stratification ppt 36

7/25/2019 Stratification PPT 36

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Social Stratification

What is Social Stratification?

Caste and Class SystemsStratification

Marx

Weber

Stratification and Technology: A Global

Perspective


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What is Social Stratification?

or tens of tho!sands of years" h!mans lived in

small h!nting and gathering societies# These

bands of people sho$ little signs of ine%!ality# Associeties became more complex" ma&or changes

came abo!t" these changes elevated certain

categories of the pop!lation by giving them more

po$er" money" and prestige# Social Stratification-a system by $hich a society

ran's categories of people in a hierarchy#


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(# Social stratification is a trait of society" not

simply a reflection of individ!al differences#

Children born into $ealthy families are moreli'ely than children born in poverty to experience

good healthy" achieve academically" s!cceed in

life)s $or' and live a long life#

*# Social stratification persists over generations#

To see stratification as a trait of society rather than

one of individ!als" $e need to only loo' at ho$

ine%!ality persists along generations# +n allsocieties" parents pass their social position on to

their children#

Social Mobility-change in one)s position in the

social hierarchy#


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,# Social stratification is !niversal b!t variable#

+n some societies" ine%!ality is mostly a matter of

prestige- in others" $ealth or po$er is the 'ey

dimension of difference# More importantly some

societies display more ine%!ality than others# .# Social stratification involves not &!st ine%!ality

b!t beliefs#

Any system of ine%!ality gives some people more

than others and the society also defines the

arrangements as fair#


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Caste and Class Systems

A Caste System-is a social system based on

ascription" or birth#

A p!re caste system is closed beca!se birth alonedetermines one)s destiny" $ith little or no

opport!nity for social mobility based on effort#


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First,traditional caste gro!ps have specific

occ!pations" so generations of a family perform

the same type of $or'# Second" maintaining a rigid social hierarchy

depends on people marrying $ithin their o$n

categories- /mixed0 marriages $o!ld bl!r the

ran'ing of children#

Endogamy-marriage bet$een people of the same

social category#

Third" caste norms g!ide people to stay in thecompany of /their o$n 'ind#0

Fourth" caste systems rest on po$erf!l c!lt!ral

beliefs#


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Caste systems exist in agrarian societiesbeca!se

life long ro!tines of agric!lt!re depend on a rigid

sense of d!ty and discipline#


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The Class System Class System-social stratification based on both

birth and individ!al achievement# The class system categori1es people according to

their color" sex" or social bac'gro!nd comes to be

seen as $rong in ind!strial and post2ind!strial

societies" and all people gain political rights andro!ghly e%!al standing before the la$#

Meritocracy-social stratification based on

personal merit# People in ind!strial societies develop a broad

range of capabilities" stratification is based on

/merit"0 $hich is the &ob one does and ho$ $ell

one does it#


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Why do ind!strial and postind!strial societies

'eep caste2li'e %!alities?

3eca!se a p!re meritocracy diminishes theimportance of families and other social gro!pings#

4conomic performance is not everything after all#

Wo!ld $e $ant to eval!ate o!r family members

solely on their &obs? Probably not# Therefore"class systems in high2income nations move to$ard

meritocracy to promote prod!ctivity and

efficiency b!t retain caste elements to maintain

order and social cohesion#

Status consistency-the degree of consistency in a

person)s social standing across vario!s dimensions

of social ine%!ality#


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The Functions of Social Stratification

The structural-functional paradigm-social

ine%!ality plays a vital part in the operation of

society# Dais-Moore thesis-Social stratification has

beneficial conse%!ences of the operation of a

society#


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According to the 5avis2Moore thesis" the greater

the f!nctional importance of a position" the morere$ards a society attaches to it# This strategy

promotes prod!ctivity and efficiency beca!se

re$arding important $or' $ith income" prestige"

po$er" and leis!re enco!rages people to do these&obs and to $or' better longer and harder#

6ne%!al re$ardsbenefit some individ!als" then"

and a system of !ne%!al re$ardsbenefits societyas a $hole#


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Stratification and Conflict

Social2Conflict analysis arg!es that rather thanbenefiting society as a $hole" social stratificationprovides some people $ith advantages over others#This analysis dra$s heavily on the ideas of 7arlMarx" $ith contrib!tions from Max Weber#

