Stratification is an expression of the values of powerful groups Power is usually illegitimately distributed in society

26. Comparison of Stratification Theories Functionalist View Tasks and rewards are equitably allocated. The economic dimensions is subordinate to other dimensions of society Conflict Theory Tasks and rewards are inequitably allocated. The economic dimension is paramount in society

27. Comparison of Stratification Theories Functionalist View Stratification systems generally change through evolutionary processes Conflict Theory Stratification systems often change through revolutionary process.

28. Types of Stratification System

29. Open System (Class System) Positions are awarded on the basis of merit, and rank is tied to individual achievements. Status is said to be achieved depending on what the individual accomplishes and what he can do by his own efforts. It provides people with an equal chance to succeed.

30. Open System (Class System) It consists of a category of people who share similar opportunities, similar economic and vocational positions, similar lifestyles, and similar attitudes and behaviour. Class boundaries are maintained by limitations on social interaction, intermarriage, and mobility into that class.

31. Closed System (Caste System) Status is ascribed and determined at birth and people are locked into their parent’s social position. Ascribed characteristics determine social position, and individuals opportunities are limited accordingly. Caste lines are clearly defined and legal and religious sanctions are applied to those who attempt to cross them

32. Closed System (Caste System) It is a rigid system. People are born into and spend their entire lives within a caste with little chance of leaving it. Contact between castes is minimal and is governed by a set of rules or laws. Access to valued resources is extremely unequal

33. Estate System A person’s social position is based on ownership of land, birth or military strength. An estate is a segment of a society that has legally established rights and duties.

34. Social Stratification in Various Countries People who have made it People who are doing very well People who have achieved the middle class dream People who have comfortable life People who are just getting by People who are having a difficult time People who are poor

35. Typical of Class System ( Fichter ) Upper Class have great wealth, often going back for many generations; are recognized by reputation and lifestyle; have an influence on the society’s basic economic and political structures. Upper- Middle Class is made up of successful business and professional people and their families; Have a college education, own property and have money savings; live comfortably in exclusive areas

36. Typical of Class System ( Fichter ) Lower- Middle Class shares many characteristics with the upper middle class but they have not been able to achieve the same lifestyle because of economic or educational shortcomings; usually high school or vocational education graduates with modest incomes; less professionals, clerical, and sales workers Working Class is made up of factory works and other blue-collar workers

37. Typical of Class System ( Fichter ) Lower Class are people at the bottom of the economic ladder. They have little in the way of education or occupational skills and are consequently either unemployed or underemployed.

38. Social Mobility The movement of an individual or group within a stratification that changes the individual’s or group’s status in society The degree of mobility depends on (1) rules governing how people gain or keep their positions; and (2) structural changes in society.

39. Indicators of Social Mobility

40. Power It is the ability to attain goals, control events and maintain influence over others- even in the face of oppositions People empowerment is a movement aimed at liberating the poor people from their poverty, and the powerless people from their situation.

41. Prestige It consists of approval and respect an individual or group receives from other members of society Esteem consists of the appreciation and respect a person wins in his or her daily interpersonal relationships. Honor that is associated with specific statuses in society

42. Wealth The total economic assets of the individual or a family are known as a wealth. Poverty is a condition in which people do not have enough money to maintain a standard of living that includes the basic necessity of life.

43. Types of Social Mobility

44. Upward/ Vertical Mobility Movement of individuals or groups from lower to higher status in social stratification system (or vice versa) Operate intragenerationally - social change during the lifetime of one individual; or intergenerationally - changes in the social level of a family through two or more generations.

45. Factors affecting upward mobility The policy and practice of immigration into a total society and into a local community Differential fertility of social classes Presence or absence of individual competition as a value in the culture Availability of opportunities to prepare one’s self for the competitive process. Pattern of equality and inequality in a society (religion, sex, ethnic plurality and the like)

46. Compensation for Downward Mobility Disappointments and frustrations are cushioned by the traditional conservatism of middle class Have little contact with his former associates of higher status Rationalization of the mobility There is no significant status visibility Consolation that children may regain social status that one has himself lost

47. Horizontal Mobility May come about because of changing one’s occupation, marrying into a certain family and others. Movement involves a change in status with no corresponding change in social class

48. Geographical Migration/ Physical Mobility Movement from one geographical spot to another Includes forced relocation of large groups of people, eviction, and dispossession of unwanted people, voluntary permanent migration from one country to another, or from one region to another within the same country, as well as local residential changes. Fluidity exemplified by people commuting from home to office or factory, making business trips and taking vacations.

49. Types of Geographical Migration Voluntary Migration refers to the voluntary movement of people from one geographical area to another Forced migration includes expulsion of unwanted people, the herding people into reservation areas and concentration camps, the transportation of enslaved individuals and groups

50. Reasons for Voluntary Migration Economic factor. This refers to the desire of people to seek better food supplies, workers looking for better living. Political reason. Some people move to escape from political oppression and racial discrimination; or political asylum to other countries Religious liberty. Some people move to enjoy religious liberty in response to existing religious persecutions in their country

51. Reasons for Voluntary Migration Educational opportunities. Some avail themselves of educational opportunities prevailing in other areas due to the presence of colleges and university in other areas. Natural or man-made calamities (floods, denudation, volcanic eruption, earthquake)

52. Effects of Migration Diffusion of culture means contact and communication between people who had been culturally and geographically isolated. Biological mixture Urbanization of the culture. Urban ways of thinking and acting, urban social relations and structures and increasing secondary associations.

53. Role Mobility It is the shifting from role to role Every person enacts multiples roles, even while he remains a total, integrated personality. His participation in different groups and in different situations call for enactment of various roles. There is normal successive assumption of new roles. Occupational mobility causes shifting of roles.

54. Factors Affecting Social Mobility Hard work. Social structure. Societal values and norms. Level of education. Marriage Luck

55. Mobility and Social Personality Higher status is the result of personal achievement. There as many channels of social mobility as they are social roles the person enacts. Striving for higher status is often accompanied by certain strains and frustrations Downward social mobility carries it own costs and personal costs.

56. Education and Social Mobility The amount of education a person has constitute one of the most important criteria of social status. Those who receive higher education may use it as a stepping stone to a higher social status

57. Social Mobility and Success Success in life is always attached to upward social mobility. The values of activity, success and quantity are extremely improtant from the point of view of social mobility. Upward mobility means for any individual that he enjoys higher status than he previously had, and this is in itself valued as an achievement.