Social Stratification

• Social stratification


  An existing system in the society that ranks or categorizes individuals in a hierarchy
• Social stratification


  • It is the hierarchical arrangement and organization of social categories that develop into a social group together with status and their equivalent roles
  • One of the results is discrimination within several levels in the society
• Social classes


  A group of people who share a similar position or status
• Four basic principles of social stratification

  • Social stratification is a trait of the society, not simply a reflection of individual differences
  • Social stratification carries over from generation to generation
  • Social stratification is universal but variable
  • Social stratification involves not just inequality but beliefs as well
• Closed class system of stratification

  • A group of people are given different opportunities, depending on the characteristics they were born with, such as color, gender, or the economic situation of their parents
  • People are stuck at their level and there is little change in social position
• Closed class system


  • Indian caste system
  • Slavery
• Open class system of stratification

  • People are ranked strictly according to individual ability and performance
  • People are free to gain a different level of education or employment than their parents
  • Competition among members of society is encouraged
  • Individuals are positioned according to their access to the means of production
• Open class system


  • United States
• Three primary social classes exist in the Philippines: the low-income class, the middle-income class, and the high-income class
• The majority (58.4%) of Filipinos belong to the low-income class, while the middle class comprises around 40% of the population. Only 1.4% fall in the high-income class
• Social mobility


  The movement of people between positions in a system of social stratification
• Types of social mobility

  • Upward social mobility
  • Downward social mobility
  • Intragenerational social mobility
  • Intergenerational social mobility
• Gender stratification


  • The unequal distribution of wealth, power, authority, and privilege between men and women
  • Discrimination towards LGBTQIA+ communities has also been rampant
• Brahmans or Brahmins are priests and teachers who are at the highest rank of the caste
• Kshatriyas are warriors and rulers who have the second-highest status among castes.
• Vaishyas are merchants and farmers who occupy the third position in the caste hierarchy.
• Shudras are laborers and servants who hold the fourth place in the caste system.
• Dalits are considered untouchables and perform tasks that other castes consider impure.
• Closed system: ascribed; Open system: individual ability or performance
• Education can be a tool to move from one class to another
• Intragenerational: within one's life
• Intergenerational: across generations
• Race: biological; ethnicity: culture