Social Stratification on Equality

Social Stratification on Equality

Problem Statement

 Social stratification entails the classification of people within a societal setting. Classification is done according to the socio economic capabilities of the groups of peoples in the society. Social stratification leads to differentiation of people according to status, wealth and power.  The ideology of social stratification has existed in the past and continues to persist in the present. Social stratification is an integral part of societies.  Understanding the concept of social stratification is thus, vital for the process of understanding how different societies operate.  Social stratification affects societies in different ways.  Evaluating the different ways asocial stratification affects the society allows an individual to understand the varying frameworks within different social set ups. This topic is essential because social stratification encourages between groups in a society. In the modern era, societies are trying to overcome aspects of inequalities in sectors such as health care, education and the overall quality of life.  Attempts to embrace equality are hampered by various aspects of social stratification.

Literature Review

Boliver (2012) looks at the effects of social stratification on education. The article specifically looks at British education system. Efforts to make education available to all of the citizens have proven to be an uphill task as social economic inequalities persists.  The British population is stratified under economic capabilities. This means that regardless of efforts to increase equality in education opportunities, the upper class have a better advantage over the middle and lower classes.  Studies on education inequalities due to social stratification indicate that the inequalities between different social classes were high from 1960-1995 (Boliver, 2012). Afterwards, there was a slight decline in the stratification and inequality, in education, a trend that is still witnessed to-date.

According to Andersen (2008) social stratification, leads to social class.  In sociological terms, a class is the social structural positioning of groups. The positioning is done on the basis of socio-economic and political properties within a community.  Class encourages inequality as it determines which groups of persons access which resources (Andersen, 2008).  Classes within a society are different, and only those within the same class will share the same opportunities and lifestyle. Social stratification thus determines life chances. According to Kerbo (2006) since time immemorial, social stratification has been a central part of human beings.  Since the time of Aristotle, elements of social stratification and inequalities were evident. There were people described as the haves and the have not.  Kerbo (2006) introduces a modern categorization of individual within a society.  He introduces the capitalist who own the means of production, the managers, and workers.

Discussion

There are four main principles that guide the concept of social stratification. They include the perception of social stratification as a societal trait. This means that one cannot discuss about stratification on an individual level. It is the differentiation of people into varying groups that leads to social stratification.  The second principle of social stratification is that it is replicated form one generation to the next.  The categorization of people into classes based on wealth and the power goes on from generation to generation as it becomes the molding factor within a society.  The third principle is that social stratification is universe but variable. This means that the ideology of social stratification is present in all societies. However, the strategy that societies use to differentiate between different classes of individual varies from one region to another (Andersen, & Taylor, 2008).  The fourth principle is based on the ideology of beliefs. Social stratification does not only reflect on the existence of inequality within the social set up but also the beliefs of the society as well.  The modern society engages in social stratification on the basis of economic capabilities. The society is thus divided into the upper classes who are the elite and wealthy people within the society. The second categorization is the middle class where majority of the people fall. The third categorization is the lower class. These are the underprivileged who struggle to survive and attain basic human necessities such as food and shelter.

Conclusion

The topic is broad and thus can be adequately analyzed from different perspectives. Social stratification persists into the modern world. This hampers efforts to enhance equality. As long as societies continue to stratify themselves according to power, wealth, and class, inequality will persist.  Class determines an individual economic positions, status refers to an individual prestige and popularity within a social set up whereas power refers to an individual’s ability to have what they want despite obvious resistance.  The articles adequately cover the concept of social stratification from the past to the modern world. The articles are also reliable as they look at how social stratification enhances inequality on a social and global scale. Boliver (2012) article covers the vital sector of education and how the British efforts to make education accessible to all its citizens are difficult. The upper class has the money and capability to access the best education facilities. This is different from the middle and lower rank who continued to struggle to access quality education. In the end, the upper class students acquire better education and thus access better job opportunities. This trend fosters the continued existence of social stratification and classes.

Reference

Andersen, M. & Taylor, H. (2008). Sociology: understanding a diverse society. Cengage learning

Boliver, V. (2011). “Expansion, differentiation and the persistence of social class inequalities in British higher education”.  Journal of higher education. Vol. 61(3); 229-242

Kerbo, H. (2006). Social stratification. Retrieved on 5^th Nov. from http://www.sagepub.com/leonguerrero3e/study/chapters/handbook_articles/Handbook

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