Introduction:
Every
culture has different high and low ranks for its citizens. Social stratification
is the division of a society's members into groups according to their status.
This distribution may take into account factors like occupation, caste,
education, income sources, status, and political influence. The individuals
obtain these resources and enroll in a class. In this fashion,
stratification—the division of society into a few classes, often high, middle,
and low—occurs.
A specific
type of social inequality is social stratification. Every society sets up its
members according to superiority, inferiority, and equality. The process
through which some people rise to a higher position than others is known as
stratification.
In a
nutshell, social stratification is the process by which individuals and groups
are evaluated in a hierarchy of status levels based on the inequality of social
positions and some generally acknowledged basis of assessment. The division of
society into various strata or layers is referred to as social stratification.
A hierarchy of social groups is involved. A certain layer's members share a
common identity. They both lead similar lives.
Definitions:
According to
Ogburn and Nimkoff, "Stratification is the process through which
individuals and groups are classified in a more or less enduring hierarchy of
status."
According to
Lundberg, "a stratified society is one that is characterized by
inequality, by distinctions between people that they perceive to be
"lower" and "upper,"
According to
Gisbert, social stratification is the permanent partition of society into
groups of categories that are connected to one another through relationships of
superiority and subordination.
Social
stratification, according to Raymond W. Murray, is the horizontal division of
society into "higher" and "lower" social divisions.
Ø The origin of
stratification:
There are
numerous opinions about the genesis of stratification.
(i) Davis contends that social stratification is a
result of the social system's need for it to function.
(ii)
Professor Sorokin claimed that social stratification was primarily caused by
inherited variations in environmental circumstances.
(iii)
According to Karl Marx, social causes, or social stratification, are to blame
for the creation of various social strata.
(iv)
Gumplowioz and others argued that the conquering of one group by another was
the cause of social stratification.
(v) Spengler
contends that social stratification is based on scarcity, which arises whenever
society makes positive functional and power distinctions.
(vi)
Stratification is also influenced by racial differences and dissimilarity.
Ø Social
stratification characteristics include:
The following aspects of social stratification may exist based on an examination of the various definitions offered by renowned academics.
(a) Social stratification occurs everywhere: There isn't a society in existence that isn't stratified. Comparing modern stratification to that of prehistoric societies is not appropriate. It is an international phenomenon. "All permanently structured groupings are stratified," claims Sorokin.
(b) Stratification is social: It is true that one's superiority and inferiority are not based on biological characteristics. Age, sex, intelligence, and physical prowess are frequently used as criteria for classifying statues. Biological characteristics, however, are determined to be less significant than one's education, wealth, position, authority, expertise, character, personality, etc. As a result, stratification is fundamentally social.
(c) It is old: The system of stratification is quite old. Even the tiny curious bonds contained it. The affluent and the poor, the humble and the strong, existed in practically all ancient civilizations. Political, social, and economic inequalities were emphasized during the time of Plato and Kautilya.
(d) It
takes on a variety of shapes: Stratification takes on different shapes in different
civilizations. The three main categories of stratification in the modern world
are class, caste, and estate. Caste is a unique sort of stratification that
exists in India. The Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Sudras were the four
varnas that made up the ancient Aryas. Ancient Romans were split into
particians and plebians, whereas the Greeks were separated into freemen and
slaves. Therefore, social stratification takes many different shapes in any
civilization, whether it is modern or historical, large or tiny.
Ø CLASS
"A
group of people possessing more or less comparable economic resources and
showing a similar level of life in a society," according to Karl Marx, is
what class is.
According to
Max Weber, "social classes are groups of people who share the same
opportunities to buy things and the same exhibited level of life."
According to
Lapir, a social class is a group that is culturally defined and is given a
specific status within the population as a whole.
In a
society, there are typically three classes: high, middle, and bottom. In order
to conduct in-depth research, we occasionally divide each class into three
categories, for a total of nine categories:
1. Upper
Class
Upper Upper Class
Upper Middle Class
Upper Lower Class
2. Middle
Class
Middle upper Class
Middle Middle Class
Middle Lower Class
3. Lower
Class
Upper Lower Class
Middle Lower Class
Lower Lower Class
Karl Marx developed the concept of class conflict. According to him, social classes are created by the unequal distribution of economic resources. These classes are still existing and are only capable of surviving if they engage in conflict with other classes. In a society, categorization breeds hostility, conflict, and criminal activity, among other societal ills. Private property ownership is encouraged by capitalism, which enables the formation of social classes. Socialism eliminates social classes and discourages private property ownership.
According to him, capitalism will continue to rule the world unless socialism
takes it over completely. However, the dissolution of the USSR (Union of
Socialist Soviet Republic) into numerous independent states caused this
experiment to fail in Russia. These manors evolved into republics. Tajikistan,
Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan are included among them.
What is Social Stratification and Class system
Ø Class nature
and characteristics:
Class - A
group state: In
essence, a social class is a status group.
Based on
accomplished status:
Social class is determined by attained status rather than the status that is given
to a person. However, it is also decided in Pakistan based on ascribed status.
Class
system is universal: The class system is a global
phenomenon that exists in all communities around the globe.
Social
class is an open group: Social class is an open group because it comprises an open social
structure that allows for vertical social mobility.
A social
or economic class:
The majority of social class is based on economics. Social class is largely
determined by wealth, income, property, education, and occupation.
Feeling
of "class consciousness": Members of a social class are conscious and share a
sense of class identity.
What is Social Stratification and Class system What is Social Stratification and Class system
