Social
Stratification
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Which of the above was a powerful king's palace?
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Introduction: What is Social
Stratification?
Universality of
Stratification: Whenever a group forms, even a small group comprised
of 2-3 people, something occurs-- They start ranking each other along a
variety of dimensions-- intelligence; attractiveness; athletic ability;
strength; wealth; etc. This ranking permeates social life-- Remember Dr.
Seuss's book-- The Sneetches
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"Now the Star-belly sneetches had bellies with stars. The plain-belly sneetches had none upon thars" |
Kinds of Stratification Systems:
What different kinds of
stratification systems are there? (Conceptually there are two class
and caste; but our text makes a further distinction adding two more
types-- slave and estate). In a class system vertical
social mobility between levels of stratification (social strata) is
possible. In a caste system people remain fixed in the social
strata that they were born into. Slave systems are distinguished
by social norms that allow the ownership of human beings. In estate
systems, people are tied to the land and the transfer of land from one
noble to another infers the transfer of people who are tied to that land.
Models of Stratification: (Marx and Weber)
Marx and Weber made the most significant contribution to the field of social stratification
Marx's unidimensional model (based on only one element; position in the economy) emphasized the importance of the economic foundation of social classes
According to Marx's theory, in the beginning of the 19th century there were several social classes: laborers; factory workers; crafts people; small business proprietors; moneyed capitalists.
But with the spread of capitalism all social classes merged into two; the bourgeoisie (owners of capital and the means of production); the proletariate (who had nothing but their own labor)
Bourgeoisie exploited the proletariate by not paying fair prices for their labor.
Marxian Concepts:
- SURPLUS VALUE OF LABOR (Workers' are paid the bare minimum necessary to survive-- Bourgeoisie take what should be the workers' fair wages).
- ALIENATION (Workers are removed from that which they produce because they cannot set the prices and determine the profits they make. Bourgeoisie control the work conditions, set output quotas, etc. Workers are nolonger connected to what they produce. There is no love of labor).
- FALSE CONSCIOUSNESS (Believing in an ideology that denies you an equal chance in society. In this case a group or collectivity of people do not realize that they comprise a social class that is being exploited).
- CLASS CONSCIOUSNESS (This occurs when an exploited group collectively realizes that it is being mistreated and denied equal opportunity by virtue of its position in society).
Weber's multidimensional model: Weber took issue with Marx's almost total emphasis on the economy and argued in his book, The Protestant Ethic and Spirit of Capitalism, that values and beliefs in the society could shape the economic mode of organization. Weber focused on the consequences of people's social relationships on the economy. He used the term, life chances to illustrate that a group's social class position determines the likelihood that it will enjoy the "good things in life."
The multidimensional model:
- Class-- Class refers to the economic dimension of stratification-- one's position in the economy; (wealth, income, etc.).
- Status-- This is social prestige. It is not necessarily connected with wealth and income. It has to do with the respect and admiration (or lack there-of) that are afforded some in society by characteristics they possess.
- Power-- The ability to make people do something against their will. Power comes from the positions that people hold in society.
This model is insightful.
Powerful people in society, (e.g. President Clinton) are not necessarily the
wealthiest (e.g. Bill Gates). Power and
wealth (social class) do not automatically bring social prestige (e.g. Rev.
Billy Graham; Mother Teresa; etc.). However, an American economist, Thorstein Veblen,
observed in his important book, The Theory of the Leasure
Class, that the dimensions of class, status, and power often go together
and that the wealthy, can easily convert some of their wealth into social
prestige by throwing lavish parties, donating large sums of money to charity,
etc. Billionaire Ted Turner, has recently done
this with his multi-million dollar donations to the United Nations.
Olympic Champions like Tara Lupinski and Scott
Hamilton have been successful by using the social prestige they've earned in
their sport to increase their wealth.
Functionalism (The Davis-Moore
Hypothesis)
Conflict Theory (Marx; Dahrendorf)
Lenski's synthesis of functionalism and conflict
theory (societal evolution model)
Socio-Cultural Evolution (Lenski) -- Types of Societies and the Complexity of Social Structure
Low
Complexity
High Complexity
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Hunting/Gathering
Pastoral Horticultural
Agricultural Industrial
Societies world wide, in the present and the past display general patterns of characteristics which are based upon the complexity of their social structures. These patterns have been gathered into five different types:
Hunting and gathering:
§ very small scattered groups
§ high level of equality
§ no material wealth
§ no division or specialization of labor
§ little or no warfare
§ status based upon sex, age, or kinship
§ religion is simple. No gods-- just unseen spirits that must be taken account of not worshiped.
Pastoral societies:
(subsistence strategy based on the domestication of animals)
§ larger population possible
§ some stratification from wealth possible
§ nomadic, material possessions few in number
§ develop trading and barter
§ warfare and slavery exist
§ belief in gods
Horticultural Societies: (gardeners cultivating donesticated plants by hand-- slash and burn technology)
§ large populations possible
§ stratification by wealth and power is possible.
§ Hereditary chieftanships develop.
