Social Stratification
Warm-up
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Identifying social classes
The American Dream
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Is it slipping away?
Is it an unreal expectation?
Is it harder to get ahead in life?
Social Stratification
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Separating and categorizing its
members on the basis of certain
characteristics. Levels/ types vary from
society to society.
Types of Stratification
Caste System
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Ascribed status; newborn gets a lifelong
designation
Can’t move up to a higher caste
Effort and talent can move a person up
within their caste
People almost always marry within their
caste
Caste System
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Ex. India
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Brahmans- Priests, scholars
Kshatriyas- Rulers, nobles
Vaisyas- Merchants, bankers, business
people
Sudras- Laborer
Harijans- Outcasts, Limited to most
undesirable jobs
Class Systems
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Basis of achieved status, individuals can
move up/down
Karl Marx- Bourgeoise- owners
Proletariat- workers
Max Weber- expanded on Marx, said
class was made up of property,
prestige, and power
Dimensions of Social
Stratification
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Wealth
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Value of everything a person owns and
income
In US richest 1% own 1/3 of country’s
wealth
4/5 of US wealth in hands of top 20%
Income is also distributed very unequallyTop 1/5 earn almost 50% of nation’s
income
Dimensions of Social
Stratification
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Power- ability to control the behavior of
others
Prestige- respect, honor, recognition or
courtesy an individual receives from others.
In the US, occupation tends to be most
important determinant of prestige
Socioeconomic Status
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Rating that combines factors such as
educational level, occupational prestige,
and place of residence with the
economic factor of income
Functionalist Theory
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Necessary feature of social structure
Manual labor still needs to be
performed
Some jobs (doctors) need to be
rewarded
Why would someone take the time and
expense to become a doctor if the pay
was the same as a sales clerk?
Conflict Theory
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Competition over scarce resources is
the cause of social inequality
Once a groups gets control
(industrialist) they have the power to
stay in control
The Functions of Social
Stratification
The Davis Moore Thesis
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Assertion that social stratification has
beneficial consequences for the operation
of a society
Some jobs are easily performed by almost
Everyone (ex??) , some require high
responsibility and special abilities
The greater the functional importance of a
position, the more rewards a society
attached to it
The Davis Moore Thesis
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Society becomes more efficient and
productive when members strive for the
reward and prestige of certain jobs
Davis Moore implies that a productive
society is a Meritocracy: a system of social
stratification based on personal merit. In
this society, there is great social mobility as
people move up or down based on their
performance
Davis Moore Thesis
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Class systems do not completely
disappear in a meritocracy because
social structure would be eroded
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Ex- families in 1 social class would not
have certain members belonging to a
different class (is this practical?)
Flaws of Davis- Moore
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Can functional importance of certain jobs be held
artificially high by limiting enrollment in fields such as
medicine or law?
Some incomes are so high that it is hard to justify its
functional worth (Oprah- $100 million/yr)
Wealth can be transferred from one generation to the
next
Inequality promotes conflict and tension- not good
Are The Rich Worth What
They Earn?
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Respond to the article.
Do you agree or disagree with the
following statement:
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Using social worth to justify income is
hazardous.
Why or why not?
Stratification and Conflict
Karl Marx
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2 Classes
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Owners of productive property
Those who labor
Class conflict inevitable
Capitalism reproduces the class
structure from generation to generation
as wealth is passed down and children
attend elite schools with children of
other elite
Why No Marxist Revolution?
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Fragmentation of the capitalist class stock holders and
managerial class
Higher standard of living
Labor Unions (Strike)
Government proctections
 Workplace safety
 Min. Wage
 Max. Work hours
 Unemployment Insurance
 Social Security
Why No Marxist Revolution?
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Many still support Marx’s premise
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Wealth remains highly concentrated
White collar work is often monotonous and
offers little in the way of income perks
Labor unions continue to negotiate and
struggle
Law favors the rich
Max Weber: Class, Status, and
Power
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Weber did not see class as crude
categories (rich/poor) but as continuum
ranging from high to low with a lot of
people in the middle
Term- Socioeconomic status
Social conflict highly variable and
complex
Stratification and Technology
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Kuzzhet’s Curve
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Greater technological sophistication is generally
followed by more pronounced social
stratification
The trend reverses itself as industrial societies
become more egalitarian (equal).
Other characteristics
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Castelike structures relax in favor of greater
opportunity
More equality under the law
Women gain more rights
Debate:
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Is the US truly an open society- on that
provides the same opportunities to
every citizen regardless of race,
ethnicity, religion, gender, or family
history?
A Sunday Afternoon on the Island
of La Grande Jatte
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Do you see any indications that the people in the painting
are of different social classes?
If so, what are they?
Imagine that the artist is alive today and is about to paint
a similar painting-this one of people in New York’s Central
Park (or a park in your own community)
What indications, if any, would you see that the people in
the painting were of different social classes?
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Characteristics of social class ws
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Social class differences ws
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Determining social class ws
Education
Income
Power
Prestige
Jobs that pose potential health
risks:
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Social class?
The Bell Curve Debate:
Are Rich People Really
Smarter?
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Read the article and answer the 3
questions at the end of the article.
Be prepared to debate in class
Extra credit:
(5 Points)
Ads to consider…Social
class and advertising ws
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(10 Points)
Research system:
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Apartheid
Caste
Class
(15 Points)
Study of Status
Attainment
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Poverty
Poverty stations