Understanding Social Stratification: Class, Inequality, and Mobility
Social Stratification
Social stratification describes the disparities that exist between individuals and groups within societies. Human societies are composed of “layers” in which the most favored are ranked at the top and the less privileged at the bottom.
Historically (Types of Stratification)
- Slavery: An extreme form of inequality in which an individual is the property of another.
- Caste: Associated with Indian cultures and the concept of reincarnation in Hinduism.
- Estates or States: European feudalism. The feudal states consisted of a series of layers with different obligations and reciprocal rights. In Europe: 1st – the aristocracy and nobility, 2nd – the clergy, and 3rd – commoners.
Class
Class refers to a large-scale grouping of people who share certain economic resources, which significantly influence their lifestyle.
Differences with Other Forms of Stratification:
- Classes are not established through legislation or religion, and membership is not based on inherited position or custom.
- An individual’s class is acquired.
- Classes are based on economic differences between individuals and groups, reflecting inequalities in the possession and control of material resources.
- In class systems, inequalities are expressed through large-scale, impersonal connections.
Theories of Stratification
The most important theories of stratification were developed by Marx and Weber. The main element in Marx’s class theory is that class is an objective feature of the economic structure of society. He sees a fundamental split between capital owners and workers who do not possess capital. Weber has a similar view but indicated two additional areas of stratification: status and party. Status refers to the estimated “reputation” granted to individuals or groups, while party relates to the active mobilization of communities to achieve a specific purpose.
Class Action: Operationalizing
Operationalizing transforms an abstract concept (class) into a computable variable for study. Sociologists have operationalized class by creating a map of the class structure and deriving an occupational structure.
Social Class Divisions in Western Societies
The Upper Class
The upper class consists of a small minority who possess wealth and power and have the ability to transmit their privileges to the next generation. The wealthy are a diverse and evolving group.
The Middle Class
The middle class consists of those with white-collar jobs. The middle class now encompasses almost the entire population, largely due to the development of professional, managerial, and administrative occupations. They often have educational credentials or technical qualifications that allow them to sell their labor, both mentally and physically, for a living.
The Working Class
The working class is made up of blue-collar or manual workers, but it has declined during the twentieth century due to the decline of manufacturing jobs. They are more prosperous than they were a century ago.
Cultural Factors
Cultural factors, such as lifestyle and consumption patterns, have a major influence on class position. Individual identities are now structured more around lifestyle choices than traditional indicators such as occupation or class.
Gender and Class
Class analysis has historically been performed from a male point of view. In contemporary societies, gender stratification influences class, regardless of an individual’s class.
Social Mobility
An individual’s class situation is at least partly learned and is not “given” at birth. Social mobility, both upward and downward, is common.
In studying social mobility, a distinction is made between intragenerational and intergenerational mobility. The former relates to movement up or down the social ladder during an individual’s working life. The latter corresponds to displacement between generations. Social mobility is limited in scope. Most people remain close to the level of their family of origin, though there is some upward mobility in a very short range in the 21st century.
Conclusion
In contemporary societies, class-based divisions still occupy a central place in economic inequalities. Globalization and deregulation of economic markets are increasing the gap between rich and poor and accentuating class inequalities. However, our activities are never completely determined by class divisions.