Marx defined classes in terms of their relationship tothe means of prod!ction#

Capitalistclasso$ns the means of prod!ction#

Workingclasssells their labor for $ages


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Marxexplained that thro!gh the family"opport!nity and $ealth are passed do$n from

generation to generation# Moreover" the legal systemdefends privateproperty and inheritance# inally" elite childrenmix at excl!sive schools" forging social ties that$ill benefit them thro!gho!t their lives#

Capitalist society reprod!ces the class str!ct!reineach ne$ generation#

Marx sa$ great ine%!alityin $ealth and po$erarising from capitalism" $hich" he arg!ed" made

class conflictinevitable# +n time" he believed"oppressionand misery$o!ld drive the $or'ingma&ority to organi1e and !ltimately overthro$capitalism#


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Why !o Mar"ist #eolution? (# The fragmentation of the capitalist class#

5ay2to2day operations of large corporations are no$ in thehands of a managerial class" $hose members may or may

not be ma&or stoc'holders#

*# A higher standard of living#

A cent!ry ago most $or'ers $ere in factories or on farmsperforming bl!e2collar occ!pations" lo$er2prestige $or'

that involves mostly man!al labor#

Today" most $or'ers hold $hite2collar occ!pations"

higher2prestige $or' that involves mostly mental activity#

Most of today)s $hite2collar $or'ers do not thin' of

themselves as an /ind!strial proletariat#0


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,# More $or'er organi1ations#

Wor'ers today have organi1ational clo!t that theylac'ed a cent!ry ago# Wor'er management

disp!tes are settled $itho!t threatening the

capitalist system#

.# More extensive legal protections#

5!ring the t$entieth cent!ry" the government

passed la$s to ma'e the $or'place safer and

developed programs s!ch as !nemploymentins!rance" disability protection and Social

Sec!rity#


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Ma" Weber$ Class% Status% and &o'er

Weber sa$ Marx)s t$o2class model simplistic#

+nstead" he tho!ght social stratification involves

three distinct dimensions of ine%!ality#

The first dimension is economic ine%!ality222the

iss!e so vital to Marx8$hich Weber called class

position# Weber did not thin' of /classes0 as

cr!de categories b!t as a contin!!m ranging fromhigh to lo$# Weber)s seconddimension of social

stratification is stat!s" or social prestige" and the

third ispo$er#


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Class 5istinction and Property

The term classrefers to any gro!p of peoplethat is

fo!nd in the same class sit!ation#

A pl!rality of people meets competitively in

mar'etplacespecific life chances

The $ealthy$ho o$n property $ill have more life

chances-

Property vs lac' of property

basic categories ofall class sit!ations-

The factor that creates classis !nambig!o!sly

economic interests9T!min" (;


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4conomic>rder

The $ayin $hich economic goods and

services are distrib!ted and !sed-

4conomic order merely decides $hogets$hatreso!rces

Social and economic orders react to each

other


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Class Sit!ation

(#A n!mber of people have in common a specificca!sal component of their life chances-

*# This component is represented excl!sively byeconomic interestsin the possession of goods andopport!nities for income-

,# This component is represented !nder theconditions of commodity or labor mar'ets#

The 'ind of chance in the mar'etis decisivemoment for the individ!al)s fate# Class sit!ationis" in this sense" !ltimately /mar'et sit!ation0


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ife chances

(ife chances: >pport!nities to provide materialgoods" positive living conditions" and favorable

life experience-

Wealthis the monetary val!e of everythingone o$ns" min!s debt#

+t is calc!lated by adding all financial assets and

s!btracting all debts#

Incomeis the amo!nt of money bro!ght into a

ho!sehold from vario!s so!rces d!ring a given

period#


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Comm!nal Action

Comm!nal action refers to that action$hichis oriented to the feeling of the actorsthat

they belong together 9T!min" (;


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Stat!s @onor

Stat!s sit!ationrefers to every typical componentof the life fate of men that is determined by aspecific" positive or negative" social estimation ofhonor9T!min" (;


