Social Stratification
Roderick Graham
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Defined as:
A system by which a society ranks and categories
of people in a hierarchy
Four Basic Principles
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Social stratification is a trait of society, not simply a reflection of
individual differences
Social stratification carries over from generation to generation
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Social Mobility
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A change in position within the social hierarchy
Social stratification is universal but variable
Social stratification involves not just inequality but beliefs as well
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Sociologists distinguish between
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Closed Systems – Caste Systems
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Allow little change in social position
Open Systems – Class Systems
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Permit much more social mobility
The Caste System
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Social stratification based on ascription, or birth
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Little or no social mobility
AN ILLUSTRATION: INDIA
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Four major casts or Varna
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Sanskrit, Brahmin, Kshatriya,Vaishya, Sudra
Caste position determines life from birth
Caste guides everyday life by keeping people in the company of
their “own kind”
The Class System
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Social stratification based on both birth and individual
achievement
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Schooling and skills lead to social mobility
Work is no longer fixed at birth but involves some personal
choice
MERITOCRACY
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A concept that refers to social stratification based on personal
merit
Includes knowledge, abilities, and effort
Pure meritocracy has never existed
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STRUCTURAL SOCIAL MOBILITY
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A shift in the social position of large numbers of people due
more to changes in society than to individual efforts
Ideology: the Power Behind
Stratification
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Ideology
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Cultural beliefs that justify particular social arrangements, including
patterns of inequality
Our cultural belief in a meritocracy allows us to ignore
inequality between rich and poor
Meritocracy as Ideology
Meritocracy as Ideology
The Davis Moore Thesis - social stratification has
beneficial consequences for the operation of society
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The greater the functional importance of a position, the more
rewards a society attaches to it
Positions a society considers crucial must offer enough rewards to
draw talented people away from less important work
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Micro-level analysis of social stratification
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People’s social standing affects their everyday interaction
People with different social standing keep their distance from
one another
Conspicuous consumption
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Buying and using products with an eye to the “statement” they make
about social position
Inequality in the United States
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INCOME
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Earnings from work or investments
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The richest 20% received 48.1% of all income
Bottom 20% received only 4.0%
While a small number of people earn very high incomes, majority
make do with far less
WEALTH
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The total value of money and other assets, minus outstanding debts
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Wealth is distributed more unequally than income
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POWER
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In the US, wealth is an important source of power
Small proportion of families that control most of the wealth also
has the ability to shape the agenda of the entire society
Sociologists argue:
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Such concentrated wealth weakens democracy
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The political system serves the interests of the rich
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SCHOOLING
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Industrial societies have expanded opportunities for
schooling, but some receive much more than others
Affects occupation and income
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Most better-paying, white-collar jobs require a college degree and
other advanced study
Blue-collar jobs
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Require less schooling
Bring lower income and less prestige
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OCCUPATIONAL PRESTIGE
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Generates income and is an important source of prestige
High prestige given to occupations that require extensive
training and generate high income
Less prestigious work pays less and requires less ability and
schooling
In any society, high-prestige occupations go to privileged
categories
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Dominated by men
Lowest prestige jobs commonly performed by people of color
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ANCESTRY, RACE, AND GENDER
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Nothing affects social standing as much as birth into a particular family
(Ancestry)
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(Race) is linked closely to social position in the U.S.
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Has strong bearing on future schooling, occupation, and income
Social ranking also involves ethnicity
Both men and women are found in families at every social level (Gender)
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On average, women have less income, wealth, and occupational prestige than
men
Single parent families headed by women are three times more likely to be
poor than those headed by men
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Four general rankings
 Upper class
 Middle class
 Working class
 Lower class
The Upper Class
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Top 5% of the U.S. population
General rule:
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The more a family’s income comes from inherited wealth, the stronger
the family’s claim to being upper-class
Richest 374 people in the U.S.
