SA 21- Introduction to Sociology and Anthropology Lecture Notes 9- Social Stratification, Class and Social Structure I.

SOCIAL STRATIFICATION is defined as a system by which a society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy. There are four fundamental principles of stratification: A. Social stratification is a characteristic of society, not simply a function of individual differences. B. Social stratification persists over generations. 1. However, most societies allow some social mobility or changes in peoples position in a system of social stratification. a. Social mobility may be upward, downward, or horizontal. C. Social stratification is universal but variable. D. Social stratification involves not just inequality but also beliefs. II. CASTE AND CLASS SYSTEMS. A. A caste system amounts to social stratification based on ascription. 1. Illustrations: India and South Africa. 2. Race as Caste: A Report from South Africa. Under the apartheid system, South African blacks were treated as a subordinate caste. 3. Caste systems shape peoples lives in four crucial ways: a. Caste largely determines occupation. b. Caste systems generally mandate endogamy. c. Powerful cultural beliefs underlie caste systems. d. Caste systems limit outgroup social contacts.

4. Caste systems are typical of agrarian societies because the lifelong routines of agriculture depend on a rigid sense of duty and discipline. B. In a class system, social stratification is based on individual achievement. 1. In class systems, status consistency, the degree of consistency of a persons social standing across various dimensions of social inequality, is lower than in caste systems. C. Caste and class together: The United Kingdom. 1. The estate system. During the feudal era, British society was divided into three estates: a. The first estate were the hereditary nobility. b. The second estate were the clergy. c. The third estate were the common people. 2. The United Kingdom today is a class society, but it retains important elements of its former caste system. D. Another example: Japan. 1. Feudal Japan was divided into several castes as well: a. Nobility. b. Samurai or warriors. c. Commoners. d. The burakumin or outcasts. 2. Japan today. E. The former Soviet Union. 1. Although the former Soviet Union claimed to be classless, in reality important inequalities endured. 2. The second Soviet Revolution.

3. Social mobility is relatively common in the Soviet Union, especially structural social mobility, a shift in the social position of large numbers of people due more to changes in society itself than to individual efforts. F. Stratification persists because it is backed up by an ideology, cultural beliefs that directly or indirectly justify social stratification. 1. Plato and Marx on ideology. 2. Historical patterns of ideology. 3. Is Getting Rich "The Survival of the Fittest"? III. THE FUNCTIONS OF SOCIAL STRATIFICATION. A. The Davis-Moore thesis is the assertion that social stratification is a universal pattern because it has beneficial consequences for the operation of a society. B. This thesis implies that societies become more productive as they approach meritocracy, a system of social stratification based on personal merit. C. These criticisms have been raised regarding Davis-Moore: 1. It is difficult to specify the functional importance of a given occupation; some are clearly over- or under-rewarded. a. Big Bucks: Are the Rich Worth What They Earn? 2. Davis-Moore ignores how social stratification can prevent the development of individual talents. 3. The theory also ignores how social inequality may promote conflict and revolution. IV. STRATIFICATION AND CONFLICT. A. Karl Marx: class and conflict. 1. Marx saw classes as defined by peoples relationship to the means of production.

a. Capitalists (or the bourgeoisie) are people who own factories and other productive businesses. b. The proletariat are people who sell their productive labor to the capitalists. 2. Critical evaluation. a. Marxs theory has been enormously influential. b. His work has been criticized for failing to recognize that a system of unequal rewards may be necessary to motivate people to perform their social roles effectively. B. These reasons are suggested for the failure of Western capitalism to experience a Marxist revolution: 1. The capitalist class has fragmented and grown in size, giving more people a stake in the system. 2. A higher standard of living has emerged. a. Blue-collar occupations, lower-prestige work involving mostly manual labor, have declined. b. White-collar occupations, higherprestige work involving mostly mental activity, have expanded. 3. Workers are better organized than they were in Marxs day, and their unions have been able to fight for reform. 4. The government has extended various legal protections to workers. 5. Supporters of Marxist thought respond: a. Wealth remains highly concentrated. b. White-collar jobs offer no more income, security or satisfaction than blue-collar jobs did a century ago. c. Class conflict continues between workers and management.

d. The laws still favor the rich. C. Max Weber identified three distinct dimensions of stratification: class, status and power. 1. Following Weber, many sociologists use the term socioeconomic status, a composite ranking based on various dimensions of social inequality. 2. Inequality in history: Webers view. 3. Critical evaluation. Webers views have been widely accepted in the United States although increasing income inequality may lead to a renewed emphasis on the importance of economic classes. V. STRATIFICATION AND TECHNOLOGY IN GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE. A. Structured inequality is minimal in hunting and gathering cultures. B. A small elite controls most of the resources in horticultural, agrarian, and pastoral societies. C. Industrialization initially increases inequality, but over time social inequality declines somewhat. D. This historical progression is illustrated by the Kuznets Curve. E. Income Disparity in Global Perspective VI. SOCIAL STRATIFICATION: Philippine data