Social Stratification: What Is Social Stratification?

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What is Social Stratification? Social stratification is defined as, “a system by which a society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy” (BOOK). One person does not influence social stratification, social stratification labels and “defines” that individual. In other words, social stratification subconsciously categorizes people based on several factors such as wealth, income, jobs, and statuses. People, or sociologists, who focus on the inequalities of social stratification focus on the inequalities of each strata. Different cultures have different systems of social stratification. The two main systems of stratification that are used amongst different cultures are the caste system and the class system. The difference between these two systems …show more content…

These classes are based upon the amount of money that the people in those classes make each year. The amount of money people earn each year is strongly determined by the job that they have, and the type of job that someone has is strongly determined by the amount of education they obtain. People in the lower class make about less than $9,000 each year, generally with a part-time job and a high school education. People in the working class make about $15,000- $25,000 in a year with a service job and some college experience, but no college degree. As the salary, education level, and occupation increase, so does the individuals social class. The highest class, the upper class, make more than $200,000 a year are in high corporate jobs, and have a graduate degree. Each of these classes, also comes with a different lifestyle because of how much money they …show more content…

People with more money don’t have to worry about saving since they don’t have to ration their expenses. They also can afford nicer things and go out and travel more than others who have less money. According to , people in the upper class live in high end neighborhoods, send their kids to private schools, take part in big name clubs, and drive nice cars. There are two ways that these people obtain this level of wealth. One way, is by being born into a family that has always had money. And the other way is through hard work and

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