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“Capitalists”
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The owners of the means of production and most of the nation’s wealth
Historically, composed of white Anglo-Saxon Protestants
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Less true today
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UPPER-UPPERS
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Less than 1% of U.S. population
Membership is by ascription (birth)
Possess enormous wealth primarily inherited
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Live in exclusive neighborhoods
Children typically attend private schools with similar others
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“Old Money”
Complete formal education at prestigious universities and colleges
Volunteer at charitable organizations
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Help community and build networks that broaden their power
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LOWER-UPPERS
Known as the “working rich”
Get money by earning it rather than inheritance
3 to 4% of U.S. population
Live in expensive neighborhoods
Vacation homes near water or in mountains
Children attend private schools and good colleges
Upper-Upper vs. Lower Upper
Upper-Upper
Lower-Upper
The Middle Class
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40 to 45% of U.S. population
Tremendous influence on U.S. culture
Commercial advertising directed at this group
Contains far more ethnic and racial diversity than upperclass
The Working Class
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1/3rd of population sometimes called lower-middle class
Forms the core of the industrial proletariat
Have little or no wealth
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Vulnerable to financial problems
Jobs provide little personal satisfaction
Half own their own homes
1/3rd of children go to college
The Lower Class
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Remaining 20% of U.S. population
Low income makes their lives insecure and difficult
37 million or 12.6% are classified as poor by federal
government
Hold low prestige jobs
½ complete high school; 1 in 4 reaches college
Society segregates lower class, especially if minorities
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HEALTH
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Children in poor families three times more likely to die during
first year of life
On average, rich live seven years longer
VALUES AND ATTITUDES
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“Old Rich” have strong sense of family history
Upper-uppers favor understated manners and tastes
Affluent people more tolerant of controversial behavior
Working-class grow up in an atmosphere of supervision and
discipline
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POLITICS
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Higher Classes:
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More liberal on social issues
Likely to vote and join political organizations because they are better
served by the system
Lower Classes
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Economic liberals
More conservative on social issues
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FAMILY AND GENDER
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Higher social standing
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Pass on a different “culture capital” to children
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Teach individuality and imagination
More egalitarian – sharing more activities and expressing greater
intimacy
Friendships likely to share interests and leisure pursuits
Lower class families
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Families larger than middle class
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Earlier marriage and less use of birth control
Encourage children to conform to conventional norms and respect
authority
Divide responsibilities according to gender roles
Serve as sources of material assistance
Four general conclusions–Social Mobility
1.
Social mobility over the course of the past century has been
fairly high.
2.
The long-term trend in social mobility has been upward.
3.
Within a single generation, social mobility is usually small.
4.
Social mobility since the 1970s have been uneven.
Mobility: Race, Ethnicity, and Gender
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Whites always in a more privileged position
1980s and 1990s
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Latinos
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More African Americans became wealthy
Overall income, however, has not changed in three decades
Average income in 2005, 64% that of whites
Women have less chances because of the type of jobs they
hold
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Earnings gap between men and women is narrowing
Mobility and Marriage
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Marriage has an important effect on social standing
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Married people accumulate about twice as much wealth compared
to single and divorce
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Compared to singles, married men and women work harder
and save more
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Divorce makes social standing go down
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Divorced couples support two households
Men earn more than women
Divorced women lose income and benefits
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Relative Poverty
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The deprivation of some people in relation to those who have
more
12.6% or 37 million of U.S. population – are classified as poor
Absolute Poverty
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A deprivation of resources that is life-threatening
Who Are The Poor?
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AGE
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Burden of poverty falls most heavily on children
35% of the U.S. poor are children
RACE AND ETHNICITY
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2/3rds of all poor are white
25% are African American
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Three times likely as whites to be poor
High rates of child poverty among people of color
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34.5% African American children
28.3% Hispanic children
10.0% White children
Explaining Poverty
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Two opposing explanations
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One View: Blame the Poor
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The poor are primarily responsible for their own poverty
Culture of Poverty
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A lower-class subculture that can destroy people’s ambition t improve their lives
Another View: Blame Society
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Society is primarily responsible for poverty
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Primary cause is loss of jobs in inner cities
Government should fund jobs and provide affordable child care for
low-income mothers and fathers