Stratification
What is social stratification?
What are the different types of stratification?
What is the Functionalist theory on stratification?
Learning objective:
All to be able to define the term stratification.
All will be able to describe four different types
of stratification.
Starter
Work in pairs.
 For each person on the following slide
decide:
1. Which of the individuals are likely to
have power, wealth and prestige?
2. Why?
3. How could this impact their life
chances?
 You have 5 min.

1
Gender: male
Social class: middleclass
Ethnicity: Ghanaian
Age: 24
2 Gender: female
Social class: upper
middle-class
Ethnicity: Scottish
Age: 48
3
Gender: female
Social class: under-class
Ethnicity: Irish
Age: 54
4
Gender: female
Social class: middle-class
Ethnicity: mixed heritage
Age: 17
5
Gender: female
Social class: retired (has some
wealth)
Ethnicity: Chinese
Age: 98
6
Gender: male
Social class: working-class
Ethnicity: Pakistani
Age: 12
Life chances
LO – Define Social Stratification and Life
chances (C)

Life chances refer to opportunities, advantages or
disadvantages people may have which can affect
how well they succeed in relation to their
education, health, employment, income and
housing.

Life chances are not distributed equally because
factors such as class, gender, age and ethnicity
affect a person’s life chances.
What would the Marxist and New Right
say about life chances? LO – (A)
Stratification
If we think about people in terms of their
wealth, power and prestige we are
stratifying them – ranking them in order
from the most to least powerful, rich and
respected.
 Stratification is not equal for all, it
depends on factors such as wealth,
income, gender, age, ethnicity, etc.

Stratification



o
o
o
o
Stratification refers to the division of individuals
and groups in society into hierarchically ordered
layers.
A social hierarchy is shaped like a pyramid with
the most privileged minority at the top, and the
least privileged majority at the bottom.
A person’s place in the hierarchy is determined by
their:
Wealth
Income
Have some
wealth, power
Status
and prestige
Power
Wealthy,
powerful
and
prestigious
Poor, powerless,
with
no prestige.
Social Stratification

Describes the way society is structured in
a hierarchy of layers that are unequally
ranked one above another.

It is shaped like a pyramid and each layer
is smaller but has more power, income
and status than the one below it.

Social stratification can influence your life
chances.
LO – Define Social Stratification and Life
chances (C)
Task 1

Match the key concept with its definition.

Some of the concepts you should be able to
remember from Yr10, others will be new to
you, but you should be able to work them
out using logic.

You have 10 minutes.

Glue the worksheet into your book.
Ascribed status
This means that a person’s status and position in society are decided at
birth.
Social mobility
This refers to the division of a society into hierarchical layers with the
richest and most powerful at the top.
Wealth
This is the movement of individuals from one layer in the social
stratification system to another layer.
Stratification
This means that a person can achieve their social position and status
through effort.
Achieved status
This refers to the ownership of assets such as property, land and works of
art as well as money in savings accounts.
Power
This is the honour and respect a person gets from other members of
society based on their social position.
Status
This can be received in cash, e.g. wages, or in kind, e.g. use of a company
car.
Open system
This is a type of stratification system within which social mobility is not
possible.
Prestige
This relates to the ability of an individual or a group to get what they
want.
Closed system
This is a type of stratification system within which social mobility is
possible.
Income
This refers to social standing or position that an individual holds.
Task 2
Types of stratification
Work in pairs.
Use the textbook, pages 280 – 281, and the
hand-out complete the worksheet:
 Caste system
 Apartheid
 Feudalism
 Social class system
 You have 20 minutes
 Be prepared to share your findings with the
class.



The caste
system
Describe the
system.
What is the
system based
on?
Is a person’s
social position
ascribed or
achieved? Why?
Is the system
open or closed?
Why?
Is social
mobility
possible? Why?
Apartheid
Feudalism
The class
system
Exists in India. People
are stratified into 5
castes.
Existed in South Africa,
1948-94. people are
stratified based on
their ethnicity.
Existed in Medieval
Europe. Levels of
stratification were
called estates.
Exists in modern
industrialised
countries.
Hindu belief in
reincarnation.
Birth.
Occupation.
Ethnicity and racial
segregation.
Ownership of land.
Social class, which
is based on
economic factors
such as occupation
and income.
Ascribed because a
person is born into the
stratification layer and
stays there for the rest
of the life, e.g. The
untouchables.
Ascribed, black people
were denied
citizenship rights based
on their skin colour.
Ascribed, as
membership of estates
was determined at
birth and those in
higher estates had
greater legal rights.
Achieved as a
person’s class
depends on their
level of education
and effort.
Closed as people can’t
move from layer to the
next.
Closed as people can’t
move from layer to the
next.
Closed as people can’t
move from layer to the
next.
Open as people
can move from
one class to
another.
No, as people can’t
move from layer to the
next.
No, as people can’t
chance their skin
colour so they can’t
move from the layer
they are born into.
No, as people can’t
move from one estate
to the next.
Yes, as people can
move from one
class to another.
Task 3

Functionalist theory on stratification
Work in pairs.
 Read page 284 in the textbook.
 Fill in the missing words on the
worksheet and glue it into your book.
 You have 10 minutes.

Functionalist theory on stratification





Functionalist theory argues that some positions are more important than others
because they are vital for the continuation of society. However, not everyone in
society has the talent or the ability to perform these more important roles.
The people who do hold the more important positions in society need to be highly
skilled and qualified in order to perform their roles well. Therefore, they are the most
talented and able people in society. Moreover, it takes a long time to gain such
qualifications and experience so these people make huge sacrifices, for example,
studying hard to pass the exams.
The most talented and able people will only be persuaded to make such sacrifices in
they know they will be rewarded later on. Therefore, the more important positions
have to be desirable, e.g. through high status, income, etc.
Therefore, a system of inequality is necessary in society in order to make the most
talented people work hard to earn the high rewards that come with performing the
most important roles. If everyone was rewarded the same, there would be no need to
work hard. Therefore, the system may be unequal, but it is fair.
To sum up, Functionalists see our society as unequal, but this is necessary. They also
see it as fair as it is open and social mobility is possible through natural ability and
hard work.
Review

Quick fire round questions
Each of you must answer a question.
 If you don’t know the answer, you can
phone a friend.

Review
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
What is meant by stratification?
What is the difference between power and
prestige?
What is meant by an ascribed status?
What is meant by a closed system?
What was the stratification system that used to
operate in South Africa called?
What is meant by an open system?
What was the stratification system of medieval
Europe called?
What is meant by an achieved status?
What is meant by ‘meritocratic’?
According to Functionalists, why is inequality
necessary in society?
Review continued...
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
Was the caste system an open or closed system?
What is the class system based on?
According to Functionalists, who should get the
most rewards in life and why?
What is meant by wealth?
What is social mobility?
What is meant by downward social mobility?
What is power?
What stratification system operates in the UK
today?
How can someone become downwardly socially
mobile?
What is meant by upward social mobility?
Review continued...
According to Functionalists, is the class
system fair and why?
22. What was the apartheid system based
on?
23. What is meant by the term income?
24. How can someone become upwardly
socially mobile?
21.