Social Stratification Is A Sociological Phenomenon Sociology Essay

hearty social stratification Is A Sociological Phenomenon Sociology EssaySocial stratification is a sociological phenomenon in which people in the family argon placed in unlike ranks with eccentric to same economic conditions. Normally, there are those of game standard and differents of a low standard. Social stratification borrows potpourri from earth sciences and thus it refers to its classes as strata. The end in economic singularitys of persons leads to domination of male monarch by unmatched group to another. Social Stratification is characterized by four core principles namelySocial stratification has been said to be transferable from generation to another. every(prenominal) generation adopts the compartmentalizations that had been set by a generation that preceded.Social stratification is a societal characteristic and not an individual view. The companionship forms a uniform authority of grading persons which is not a mend persons objective.Social stratificati on is said to be universal and also variable. Though this statement seems contradictory, it means that classification is uniform in a current society but pull up stakes vary when compared with other societies.Lastly, mixer stratification is not all most equality of persons, but also the beliefs that they attain. This means that affable classes in the society are also based on common beliefs.The classification of the society into divers(a) ranks brings about variation. In the western communities, companionable stratification adopts three give away stratas the upper, middle and lower class. It is due to these classes that inequality is developed. Those of upper class view themselves as superior and having more prestigiousness compared to their counterparts in lower ranks. Therefore, overlap of common resources in the society is based on the stratification ranks. Inequality is a social curse that emanates from social stratification.Origins of the Social Stratification the oryThe above theory is said to have emanated from the Judaeo-Christian Bible which presents the social idea of the Greeks. Though the idea was not extremely straightforward at the beginning, it has gone through diverse(a) transformations to the present daylight where it presents itself understandably.The sociological view of Social stratification and inequalityVarious sociologists have had different views and interpretations on social stratification. For instance, Talcott Parsons who was an American sociologist emphasized that st efficacy of social stratas is partly influenced by universal set. On a different note, Marxism identifies unequal distribution of resources and limited mobility to be factors of stratified societies. However, numerous sociologists have had a uniform view with reference to the fact that the wealthy in the society control the political berth. In much(prenominal) a case, the poor ought to submit to orders from the rich. Several sociologists had diverse v iews on the origin and form of the social stratification theory. Below are some of these sociologists and non-homogeneous discussions regarding each one of them.Karl MarxIn his theory of Marxism, Karl insist that social stratification in the society is based on the way people are cogitate to the factors of production. In such, there exist two different categories of persons those that own the factors of production and those who labor for the owner of the factors of production. The classification by Karl Marx seems to be inadequate especially in the reliable view of economics. This is because there exist respective(a) aspects of the present economy that have been left untackled by the Marxism theory. For instance it does not provide accurate categorization as to productive, occupational and economic aspects of the society. Modern scholars of economics have said that the issue of social stratifications requires in depth classifications other than the generalized one provided for by the Marxism theory. In fact, theories behind social stratification hire to draw a clear cut amidst the economic aspects of skilled and unskilled labor, owning and managing a lineage and also surrounded by business and professional occupational roles.Secondly, the Marxism theory appears to be so generalized to an utmost that it overlooks various vital social-structural phenomena that are o great influence in the society. These include ethnic affiliations, human relationship 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 role of cultural factors in social classification. Cultural factors include legal practices, religious norms and scientific ideas among others. It is crucial to note that science has play a key role in maintaining social classes. In summary, Mar defined the relationship between people and property as the k ey aspect behind social stratification.Max weberWeber was thrilled by the propositions of his predecessor, Marx, and hence he thought of making corrections to Marxs theory. Weber designed a regulate based on status, class and a more explicit and administrationatic differentiation with reference to social stratification. Unlike Marx who identified property to be the sole determining factor in social stratification, Weber identified status and class as additional factors. Weber build an interconnected model that would define the relationship between these three factors. Any of the factors can affect the other two, and in each case any of these factors can be replaced with another. In his model, Weber also did not cover several(prenominal) key influencing factors like grooming, ethnic and chemical attraction 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 private achievement. Secondly, he defined status as the position work 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.Wright MillsWright sought to fare 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 with(predicate) his famous book titled The Power Elite, Mills brings out a clear connection between political power and social statas in the society. He asserted that the very power embodied persons subscribe to a certain class in the society. In order to keep themselves relevant in the society, the power elite tend to develop scraggy ties in ideas, work and marital issues. To him, the power elite is clearly defined in education institutio ns whereby the persons of the advanced status group attend prominent schools thus preparing them for proud class tertiary schools.C erstptual model to Social StratificationA conceptual model for the current nature of social stratification ought to be multidimensional. It should have considerable measurement techniques and be flexible to control 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 for at ideological issues, we find sociologists who still select on to the traditional ways of classifying people. They want to maintain definitions that are saucer-eyed clear and self explanatory. However, simple definitions have proved to be incompetent in the current nature of society that presents changing and composite situations.With reference to methodology aspects, scientists have had fear of exploring a multidimensional concept because they fear the c omplex resources and methods that could be involved. The more differentiated a model is, the more involving it will be in terms of equipments needful to analyze and the processes that will be involved. New ideas have not been explored by sociologist researchers who have committed themselves in exploring simple models hence there is still a lot to be explored. Studies by the Hindu order society show that there is a necessity for a multidimensional model.Various dimensions of stratification are closely related to one another but this does not mean that they are not alone 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 attained irrespective of occupational prestige. Again, a certain take aim of education grounds may not be strong enough if not accompanied by cash. The key role of a multidimensional model is to address issues of interdependence and independence of social stratification factors. let on 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 illegitimate 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 various occupations. For instance some professions like law, medicine and pilot are habituated a high leve l of prestige because they are associated with good sum totals of money. The vaiability 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 a extremely significant role in social stratification. Whether realize or inherited, wealth will impact the type of class that a person will lease 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 furl low wealth when compared to low prestige roles. Looking at the example of a professional doctor who uses intellect and professionalism to accumulate his wealth yet he may not gather a lot like a bandit. The latter can accumulate in one night, money equal to that a professional doctor earns in an entire month. When m oney is used as the determining factor in social stratification, business and professional roles lack relevance.Social stratification on 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 determined by the relative amount of income they have. Disposable income has also not been left out in studying 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 been seen as wealthy and hence prestigious because their fore fathers were wealthy. The role contend 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 occupied by a certain family in the society determines the social class it occupies and hence the kind of give -and-take 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. topical anaesthetic federation statusIndividuals and families do not live on in isolations or in 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 local community in the society is determined by the nature of influence it has on the entire community.Modern Stratification SystemsIn the contemporary world, there exists three key trunks of stratification whish are slavery, the caste dodging and the class remains. Despite various laws disregarding slavery, many people in the world today live in conditions that can be classified as slavery. Slavery is still eminent in nations such as Ghana, Benin and Mauritania among others. Also, Asia has been mentioned numerously for prevalent cases in sex slavery.Caste SystemThe above is a social system that is based on characteristics and traits those persons posses as 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 tried to change their ascribed statuses by lying about their age, changing nationality or performing pliable surgery but not at all times do these attempts yield positive results. kinsfolk systemClass system classifies persons with reference to statuses that they have earned and not those that they 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 mobility nature. Social mobility refers to the act of moving either up or down t he various social strata.ConclusionEvery society has various classes that are generally 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.