Social Stratification Analysis

Briefly describe the social stratification, specifying the influence of power on stratification systems.

Social stratification is defined as “a system of structured inequality in which people receive different amounts of society’s valued resources.” (Marger, 2015, p. 29) To elaborate, the “unequal distribution of resources creates a system of stratification. A rank order, or hierarchy, emerges in which people are grouped on the basis of how much of society’s rewards they receive. Those at the top receive the most of what there is to get, and those at the bottom the least.” (Marger, 2015, p. 27) “In simple terms, those at the top get more of what is valued because they are more powerful; they possess greater power resources in the form of wealth,
Some groups that enter multiethnic societies as voluntary immigrants adopt this position for a time after their arrival and appeal to the dominant group to tolerate their differences.” (Marger, 2015, p. 45) For example, when Indian women wear a sari out in public, they are staying true to what is important to Indian culture, but they also manage to conform to societal norms in other ways, by infiltrating themselves into society by entering the workforce, or learning the dominant language, English. Interestingly, on the other end of the spectrum, “some groups may carry the pluralistic idea further, opting out almost completely from the larger cultural, economic, and political systems. Certain religious groups in the United States and Canada such as Hutterites, the Amish, and Hasidic Jews have chosen to segregate themselves even though they have not necessarily been rejected by the dominant group.” Therefore, as a result, these groups may limit their contact with mainstream factions in an effort to preserve their cultural identity. (Marger, 2015, p.