§ specialization and division of labor possible
§ warfare is common-- cannibalism, head hunting, human sacrifice
§ belief in gods
§ permanent settlements and elaborate cultural artifacts
Agricultural Societies: (6000 years ago the plow was invented. It greatly improved the productivity of the soil; brings surface nutirents that have sunk out of the reach of the roots of the plants).
§ land continually cultivated-- permanent settlements emerge
§ food output increased greatly--- substantial surpluses.
§ much greater population size possible
§ more highly refined division of labor
§ first time cities appear
§ power is in the hands of one individual, hereditary monarchies develop
§ inequality of wealth
§ religion becomes a separate social institution
§ economic institutions more complex, more elaborate trade; money developes
§ almost always at war
§ permanent armies
§ system of writing developed
§ efficient transportation system is developed.
§ many more cultural artifacts
Industrial societies:
(originated in the industrial revolution in
§ technological innovation is swift
§ continuous, rapid social change
§ very large populations, 100 million or more
§ highly complex division of labor
§ family and kinship become less important
§ influence of religion weakens
§ wide diversity of values and beliefs
§ importance of science as institution increases
§ education becomes distinct institution
§ mass literacr (requires formal education)
§ reduction in inequality
§ incidence of warfare decreases
§ more and more social life occurs in secondary groups
§ problems with pollution, resource depletion, social disorganization
Social Class and its Measurement
Reputational Method: This technique works well in small communities where everyone knows community members. The researcher visits the community and asks its residents to identify who the respected, rich, and powerful people are. For obvious reasons, the method does not work well in large cities or regions where the powerful, rich and respected, are not commonly known.
Objective Method: This is probably the
most commonly used method of measuring social class. Using survey
instruments or interviews, researchers ask respondents a series of questions
that are later combined (through computer analysis) into a scale or index that
indicates social class standing. Frequently used items seek information
on job title and salary; highest level of
education attained; place of residence; and membership in community
organizations. This scheme (using so many variables) is quite elaborate.
One popular short-cut is
Self-reported Method: This technique
simply asks respondents what class they identify with-- "Lower or Working
Class; Middle; and Upper Class." The problem with this technique is
that most Americans, regardless of the income they make or the level of
education attained, will report "middle class." (Europeans are
much more likely to split themselves into classes along the lines of
"working" or "labor" and "middle" class.
First, we must make a distinctionn between wealth and income. Wealth refers to one's total money assets-- bank accounts; realestate holdings; stock investments; valuable possessions; etc. Income is simple the amount of money a person makes over a given period of time. This can include salary and wages, tips, interest, dividends, and the like.
Basically, Poverty can be divided into two types: absolute poverty and relative poverty: Absolute poverty refers to the minimal necessities of life. People living in absolute poverty are on the edge of survival. They are barely able to maintain the requirements of life, including food, clothing, and shelter. Relative poverty is a more "generous" concept. It bases poverty levels on the average standard of living in society. Those who fall a pre-determined distance blow this average standard of living are defined as being "poor." In this situation, people may have adequate clothing, shelter, and more than enough food to survive on, but their standard of living still falls well below society's norm.
Each year, the
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1996 |
2004 |
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Single Person |
$7,995 |
$9,645 |
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Two Persons |
$10,233 |
$12,334 |
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Three Persons |
$12,516 |
$15,067 |
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Four Persons |
$16,036 |
$19,307 |
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Five Persons: |
$18,952 |
$22,831 |
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Six Persons: |
$21,389 |
$25,778 |
Throughout this decade approximately 37
million
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Race |
Percent Below Poverty Level (1996) |
Percent Below Poverty Level (2004) |
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White |
11.2 |
10.8 |
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Black |
28.4 |
24.7 |
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Hispanic Orgin |
29.4 |
21.9 |
In the United States, with regard to income, the
top 20 percent of this nations wage earners received approximately 50 percent
of all income earned in the United States (1995). The top 5 percent of
all wage earners received 21 percent of all the income earned in the
William Julius Wilson, in "The Truly
Disadvantaged" argues that there is a
permanent underclass of Black Americans who reside in this nations urban
ghettoes. While there has been an increase in the Black middle class, the
number of poor urban Blacks has not diminished.
closed
vs open systems: Closed systems do not
permit mobility between classes, while open systems do.
vertical mobility: Vertical mobility means both upward and
downward movement from one social strata to another
horizontal mobility: Horizontal mobility refers to movement within
a social stratum; e.g. A CEO of Ford Motor Company moves to Chrysler
intergenerational mobility: Intergenerational mobility occurs
between generations-- e.g. A father works as a school teacher all his life, but
his daughter becomes a physician.
intragenerational
mobility: Intergenerational mobility refers to movement within a
generation-- e.g. A college student starts out as a manager of a McDonalds
franchise, and twenty years later becomes the CEO of McDonalds Corporation.
structural (stratum) mobility:
This occurs when an entire social stratum rises in prestige and wealth.
For example, computer scientists were not highly regarded in the 1950s-- There
were so few of them that society did not have a "place" for
them. Today as we have come to rely very heavily on computers, the whole
profession has been elevated in prestige.