Social Stratification And Inequality Sociology Essay

well-disposed social stratification And Inequality Sociology Essaysociable higher(prenominal)tail iter social social stratification is a sociological phenomenon in which muckle in the comp any(prenominal) atomic number 18 placed in contrary ranks with part to same scotch conditions. Normally, in that location be those of a high standard and early(a)s of a low standard. brotherly stratification borrows splitification from earth sciences and thus it refers to its course of studyes as strata. The difference in economic characteristics of persons leads to domination of advocator by genius group to a nonher. Social Stratification is characterized by four core principles namelySocial stratification has been express to be transferable from generation to a nonher. Every generation adopts the classifications that had been band by a generation that proceeded.Social stratification is a social characteristic and not an idiosyncratic view. The lodge forms a uniform office of life of grading persons which is not a sole persons objective.Social stratification is said to be universal and also variable. Though this statement seems contradictory, it subject matter that classification is uniform in a certain hostel but entrust vary when comp atomic number 18d with other societies.Lastly, social stratification is not all near equality of persons, but also the beliefs that they harmonise. This means that social classes in the high fellowship argon also found on greens beliefs.The classification of the ships company into respective(a) ranks brings about inequality. In the western communities, social stratification adopts leash key the upper, middle and inflict class. It is due to these classes that inequality is developed. Those of upper class view themselves as superior and having more prestige compared to their counterparts in lower ranks. at that placefore, sharing of common resources in the union is found on the stratification rank s. Inequality is a social evil that emanates from social stratification (Bottero 3-8).Origins of the Social Stratification TheoryThe above theory is said to throw off emanated from the Judaeo-Christian record book which presents the social idea of the Greeks. Though the idea was not extremely straightforward at the beginning, it has gone through various transformations to the present day where it presents itself clearly.The sociological View of Social Stratification and Inequality mingled sociologists keep back had different views and interpretations on social stratification. For suit, Talcott Parsons who was an American sociologist emphasized that stability of social stratus cloud is partly influenced by universal determine. On a different note, Marxism identifies nonequivalent distribution of resources and limited mobility to be factors of stratified societies.However, numerous sociologists fork over had a uniform view with reference to the fact that the wealthinessy in t he inn control the political magnate. In such a case, the poor ought to set back to orders from the rich. Several sociologists had diverse views on the origin and form of the social stratification theory. Below are some of these sociologists and various discussions regarding each one of them.Karl MarxIn his theory of Marxism, Karl asserted that social stratification in the fraternity is based on the way people are related to the factors of production. In such, there exist two different categories of persons those that own the factors of production and those who campaign for the possessor of the factors of production. The classification by Karl Marx seems to be inadequate especially in the new view of economics. This is because there exist various aspects of the present economy that have been left unsolved by the Marxism theory. For instance it does not provide faithful categorization as to creative, occupational and economic aspects of society. advance(a) scholars of econo mics have said that the issue of social stratifications requires in depth classifications other than the conclude one provided for by the Marxism theory. In fact, theories behind social stratification exigency to draw a clear cut in the midst of the economic aspects of handy and unskilled labor, owning and managing a business and also between business and master occupational us boards.Secondly, the Marxism theory appears to be so generalized to the effect that it overlooks various decisive social-structural phenomena that are of a great influence in the society. These hold ethnic affiliations, kinship and lineage affiliations. Modern sociologists have however not ignored these crucial aspects the way Marx did. Thirdly, the theory of Marx on social stratification seems to be so limited in defining the image of ethnic factors in social classification. Cultural factors include legal practices, religious norms and scientific ideas among others. It is crucial to note that scien ce has played a key role in maintaining social classes. In summary, Marx defined the carnal knowledgeship between people and property as the key aspect behind social stratification (Jackson chapter 2).Max WeberWeber was thrilled by the propositions of his predecessor, Marx, and hence he thought of making corrections to Marxs theory. Weber designed a archetype based on post, class and a more explicit and dogmatic differentiation with reference to social stratification. Unlike Marx who identify property to be the sole determining factor in social stratification, Weber identified status and class as additional factors. Weber built an unite personate that would define the relationship between these three factors. Any one of factors can affect the other two, and in any case any of these factors can be replaced with another. In his model, Weber also did not mantle several key influencing factors like teaching, ethnic and kinship factors.Below are the definitions that Weber gave to his three factors of influenceHe defined class as an individuals economic position in the society with reference to birth and their ad hominem achievement. Secondly, he defined status as the position occupied by an individual in the society as a result of their social honor, popularity and prestige. Weber also defined power as the ability of an individual to progress despite various factors offering resistance in the society (Rossides, 186).Wright moveWright sought to advance Webers thoughts on social stratification with no discrimination whatsoever. Similar to Weber, he identified power to be economic oriented but in addition to be influenced by political and military domains. Through his famous book titled The Power Elite, Mills brings out a clear connection between political power and social status in the society. He asserted that the very power embodied persons occupy a certain class in the society. In order to keep themselves relevant in the society, the power elite group te nd to develop close ties in ideas, work and marital issues. To him, the power elite are clearly defined in education institutions whereby the persons of the high status group attend prominent schools thus preparing them for high class ordinal schools.Conceptual Model to Social StratificationA conceptual model for the current nature of social stratification ought to be 3-dimensional. It