Social Stratification
A “Basic” Example of Stratification
Upper Class –Small percentage, but own most of the
money/wealth.
Middle Class – white collar occupations. Largest in number and
most often used as symbol of American culture (along with
upper class). These are the people you see in sitcoms !
Lower “Underclass” – Low or no income.
What is social stratification?
“A system by which a society ranks categories of people in
a hierarchy”
1.
2.
3.
4.
A trait of society, not of individuals.
Carries over from generation to generation.
Universal (seen in all societies) but changes from
society to society.
Not only a system of material inequality, but also a
system of beliefs.
What is social stratification?
Caste System (closed)
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Based on ascription/birth
(remember the difference
between ascribed and
achieved status)
People can easily
differentiate castes
No social mobility
You interact and marry
with people of the same
position
Class System (open)
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Based on both birth and
achievement (both
ascribed and achieved
status)
People can move up (or
sometimes down) in social
position based upon merit
What is social stratification?
Caste System (closed)
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Cultural beliefs justify the
system, and people do not
question their position
Found in
farming/agricultural
systems
Waste human
potential…why?
Very orderly…why?
Class System (open)
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Cultural beliefs =
meritocracy
Found in industrialized
societies
Increases human
potential…why?
Weakens families and
other social groups…why?
What is social stratification?
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India is the most well-known example of a caste system
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Most societies are a mixture of class and caste systems
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The United Kingdom is a class system…but because of its history there
are still strong elements of a caste system. Royal familes control large
amounts of money “blue-bloods”.
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America is a mixture of class and caste (we saw the upper class in the
Born Rich documentary…they form a caste in the sense that they will
never move down and they intermat
Why do people accept stratification?
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Stratified societies can be seen as unfair…but people
accept it? Why?
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Every society has an ideology that reinforces the system.
Ideology is the cultural beliefs that justify particular social
arrangements, including patterns of inequality.
Who knows the history of this man
(his educational background and how he made his money)?
Why do people accept stratification?
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In class systems, there is an ideology that the rich deserve
what they have gotten through hard work…and the poor
have not worked hard enough to succeed in life.
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In caste systems, religion (another form of ideology)
justifies people being born into caste and not another
Why do people accept stratification?
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1.
2.
3.
“The Davis Moore Thesis” - Social stratification has
beneficial consequences for society. A “structural
functional” approach to stratification
The more important a job is for society, the more
rewards (money, prestige) society offers for that job.
Because more rewards are offered, more people will
compete for these jobs
The most talented people end up in the most important
jobs
Why do people accept stratification?
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Do you agree or disagree with the Davis-Moore Thesis?
Why or why not?
[in-class discussion…looking at salaries and making a
relationship between salary and importance of the job]
http://www.nycareerzone.org/cz/search.jsp
How do we describe inequality in the
United States?
Upper Class – Top 5%. Families earn at least
$185,000 a year. Own most of the countries
private wealth.
Middle Class – 40% – 45% of population. More ethnically and racially diverse. Earn
between $45,000 – $185,000.
Working Class – 33% of population. Low wage jobs. $25,000 - $45,000.
Lower “Underclass” – 20% of population. Less than $25,000.
How do we describe inequality in the
United States?
The Upper Class
 Earn at least $185,000
 The upper class can be divided into the upper-uppers (the
people we saw in the video) and lower-uppers.
 Lower uppers generally did not inherit their money and
are currently working for their money…
How do we describe inequality in the
United States?
The Middle Class
 Are most of the population (45%)
 Separated into upper middles ($100,000 to $185,000) and
average middles ($45,000 to $100,000)
 Are the “symbolic” class of the United States…all
politicians talk about the middle class
 Generally white collar workers
 Build wealth over time
 Ethnically and racially diverse
How do we describe inequality in the
United States?
The Working Class
 Make between $25,000 and $45,000
 Have little or no wealth
 Sudden unemployment and illness is disastrous
 Jobs for the working class offer few benefits
How do we describe inequality in the
United States?
The Lower Class
 20% of the population
 Low education
 Society segregates the lower class (especially
minorities)…through housing in trailor parks and urban
ghettos
 Lower class families live in inner cities and in the rural
south
Why does inequality (class) matter?
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First, people political opinions, values, and norms are
related to their class position
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Second, depending upon the class you were born into,
you have a greater or lesser chance of succeeding in life.
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This is a problem, because US society highly values equality and
the “pursuit of happiness”.
For many years, America was seen as a place where there was
high social mobility
Currently in US, there is still upward mobility, but because the
middle class is shrinking, there is a lot of downward mobility