SOCIAL STRATIFICATION: CHARACTERISTICS, TYPES AND DIMENSIONS - HISTORY - 2024

The social stratification is a horizontal division of society into higher and lower social units, ie, it refers to the provisions of any social group or society as a hierarchy of positions that are unequal in power, property assessment social and social gratification.

Likewise, it is the division into permanent groups or categories linked to each other by the relationship of superiority and subordination, which is manifested even in the most primitive societies, because it is believed that the real equality of the members is a myth never realized in the history of mankind.

Social stratification is a phenomenon present in all societies. Members classify themselves and others based on hierarchies that are determined by various factors.

There are various systems of social stratification. In societies that have closed systems, inequalities are institutionalized, and they are more marked and rigid; whereas in open stratification systems, social mobility is possible, although some members of the population do not have the opportunity to develop their full potential.

Most modern industrial societies have class or open stratification systems. The existence of this phenomenon has triggered for centuries a problem of social inequality, since it is marked by differences evaluated as inferior and superior.

Principles of social stratification

According to Bernard Barber, social stratification in its most general sense is a sociological concept that refers to the fact that both individuals and groups of individuals are conceived as constitutive to a greater or lesser degree, differentiated into strata or classes in terms of some specific or generalized characteristic or in a set of characteristics.

Its meaning is based on the division of society in relation to the different strata or layers. It is a hierarchy of social groups. The members of a particular layer have a common identity, they have a similar lifestyle.

Social stratification is based on four fundamental principles:

1. It is a feature of society, and not simply a reflection of individual differences.
2. It persists for generations.
3. It is universal (occurring everywhere) but variable (taking different forms in different societies).
4. It implies not only believing in inequality, but also that it has its roots in the philosophy of a society.

characteristics

It's universal

The authors claim that there is no society in this world that is free from stratification, whatever the type. Societies in this sense are suggested to be primitive. According to Sorokin "all permanently organized groups are stratified."

Is social

It is true that biological qualities do not determine one's own superiority and inferiority. Factors such as age, sex, intelligence, as well as stamina, often contribute as the basis on which cultures are distinguished from others.

But education, property, power, and experience are among the most important qualities.

It's old

The stratification system is very old, it was present even in the small areas of captivity. In almost all ancient civilizations, the differences between rich and poor, humble and powerful existed. Even during the period of Plato and Kautilya emphasis was placed on political, social and economic inequalities.

It is in various ways

They are not uniform in all societies, in the modern world class, caste and roots are the general forms of stratification, all societies, past or present, large or small, are characterized by having diverse forms of social stratification.

It is a lifestyle

A class system affects not only life opportunities but also lifestyle, although its members may have similar social possibilities, they vary according to the hierarchy to which they belong, influencing survival, physical and mental health, education and justice.

They include such matters as the residential areas in all the communities that have degrees of prestige, rank, mode of accommodation, means of recreation, type of dress, of books, television programs to which one is exposed and so on.

Types of social stratification in history

Breed

It is a hereditary social group in which the rank of a person and his rights and the procedural obligations that accompany him, are attributed on the basis of his birth in a particular group.

Class

It is based on the ruling class of modern society, in this sense, the position of a person largely depends on his achievements and his ability to use to advantage the innate characteristics and wealth that he may possess.

Domain

It is the root system of Medieval Europe, as it provided another stratification system that placed much emphasis on birth, as well as wealth and possessions.

Slavery

It had an economic foundation and during that time each slave had a master to whom he was subjected. The master's power over the slave was unlimited.

Status

It is based on state policy, on the amount of economic elements that it has in society, and based on that the amount of privileges or the treatment to which it must be subjected is determined.

Income

The distribution of income among individuals or families takes the form of a relatively small group at the top receiving large amounts and a small group at the bottom receiving what is called negative income.

Race

In some countries, race and ethnicity is taken into account.

Dimensions of social stratification

Prestige

It refers to the honor that respectful behavior implies. Radcliffe Brown says that among societies there are three groups where special prestige is generally granted: the elderly, people with supernatural powers, and those with special personal attributes, such as hunting ability, sports skills, among others.

preferences

They cover the positions, that is, the functions that are preferred by the majority of people who are evaluated as superior, for example, I would like to be a doctor, since this profession indicates a certain degree of hierarchy.

Popularity

They are the options that are chosen by society because they are common, easy and fashionable. It is not based on tastes and preferences or prestige, but on what is considered most fashionable at the time of choice.

Social aspect of stratification

The distribution of rewards is governed exclusively by social norms or conventions that may prevail in a society.

The term "social" implies the continuity of these norms affected mainly by socialization. The division of society into hierarchical groups of state is not simply a matter of a single generation; continues from generation to generation.

Stratification is dynamic in nature, mainly due to social forces, so it can be seen that socialization is not always perfect or uniform, and even more so, since the values ​​defended by society, the structure and nature do not remain the same with the time, due to the constant changes to which they are subjected.

Social stratification is closely related to other social institutions. It is affected, and at the same time, it has effects on matters such as marriage, religion, education, the economic structure and the political system.

Defenders of social stratification

Structural functionalists argue that social inequality plays a fundamental role in the emergence of cities and culture. Davis-Moore's thesis states that social stratification has beneficial consequences for the functioning of society.

Therefore, they argue that the most difficult jobs in any society are the most necessary and require the highest rewards and compensation in order to motivate individuals to fill them.

Finally, they affirm that any society can be equal, but only to the extent that people are willing to fulfill the jobs for which they are prepared, otherwise it would require that even those who do their work poorly are rewarded equally, which can lead to various criticisms.

critics

Tumin, Walter Buckley, Michael Young point out that stratification can actually hamper the efficient functioning of a social system, since it can prevent those with superior abilities from performing certain tasks that are conserved only for a privileged class.

Second, these authors believe that social stratification is deficient, since there is no agreement of a functionalist vision that some tasks are more important for a society than others, which makes order inefficient and prevents development. properly of a society.

On the other hand, Tumin questioned the opinion of the functions of social stratification to integrate a social system, arguing that differential rewards can foster hostility and mistrust between the various sectors of the same.

Furthermore, some sociologists question the implicit assumption that actual reward differences reflect differences in the skills required for particular occupations.

Finally, they have rejected the view that the function of unequal rewards is to motivate talented people and assign them to more important positions, since they suggest that on the contrary, it acts as a barrier to the motivation and recruitment of these.

References

1. Kerbo, HR (2009). Social stratification and inequality.
2. American class structure (Gilbert, 2002)
3. The American class structure in an age of growing inequality (6th ed.). Belmont.
4. The social life of a modern community. Editorial New Haven.