should have strong measurement techniques and be flexible to accommodate various ideological biases. There appears to be two factors that have led to the resistance of such a conceptual model. These are ideological and methodological oriented. Looking at ideological issues, we find sociologists who unbosom hold on to the traditional ways of classifying people. They pauperization to maintain definitions that are straightforward, clear and self explanatory. However, straightforward definitions have prove to be incompetent in the current nature of society that presents ever-changing and complex s ituations.With reference to methodology aspects, scientists have had fear of exploring a multidimensional concept because they fear the complex resources and methods that could be involved. The more differentiated a model is the more involving it give be in terms of equipments require to analyze and the processes that will be involved. Researchers have committed themselves in exploring models that are multidimensional however significant success has not been realized. Studies by the Hindu caste society show that a multidimensional model is necessary.Various dimensions of stratification are closely related to one another, but this does not mean that they are not exclusively autonomous. For instance, such dimensions as power, prestige, income and education are in a way related to one another. However, in some cases, it can be noted that power is independent of the other factors. In fact, in certain circumstances, power may be succeed irrespective of occupational prestige. Again, a certain take aim of education causa may not be strong enough if not attended by money. The key role of a multidimensional model is to apportion issues of interdependence and independence of social stratification factors.Key Dimensions of Social StratificationPowerAs defined earlier in this paper and with reference to Karl Marx, power refers to the ability to pursue goals despite resisting factors. Power will be addressed with reference to size and various natures of societies. The degree of division of labor in the society is related to the way typical social classes will be formed. Power exists in two diverse forms legitimate and motherfucker and hence there cannot be established a direct relation between power and social stratification.Occupational PrestigeThe various productive roles in the society are accorded different level of prestige. It has been evident that though societies may be different, there will always exist a similarity in the way they accord prestige to vario us occupations. For instance some employments like law, medicine and pilot, are given a high level of prestige because they are associated with good aggregates of money. The variability of the way occupations are valued is dependent on the way the society values those occupations. Therefore, it is vital to note that prestige accorded to various occupations will differ with reference to the values of the societal setting.Income/WealthWealth plays an extremely significant role in social stratification. Whether earned or inherited, wealth will impact the class that a person will occupy in the society. Various profession and business roles in the society offer diverse opportunities in accumulating wealth. Sometimes, the so high ranked roles have proven to accumulate low wealth when compared to low prestige roles. Looking at the example of a superior doctor who uses intellect and professionalism to accumulate his wealth yet he may not gather a lot like a bandit. The last mentioned ca n accumulate in one night, money equal to that a professional doctor earns in an entire month. When money is used as the determining factor in social stratification, business and professional roles wishing relevance.Social stratification on the basis of income influences to a significant extent other dimensions of societal classification. For instance the level of education gained by a person may be resolved by the relative amount of income they have. Disposable income has also not been left out in canvas how it influences social stratification.Family and EthnicityThe status of kinship groups and family lineage plays a vital role in determining the social classes in the society. Not once and not twice have persons being seen as wealthy and hence esteemed because their fore fathers were wealthy. The role played by a family in the society in terms of monetary contribution and influence holds a significant support as to why it holds a certain class in the society. The class occupie d by a certain family in the society determines the social class it occupies and hence the treatment they will be accorded by the entire society. Family and ethnic position do not however hold a one to one relationship in far as social stratification is concerned.Local Community StatusIndividuals and families do not live in isolations or islands in the society. Their day to day activities are influenced by norms set by the nature of the community. Families and individuals by extension are given placed under certain social classes due to the way the society operates. The position of the local community in the society is determined by the nature of influence it has on the entire community (Andersen 216-220).Modern Stratification SystemsIn the contemporary world, there exists three key systems of stratification which are slavery, the caste system and the class system. Despite various laws regardless slavery, many people in the world today live in conditions that can be classified as s lavery.SlaverySlavery is still eminent in nations such as Ghana, Benin and Mauritania among others. Also, Asia has been mentioned numerously for prevalent cases in awake slavery.Caste SystemThe above is a social system that is based on characteristics and traits those persons posses by virtue of their birth. These traits include body type, race, gender and age among others. The caste system is said to be a rigid one. This means that it assigns various unchangeable castes to persons which cannot be varied. However, persons have in various situations try to change their ascribed statuses by lying about their age, changing nationality or execute plastic surgery, but not at all times do these attempts yield positive results.Class SystemClass system classifies individuals in reference to statuses earned and not those individuals were born with. Persons born in a certain social class can choose their careers, education level and spouses. The class system is characterized by social mobi lity nature. Social mobility refers to the act of base either up or down the various social strata (Levine) endingEvery society has various classes that are assumed by members of the society based on various factors. Common held belief in the society model the way a society sets up these classes. Most common factors that determine classification are education and knowledge, power, prestige, and religion among other factors. Sociologists have formed various theories to address the determining factors of social stratification though no one theory seems to have provided comprehensive coverage. Every society exhibits unique factors and believes, but there exists a close relationship between the way these diverse factors influence social stratification.