Social Inequality and Stratification

The text discusses social inequality and stratification as structural phenomena present in all societies. It explains that inequality is not limited to individual differences, but results from historical and institutional patterns that unequally distribute income, power, rights, and opportunities among social groups. Drawing on different classical sociological authors such as Karl Marx, Max Weber, Émile Durkheim, and Pierre Bourdieu, the text presents various interpretations of the causes and forms of inequality, highlighting factors that range from economic and class issues to cultural, symbolic, and power-related dimensions. It also analyzes the main types of inequality—economic, racial, gender-based, educational, and territorial—showing how they are interconnected and affect people’s lives in different contexts. Finally, the text discusses how these inequalities are maintained over time and points to possible ways of reducing them through public policies and social change.