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Social @onor

>ften" %!est for po$er is conditioned by the socialhonor-

Bot all po$er" ho$ever" entails social honor- /Ba'ed0 economic po$er not necessarily basis of

social honor-Socialhonor orprestige may even be the basis of

political or economic po$er-

The $ay in $hich social honoris distrib!ted in acomm!nity bet$een typical gro!ps is called socialorder-


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4conomicConditions and Stat!s

Stratification

The mar'et 'no$s nothing of honor

Stat!s orderis threatened $hen na'ed

economic po$er9even $extra2stat!s stigma=

co!ld bring an individ!al !p the honor level

of high stat!s gro!p

When mar'et is stable" stratification by stat!s

is favored

Technological change and economic

transformation threatens stat!s stratification


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Social 5ifferentiation

The process by $hich different stat!ses

develop in any gro!p" organi1ation" or

society#

+n a sports organi1ation" players" o$ners" managers"

fans" cheerleaders" and sponsors all have a different

stat!s $ithin the organi1ation#


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Social 5ifferentiation

+n a sports organi1ation: >$nerscontrol the reso!rces of the teams#

Playersearn high salaries" yet do not controlthe team reso!rces#

Sponsorsprovide the reso!rces#

ansprovide reven!e#


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Parties

Classesbelong in the economic sphere

Stat!s gro!psbelong in the social order sphere

9distrib!tion of honor=

Partiesbelong in the sphere of po$er

Str!ggle for ac%!isition of social control

Al$ays involves association

Sociological str!ct!re of parties differs according To $hether comm!nity is stratified by stat!s or class

To the str!ct!re of domination


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Weber)s vie$ of social stratification in ind!strialsocieties as a m!ltidimensional ran'ing rather than

a hierarchy of clearly defined classes#

Socioeconomic stat!s 9S4S=2a composite ran'ingbased on vario!s dimensions of social ine%!ality#

Social stratification according to Weber is variable

and complex#


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)ne*ualities in +istory$

Weber points o!t that each of his three dimensions

of social ine%!ality stands o!t at different points in

the evol!tion of h!man societies# Agrariansocieties emphasi1e stat!s or social prestige"

typically in the form of honor#


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+unting and ,athering Societies

With simple technology" h!nters and gathers

prod!ce only $hat is necessary for day2to2day

living# Some people may prod!ce more thanothers" b!t the gro!p)s s!rvival depends on all

sharing $hat they have# Th!s" no categories of

people emerge as better off than others#


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+orticultural% &astoral% and Agrarian

Societies

As technology advances create a s!rpl!s" social

ine%!ality increases# +n hortic!lt!ral and pastoral

societies" a small elite controls most of the s!rpl!s#arge2scale agric!lt!re is more prod!ctive still"

and mar'ed ine%!ality8as great as any time in

h!man history8means that vario!s categories of

people lead stri'ingly different lives# Agrariannobility typically exercises godli'e po$er over the

masses#


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)ndustrial Societies

+nd!striali1ation t!rns the tide" lessening

ine%!ality# Prompted by the need to develop

individ!al talents" meritocracy ta'es hold and

erodes the po$er of traditional elites# The speciali1ed $or' performed in ind!strial

societies demands schooling for all" sharply

red!cing illiteracy# A literate pop!lation" in t!rn"

presses for a greater voice in political decision

ma'ing" f!rther diminishing social ine%!ality and

lessening men)s domination over $omen#


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Meritocracy

A concept that refers to social stratification

based onpersonal merit

+ncl!des 'no$ledge" abilities" and effort

Why do modern" ind!strial societies 'eep some

elements of caste D s!ch as letting $ealth pass

from generation to generation D rather than

becoming complete meritocracies?


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Stratification and +nteraction

Micro2level analysis of social stratification

Social standing affects everyday interaction

People $ith different social standing 'eep theirdistance from one another

Conspicuous consumption

Buying and using products with an eye to the

statement they make about social position


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Occupational Prestige

Generates incomeand is an important so!rce of

prestige

@igh prestige given to occ!pationsthat re%!ireextensive training and generate high income

ess prestigio!s $or' pays less and re%!ires

less ability and schooling


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+deology: the Po$er 3ehind

Stratification Ideology

Cultural beliefs that justify particular social

arrangements, including patterns of inequality 4very c!lt!re considers some type of

ine%!ality fair

+deology changes $ith a society)s economyand technology

stratification ppt 36

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