Chapter 7

Global Stratification

Systems of Social Stratification - Slavery

• Causes

• Conditions– Temporary– Not Necessarily: Inheritable, Powerless, Poor

• Bonded Labor in the New World

• Slavery in the New World

• Slavery Today

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Systems of Stratification█ Social inequality: Situation where

members of society have different amounts of wealth, prestige, or power

– Ascribed status: social position assigned to person by society without regard for the person’s unique talents or characteristics

– Achieved status: social position that person attains largely through his or her own efforts

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Four Forms of Stratification

█ Slavery: Individuals owned by other people, who treat them as property

█ Castes: Hereditary ranks that are usually religiously dictated and tend to be fixed and immobile

█ Estates (feudalism): Peasants worked land leased to them in exchange for military protection and other services

█ Social Classes

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– Life chances: Opportunities to provide material goods, positive living conditions, and favorable life experience

Life Chances

█ Max Weber saw class closely related to people’s life chances

Digital divide: Poor, minorities, and those in rural communities not getting

connected at home or work

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Social Mobility

█ Social mobility: Movement of individuals or groups from one position in a society’s stratification system to another

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█ Vertical mobility: Movement from one position to another of a different rank

█ Intragenerational mobility: Social position changes within person’s adult life

Types of Social Mobility█ Horizontal mobility: Movement

within same range of prestige

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█ Closed system: Allows little or no possibility of moving up

Open Versus Closed Stratification Systems

█ Open system: Position of each individual influenced by the person’s achieved status

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█ The Impact of Education

█ The Impact of Race and Ethnicity

█ The Impact of Gender

Social Mobility in the United States

█ Occupational Mobility

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Caste System• Status is determined at birth based on

parents’ ascribed characteristics.

• Cultural values sustain caste systems and caste systems grow weaker as societies industrialize.

• Vestiges of caste systems can remain for hundreds of years after they are “officially” abolished.

India’s Former Caste System

• Brahman (bra men) were at the top of the social structure who ruled with divine guidance.

• Kshatriyas (kshat rēs) were second and formed the military aristocracy.

• Vaisyas (vīs yăs) were third as craftsmen and merchants.

India’s Former Caste System

• Sudras (soo drăs) were forth and were the servants to the Brahman.

• Untouchables were a final layer that was not even considered to be a part of the caste systems.

Social Classes

█ Class system: Social ranking based primarily on economic position in which achieved characteristics can influence social mobility

█ Rossides (1997) uses five-class model to describe U.S. class system:

– Upper class– Upper-middle class– Lower-middle class

– Working class– Lower class

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Social Classes

█ Factors contributing to shrinking size of middle class– Disappearing opportunities for

those with little education– Global competition and

advances in technology– Growing dependence on

temporary workforce– Rise of new growth industries

and nonunion workplaces

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Sociological Perspectives on Stratification█ Sociologists hotly debate

stratification and social inequality and reach varying conclusions

No theorist stressed significance of class for society

more strongly than Karl Marx

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Karl Marx’s View of Class Differentiation█ Social relations depend on who

controls the primary mode of production

– Capitalism: Means of production held largely in private hands and main incentive for economic activity is accumulation of profits

– Bourgeoisie: Capitalist class; owns the means of production

– Proletariat: Working class

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Karl Marx’s View of Class Differentiation█ Class consciousness: Subjective

awareness of common vested interests and the need for collective political action to bring about change

█ False consciousness: Attitude held by members of class that does not accurately reflect their objective position

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Max Weber’s View of Stratification█ No single characteristic totally

defines a person’s position within the stratification system

– Class: Group of people who have similar level of wealth and income

– Status group: People who have the same prestige or lifestyle

– Power: Ability to exercise one’s will over others

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Is Stratification Universal?

█ Functionalist view: Social inequality necessary so people will be motivated to fill functionally important positions

Does not explain the wide disparity between the rich and the poor

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Davis and Moore█ Society has some positions that are

functionally more important than others

█ These positions require a greater degree of effort and ability to fill them

█ Society must attach sufficient rewards to these positions so enough people will seek to occupy them.

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Is Stratification Universal?

█ Conflict view: Human beings prone to conflict over scarce resources such as wealth, status, and power

– Stratification is a major source of societal tension

– Leads to instability and social change

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Is Stratification Universal?

– Emergence of surplus resources expands possibilities for inequality

– Allocation of surplus goods and services reinforces social inequality

█ Lenski’s viewpoint: As a society advances technologically, it becomes capable of producing surplus of goods

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Classless Societies: The Former Soviet Union

• Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)– Boasted of being a classless society– Actually stratified into four unequal categories

• High government officials• Soviet intelligentsia and lower government officials-

college professors, scientists, physicians, and engineers

• Manual workers• Rural peasantry–lowest level

Lenski’s Sociocultural Evolution Approach█ Preindustrial Societies

– Hunting-and-gathering society: People rely on whatever foods and fibers are readily available; there is no surplus

– Horticultural societies: People plant seeds and crops; minimal surplus allows for some stratification

– Agrarian societies: People are primarily engaged in production of food; significant surplus allows for feudalism

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Lenski’s Sociocultural Evolution Approach█ Industrial societies: societies

that depend on mechanization to produce its goods and services

– People depend on mechanization to produce goods and services

– People rely on inventions and energy sources – People change function of family as a self-

sufficient unit

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Lenski’s Sociocultural Evolution Approach█ Postindustrial and Postmodern Societies

– Postindustrial society: Economic system engaged primarily in processing and controlling information

– Postmodern society: Technologically sophisticated society preoccupied with consumer goods and media images

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Figure 8.2 (p. 222)

Social Stratification and Technological Development: The Kuznets CurveThe Kuznets curve shows that greater technological sophistication generally is accompanied by more pronounced social stratification. The trend reverses itself as industrial societies relax rigid, caste like distinctions in favor of greater opportunity and equality under the law. Political rights are more widely extended, and there is even some leveling of economic differences. However, the emergence of postindustrial society has brought an upturn in economic inequality, as indicated by the broken line added by the author.Source: Created by the author, based on

Kuznets (1955) and Lenski (1966).

Table 26-1: Sociological Perspectives on Social Stratification

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• Education• Occupation• Income• Place of

residence

Stratification by Social Class

█ Objective Method: Class largely viewed as a statistical category

Prestige: Respect and admiration an occupation

holds in society

Esteem: Reputation a specific person has

earned within an occupation

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– Studies of social class tended to neglect the occupations and incomes of women as determinants of social rank

█ Multiple Measures– Socioeconomic status (SES):

Measure of social class based on income, education, and occupation

Measuring Social Class

█ Gender and Occupational Prestige

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Table 27-1: Prestige Rankings of Occupations

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