BALLB (SOCIOLOGY)

AMITY UNIVERSITY
Social stratification is Segmentation
division of society into different
hierarchical arrangement or strata.
It refers to the differences and
inequalities in the socioeconomic life of
people in a given society.
It represents the ranking of individuals or
social positions and statuses in the social
structure.
All societies assign their members to roles in
terms of superiority, inferiority and equality.
This vertical scale of evaluation and
placement of people in strata, or levels, is
called stratification.
Those in the top stratum have more power,
privilege and prestige than those below.
 Concept of social stratification

The word Stratification has been derived

from the Latin word “STRATA” which means
“LAYERS”
The term is borrowed from geology where it
is used to explain the hierarchical
arrangement of rocks and mineral in the
earth’s surface.
When applied to the world of people, it refers
to hierarchical arrangement of people into
different classes or strata which is the
division of a population into two or more
layers,
 Strata in rock illustrate social stratification. People are sorted,
or layered, into social categories. Many factors determine a
person’s social standing, such as wealth, income, education,
family background, and power. (Credit: Just a Prairie Boy/flickr)
 Definitions of Social stratification

Some important definitions of stratification

by well-known sociologists and philosophers
are as follows:
According to Ogburn and Nimkoff, “The
process by which individuals and groups are
ranked in a more or less enduring hierarchy
of status is known as stratification.”
According to Raymond W. Murry, “Social
stratification is a horizontal division of society
into high and lower social units.”
According to Gisbert, “Social stratification is
the division of society into permanent groups
of categories linked with each other by the
relationship of superiority and
subordination.”
According to Melvin M Tumin, “Social
stratification refers to “arrangement of any
social group or society into hierarchy of
positions that are unequal with regard to
power, property, social evaluation and psychic
gratification”.
Characteristics of Social Stratification

According to American sociologist M. M.

Tumin, the main features of stratification are
as follows:
1. Social
2. Universal
3. Ancient
4. Diverse forms
5. Consequential
 Social stratification is universal:

There is no society on this world which is free

from stratification. Modern stratification
differs from stratification of primitive
societies. It is a worldwide phenomenon.
According to Sorokin “all permanently
organized groups are stratified.”
 Stratification is social:

It is true that biological qualities do not

determine one’s superiority and inferiority.
Factors like age, sex, intelligence as well as
strength often contribute as the basis on
which statutes are distinguished.
But one’s education, property, power,
experience, character, personality etc. are
found to be more important than biological
qualities. Hence, stratification is social by
nature.
 It is ancient:

Stratification system is very old. It was

present even in the small wondering bonds.
In almost all the ancient civilizations, the
differences between the rich and poor,
humble and powerful existed.
During the period of Plato and Kautilya even
emphasis was given to political, social and
economic inequalities.
 It is in diverse forms:
The forms of stratification is not uniform in all
the societies.
In India a special type of stratification in the
form of caste is found.
The ancient Aryas were divided into four
varnas: the Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and
Sudras.
The ancient Greeks were divided into freemen
and slaves.
So every society, past or present, big or small is
characterized by diverse forms of social
stratification.
 Social stratification is Consequential:

Social stratification has two important

consequences:
 one is “life chances”
 the other one is “life style”
A class system not only affects the “life-
chances” of the individuals but also their “life
style”.
 Functions of social stratification

1. Competition
2. Recognition of talent
3. Motivation
4. Job satisfaction
5. Mobility
 Basis of Social Stratification

The anthropologist Ralph Linton first coined

the terms ‘ascribed status’ and ‘achieved
status’ in his book “The Study of Man”
(i) Ascribed or biological base of stratification
Sex/Gender
Age
Race
Kinship
Caste
(ii) Achieved or socio-cultural base of
stratification
Economic base
Political base
Life style
Occupation
Class
Power
(iii) Closed and Open Stratification Systems
When sociologists look at societies which have
open stratification systems, they want to
determine the extent to which the society is
more open than closed.. These ideas can be
understood with the help of following flow
charts:

Ascribed Status Closed Stratification System

Low/No Mobility

Achieved Status Open Stratification System High

Mobility
 Theories of Social Stratification

There are various theories of social

stratification concerning its importance,
origin and value, of which two important
theories are the following:
1. The functionalist theory of social
stratification
2. The conflict theory of social stratification
 The functionalist theory

Functional theory of social stratification establishes that

social division exists in society because of its benefits to
the society.
According to the functionalist theory, segments or
hierarchies and social inequalities exist in all societies.
Moreover, their main argument is that social
stratification is functional and purposeful and also
essential in any society.
They contend that no society is classless or un-
stratified, and social stratification is universally
necessary.
Social stratification in short is universal, functional,
inevitable, and beneficial and something which can't be
avoided.
 The conflict theory

The proponents of the conflict theory of social

stratification also accept the fact that social
inequality exists in every society.
But they do not believe that social
stratification is functional.
According to conflict theorists, it is the way
of oppressing one group of people by another.
FORMS OF SOCIAL STRATIFICATION

There are four basic forms of social

stratification:
(1) Slavery
(2) Caste
(3) Estate
(4) Class
 Slavery

Slavery is an extreme form of inequality in

which some individuals are literally owned by
others as their property.
 The legal conditions of slave ownership have
varied in different societies. There are
different variants of slavery.
Bonded labour is one such form of slavery in
India. In all parts of world slavery, as a form
of stratification has become extinct.
 Caste

Caste system is extremely elaborate and

varies in its structure from area to area so
much so that it does not really constitute one
‘system’ at all, but a loosely connected
diversity of varying beliefs and cultural
practices, though certain principles are
shared by all the castes.
This form of stratification as we shall see
later on, has assumed wider structural and
cultural dimensions.
 Estate

Estates are the feudal clusters with varying

obligations and rights towards each other.
Estates have developed in Europe, United
States and Asia. In our country jagirdars and
jamindars were the traditional estate holders.
With the abolition of jamindari and jagirdari
systems these groups of people do not legally
exist.
However, the former estate holders in rural
society even today hold much power.
 Class

Classes are not established by legal or

religious provisions.
Nor membership to class is based on
inherited position as specified either legally
or by custom. Class systems are typically
more fluid than the other types of
stratification and the boundaries between
classes are never clear-cut.