Social Stratification And Social Class

Social Stratification and Social Class
You will be presented with the topics in stratification and social classes.
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to
1. Explain stratification and social class in your own words
2. Illustrate the origins of stratification
3. Trace the historical development of stratification
4. Identify the theories of stratification
5. Discuss global stratification

Social Stratification
Social stratification refers to persistent patterns of social inequality in a society
It is perpetuated by the way wealth, power, and prestige are distributed and passed on from one generation to the next
Origins of Stratification
A stratified society shows how members of society are ranked. They are arranged in a hierarchical

In ancient times, many forms of stratification existed including slavery. Slavery was a system of stratification because it identified the slaves as one who were subjects of slave owners. They were being exploited by those people who owned them. The slaves were one of the lowest categories in any stratification system. They did not own any property and had no power at all.
People became slaves because of debt that they could not pay, crime committed, prisoners of war and the beliefs of inherent superiority.
The Estate System
This was an ancient stratification system that does not exist today anymore. However, to illustrate the estate system, we go over its three categories: the nobility, the clergy and the commoners.
The nobility included people who inherited wealth. They were inclined in cultural endeavors like arts and music. Wealth in this group was transferred from generation to generation.
The clergy was composed of religious officials who were also powerful during the Middle Ages. They had more power than the masses.
The commoners were the masses. They spent their lives engaged in hard physical labor, with virtually no chance of moving up in society.
Stratification System
1. Open stratification system
 merit rather than inheritance (ascribed characteristics) determines social rank
 Allows for social change
• Is reflected in a

This happens when a weaker country is invaded and its resources are exploited by a powerful country.

Then we have the World System Theory of Immanuel Wallerstein. It stated that as societies are industrialized, capitalism became dominant economic system, leading to the globalization of capitalism. This globalization of capitalism refers to the adoption of capitalism by countries around the world. Wallerstein said, as capitalism
Caste System is a social system based on ascribed statuses, which are traits or characteristics of people at birth. The ascribed status includes race, gender, nationality, body type and age. The caste system ranks people so rigidly. A person cannot just change his caste any time he wants.

The class system places the individual in the social system based on his achieved status. This status is earned or chosen. This includes educational level, careers, and spouses.

Societies are stratified in relation to one another. When these societies are stratified on a global perspective, we call this global stratification. Sociologists employ three categories to denote global stratification. They are: the most industrialized nations, industrializing nations and least industrialized