Overview

Social Stratification is the layering of society. Like rock strata, people are arranged in layers. Some are on top (Elite), and some are on the bottom (Underclass).

Core Idea

The core idea is inequality. Resources (Money, Power, Prestige) are not distributed equally. This structure is built into the system, not just a result of individual effort.

Formal Definition

A system by which a society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy.

  • Closed System: Caste (born into it, can’t move).
  • Open System: Class (based on achievement, allows mobility).

Intuition

  • The Ladder: Can you climb it? (Social Mobility). In the US, the ladder is getting harder to climb.
  • Marx: It’s all about relationship to production. Owners (Bourgeoisie) vs. Workers (Proletariat).
  • Weber: It’s more complex. Class (Money), Status (Prestige), and Party (Power). A drug dealer has Class but low Status. A priest has Status but low Class.

Examples

  • The 1%: The concentration of wealth at the very top.
  • Poverty: Not just lack of money, but lack of access to healthcare, education, and power.
  • Meritocracy: The ideal that the best rise to the top. Sociologists argue this is often a myth used to justify inequality.

Common Misconceptions

  • Misconception: Poor people are lazy.
    • Correction: Structural explanations (bad schools, lack of jobs) explain poverty better than individual traits.
  • Misconception: Inequality is natural.
    • Correction: Hunter-gatherer societies were egalitarian. Stratification is a choice of civilization.

Applications

  • Tax Policy: Redistribution of wealth.
  • Education: Trying to level the playing field.

Criticism and Limitations

  • Davis-Moore Thesis: Functionalists argue inequality is good because it motivates the most talented people to do the hardest jobs (like being a surgeon).

Further Reading

  • The Class Structure of the Advanced Societies by Anthony Giddens
  • Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich