Social
Inequality &
Change
Social Stratification
STRATIFICATION
 Separation of society into:




GROUPS…not individuals
Societies are stratified based on:




Categories
Ranks
Classes
Socioeconomic status
Gender
Race
Stratification results in inequality

Resources, opportunities, and privileges distributed based
on social hierarchy
Open System
 Movement
between classes
(strata) is possible
 Three

Horizontal



Movement within a class
No major change to wealth,
power, or prestige
Vertical



types of social mobility
Movement between classes
Change in wealth, power, or
prestige
Intergenerational mobility
Stratification
Systems
Closed System
 Assigned
a status
and remain
throughout life

Ascribed
 Caste

system
People inherit their
position in society
Stratification Systems cont’d
CASTE SYSTEM
 Closed stratification
system

Position is inherited
 Stratified



by:
Race or ethnicity
Religious status
Economic status
 Involves:



Endogamy
Hereditary transmission of
occupation
Social identity
India’s Caste System
Caste
Occupation
Brahman Priests and scholars
Kshatriya
Nobles and warriors
Vaishva
Merchants and skilled artisans
Shudra
Common laborers
Stratification Systems cont’d
Class System
 Distribution
of resources and rewards is based on
achieved status

Talent, effort, opportunity, exogamy
 Allows

for social mobility
Movement up or down the social ladder

Can be difficult at times
What determines social class?
Karl Marx

Class is based on the
ownership of the factors
of production


Class is based on three
factors:


Owners in a capitalist
society
Reap all profits
Wealth (property)

Bourgeoisie


Max Weber


Power

Proletariat

Sell labor for wages

Emphasis on recognition
of situation
Ability to control behavior of
others with or without their
consent
Prestige


All assets
Value of all things owned and
income
Respect, honor, recognition, or
courtesy from others


Based on views of others
Can be based on many
characteristics
Does inequality help societies
survive?
 Functionalists
believe the stratification of society is
inevitable because:


Society must make certain that
its positions are filled
Some positions are more
important than others


Some positions require greater
responsibility
More important positions must
be filled by the most qualified

To motivate the more
qualified people,
society must offer them
greater rewards

Incentives: Higher
salary, company car,
stock options, country
club membership,
private jet, etc.
Problems with Functional View:
 How
do you measure the importance of one job
versus another?
 The

positions filled may not be merit based
Some get ahead with hard work and ability; others
inherit wealth
 Social

stratification does not benefit everyone
Some never have opportunities to advance their
talents
 Is
it then dysfunctional?
Is conflict the basis of social
stratification?
 In
every society groups struggle for control of
limited resources
 The
group that gains control attempts to hold onto
control


Human nature is self-centered
Use of social institutions to maintain control
 Conflict
power
theorists argue that society is stratified by
How is social class determined?
 Reputational


Community members rank each other
Appropriate for use in small communities
 Subjective

place themselves in the middle class
 Objective

method
Individuals determine their own social rank
 Many

method
method
Includes 3 factors: income, occupation, education
Least biased method
Living in Poverty

Poverty


Standard of living below the minimum
level considered adequate by society
Poverty level – minimum income


Persons in
Poverty guideline
family/household
Income levels below this level are
considered poor
Effects of poverty:

Life chances


Opportunities to share in benefits of
society
$11,490
2
15,510
3
19,530
4
23,550
5
27,570
6
31,590
7
35,610
8
39,630
For families/households with more
than 8 persons, add $4,020 for each
additional person.
Source: U.S. Department of Health & Human
Services (2013)
Life expectancy
Inadequate nutrition and less access to
medical care
 Largely impacts young children

1
MONOPOLY IN A STRATIFIED SOCIETY
RESULTS:
CLASS
LEVEL
INHERITANCE
GROSS
WORTH
(Class
Average)
UPPER
$2,500
$3,447
25% (2 out of 8)
0% (0 out of 8)
MIDDLE
$1,500
$2,096
25% (3 out of 12)
17% (2 out of 12)
WORKING
$1,000
$1,075
42% (5 out of 12)
25% (3 out of 12)
LOWER
$500
$538
13% (1 out of 8)
$2,000 +
$1,250 – $1,999
$750 – $1,249
< $749
% ACHIEVING
POSITIVE
VERTICAL
MOBILITY
% EXPERIENCING
NEGATIVE
VERTICAL
MOBILITY
$4,000+ The Super Rich
25% (2 out of 8)
< $250 – Extreme Poverty
American Class
System


Middle Class (75% of population)


Upper Class


Makes up 1 to 5% of
population
1% - $250,000 or more per
year
 5% - $150,000 or more per
year






“Old money” vs. “New
Money”
15% of population



Living below $23,050 (family
of four)
Working poor and the
underclass

Temporary or seasonal jobs

Well-educated (postsecondary degrees)
High-paying white collar
positions
$100,000 or more per year
Lower middle class

Lower Class

Upper middle class
College education
Lower-level, white collar
workers
Between $32,500 and 60,000
per year
Working class




Blue-collar class
Some education
Hourly pay
Salaries range between
$23,050 to 32,500 per year
Global Stratification
Global
Stratification
Colonialism

Nations 1st to
industrialize took
advantage
 Began
Europe
with 18th century

Led to exploitation of
labor and natural
resources

More recently
 Use
of “economic
imperialism”
Global
Stratification
cont’d
 World



Four Groups:

Developed capitalism first
 Britain, France


Resulted in a capitalist
world economy –
dominated by the most
industrialized nations
Semi-periphery

System Theory
Expansion of economic
and political
connections between
nations – since the
1500s
Core nations
Grew dependent on trade
with core nations



Economies experienced less
growth
Mediterranean nations
Periphery
Limited to selling cash crops
to core nations
 Eastern European nations


External area
Few economic connections
with core nations (left out)
 Many African nations

Global Stratification cont’d
 Dependency


Least Industrialized
Nations grew dependent
on Most industrialized
Result of production
transformation
 Brazil

Theory
– coffee plantations
Least industrialized
countries did not
develop independent
economy
 Culture

of Poverty
Least industrialized
nations held back by
their own culture
 Way
of life perpetuates
poverty
 Stick to traditional ways

Experimentation to risky

New farming or
manufacturing
techniques