TOPIC 9 SOCIAL-STRATIFICATION in the society

Social stratification is a classification of members of a society based on power, income, prestige, etc.

1. Social Stratification Cyrielle Faith R. Guemo Marilen V. Banguilan

2. an informal social gathering, especially one organized by the members of a particular club or group WHAT IS SOCIAL? WHAT IS STRATIFICATION? as the act of sorting data, people, and objects into distinct groups or layers.

3. WHAT IS SOCIAL STRATIFICATION? Social stratification refers to a society's categorization of its people into groups based on socioeconomic factors like wealth, income, race, education, ethnicity, gender, occupation, social status, or derived power. It is a hierarchy within groups that ascribe them to different levels of privileges.

4. Table 1: Stratification in Three Types of Society Type of Society Economic Resources Prestige Egalitarian Society No No Rank Society No Yes Class/Caste Society Yes Yes Some social groups have a greater access to:

5. THREE TYPES OF SOCIETIES 01 Egalitarian 02 Rank 03 Class/Caste

6. 01 Egalitarian Can be found not only among hunter-gatherers, but among horticulturalists and pastoralists Does not mean that all people within such societies at their same There will always be differences among individuals in age and sex and in such abilities or traits as hunting skill, perception, health, creativity, physical prowess, attractiveness, and intelligence Egalitarian Society

7. For instance, if a person can achieve status by fashioning fine spears and every person in the society fashions such spears, then every person acquires status as a spearmaker. If status is also acquired by carving bones into artifacts and only three people are considered expert carvers of bones, then, only those three achieve status as carvers. In an egalitarian society, the number of prestigious positions is adjusted to fit the number of qualified candidates. We would say, therefore, that such a society is not socially stratified.

8. Even in an egalitarian society, differential prestige exists. But although some persons may be better hunters or more skilled artists than others, there is still equal access to status positions for people of the same ability. Any prestige gained by achievement of status as a great hunter, for instance, is neither transferable nor inheritable. Because a man is a great hunter, it is not assumed that his sons are also great hunters. The egalitarian society keeps inequality at a minimal level Status and Prestige

9. Any differences in prestige that do exist are not related to economic differences. Egalitarian groups depend heavily on sharing, which ensures equal access to economic resources despite differences in acquired prestige. For instance, in some egalitarian communities, some members achieve status through hunting. But even before the hunt begins, how the animal will be divided and distributed among the members of the band has already been decided according to custom. The culture works to separate the status achieved by members-recognition as great hunters-from actual possession of the wealth, which in this case would be the slain animal.

10. THREE TYPES OF SOCIETIES 01 Egalitarian 02 Rank 03 Class/Caste

11. Generally practice agriculture or herding, but not all agricultural or pastoral societies ranked The position of the chief is at least partially hereditary-usually the eldest son succeeded to the position of chief, and different kinship groups were differentially ranked according to their genealogical distance from the chiefly line Rank Society 02 Rank

12. Chiefs are often redistributors. Redistribution of food by the chief often symbolizes that the wealth is communally held. Although the chief may be designated "owner" of the land, people always retain the right to use the land. In some Polynesian societies, for instance, the chief was designated "manager" of the labor of others. He saw to it that the people did not neglect their fields or fail to give food to be redistributed to the community

13. Hilda Kuper reports that the Swazi are a horticultural people who invest their chief with "ownership" of the land. The Staples of their diet are maize and millet, produced cooperatively by men and women. Farming thus supplies the staple foods of Swazi, although herding is more prestigious occupation. Nevertheless, only 10 percent of Swazi land is given over to cultivation; cattle grazing claims 75 percent. Example (SWAZI of South Africa) http assetsi tinnews.org/f public/htty/les/

14. THREE TYPES OF SOCIETIES 01 Egalitarian 02 Rank 03 Class/Caste

15. CLASS SYSTEM Characterized by achieved status and some degree of social mobility Members of a social class share similar lifestyles and level: of wealth, education, power, and prestige.

16. SOCIAL CLASSES Upper Class: This group consists of individuals who possess significant wealth, inheritances, and often have access to exclusive opportunities and privileges. Middle Class: The middle class encompasses individuals who work in professional or managerial roles, have moderate incomes, and enjoy a comfortable standard of living. They typically have access to education and some degree of economic security. Lower Class: The lower class includes individuals who may work in low-wage or manual labor jobs, struggle with economic stability, and have limited access to resources such as healthcare and education.    

17. An individual's position is society is completely ascribed or determined at birth Upward mobility is prohibited either by law or custom or both, and marriage is restricted to members of one's own caste Caste is a closed class CASTE SYSTEM

18. Questions basic to all stratified societies, and particulary to a cast society, were posed by John Ruskin: "Which of us...is to do the hard and dirty work for the rest- and for what to pay? Who is to do the pleasant and clean work, and for what pay?"

19. The questions have been answered in India by the maintenance of rigidly constructed caste system-or hierarchy of statuses-whose underlying basis is economic: it involves an intricate procedure for the exchange of goods and services,

20. Who is to do the hard and dirty work for the rest of society is clearly established: a large group of untouchables forms the bottom of the hierarchy. Among the untouchables are sub-castes such as the Camars, or leatherworkers, and the Bhangis, who are sweepers. At the top of the hierarchy. performing the pleasant and clean work of priests, are the Brahmans. Between the two extremes are literally thousands of castes and subcastes. Each caste is tradionally. associated with an occupation.

21. Economic gain Gain in prestige Sexual gain Perpetuation of the caste system is ensured by the power of those in the upper castes, who derive three main advantages from their position:

22. References: Amber and Amber. Anthropology Morton H. Fred. The Evolution of Political Society New York: Random House, 1967, p33 Hilda Kuper , A South African Kingdom: The Swazi. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1963 W.Lloyd Warmer and Paul S. Lunt. The Social Life of a Modem Community. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1941 Robert S. Lynd and Helen Merrell Lynd. Midddletown ., New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1937 John Ruskin "Of Kings' Treasure." In John D. Rosenberg, ed. The Genius of John Ruskin: Selections from His Writing. New York: George Braziller , 1963. pp. 296-314 Oscar Lewis with the assistance of Victor Barnouw , Village Life in Northen India. Urbana: University of Illimois Press, 1958 Robert B. Textor , comp. A Cross-Cultural Summary. New Haven: HRAF Press, 1967

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