1
Student
SOC-102
Social Stratification Analysis
PART 1
The current world is so diverse as it is possessed by an abundance of different
backgrounds. No matter where a person travels, every environment will contain a form of social
stratification. Social stratification, also referred to as social position, is a concept of an
organization that society utilizes to acknowledge the place or ranking of individuals (Larkin,
2015). This involves a perennial pattern of disparate access to services, goods, and life options.
With that, it is also perceived as an institutionalized form of inequality (Larkin, 2015). There are
four forms of social stratification and each one has a prevailing ideology which serves to
legitimize, rationalize, and justify (Larkin, 2015). The purpose of this paper is to establish a
comparative analysis on three different stratification systems. Those systems consist of slavery,
caste, and class.
Slavery is one of the four stratification systems aside with Caste, Estate, and Social Class.
The concept of slavery is a legalized social inequality of a person or group as an individual
would be considered property (Larkin, 2015). The social category of an individual is utilized as
the organizing principle for this concept. This relates to a person’s race, religion, ethnicity, tribe,
gender, and age. Slavery was a significant occurrence in history as it was constantly seen
throughout the country. According to Henry Gates Jr. (2014), “in 1860 [the United States] held
more than 60 percent of the hemisphere’s slave population” (para. 11). However, even though
, 2
slavery is no longer active in the United States, it is still continued in specific areas around the
world.
Caste is another stratification system and is known as a hereditary system of rank, this
makes it fixed and immobile (Larkin, 2015). Considering it is a hereditary system, the status is
ascribed because children assume the rank of their parents. Also, a recent effect on the caste
system is anonymity of urbanization. An example of this is the concept of royalty because the
royal family members are placed directly into the category from birth. On the other hand, another
example occurs in India as the caste system is utilized in the religion of Hinduism. Communities
in India divide Hindus into hierarchical groups based on karma (work) and dharma (religion).
According to BBC News, they divided “Hindus into four main categories – Brahmins,
Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and the Shudras” (2017, para. 3).
Contrasting with the systems of slavery and caste, there is class. This is referred to as the
social ranking by economic position, however, boundaries are not clearly defined. Individuals
achieve characteristics which are capable of influencing social mobility (Larkin, 2015). A basic
characteristic of this system is income inequality. This is constantly seen in the real world as in
2015, the CEO-worker average retirement fund was $4.7 million while the 401(k) median
balance totaled to $18,000 (inequality.org). Considering that a CEO has a higher ranking than a
typical worker in the company, they are given a greater amount of money and possess more
power.
The four stratification systems not only differ from one another based on factors, but each
concept also includes its own social mobility. According to the textbook Our Social World: An
Introduction to Sociology, this relates to the progression or downgrade of hierarchy (Larkin,
2015). The caste system consists of an ascribed status considering its members are automatically
Student
SOC-102
Social Stratification Analysis
PART 1
The current world is so diverse as it is possessed by an abundance of different
backgrounds. No matter where a person travels, every environment will contain a form of social
stratification. Social stratification, also referred to as social position, is a concept of an
organization that society utilizes to acknowledge the place or ranking of individuals (Larkin,
2015). This involves a perennial pattern of disparate access to services, goods, and life options.
With that, it is also perceived as an institutionalized form of inequality (Larkin, 2015). There are
four forms of social stratification and each one has a prevailing ideology which serves to
legitimize, rationalize, and justify (Larkin, 2015). The purpose of this paper is to establish a
comparative analysis on three different stratification systems. Those systems consist of slavery,
caste, and class.
Slavery is one of the four stratification systems aside with Caste, Estate, and Social Class.
The concept of slavery is a legalized social inequality of a person or group as an individual
would be considered property (Larkin, 2015). The social category of an individual is utilized as
the organizing principle for this concept. This relates to a person’s race, religion, ethnicity, tribe,
gender, and age. Slavery was a significant occurrence in history as it was constantly seen
throughout the country. According to Henry Gates Jr. (2014), “in 1860 [the United States] held
more than 60 percent of the hemisphere’s slave population” (para. 11). However, even though
, 2
slavery is no longer active in the United States, it is still continued in specific areas around the
world.
Caste is another stratification system and is known as a hereditary system of rank, this
makes it fixed and immobile (Larkin, 2015). Considering it is a hereditary system, the status is
ascribed because children assume the rank of their parents. Also, a recent effect on the caste
system is anonymity of urbanization. An example of this is the concept of royalty because the
royal family members are placed directly into the category from birth. On the other hand, another
example occurs in India as the caste system is utilized in the religion of Hinduism. Communities
in India divide Hindus into hierarchical groups based on karma (work) and dharma (religion).
According to BBC News, they divided “Hindus into four main categories – Brahmins,
Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and the Shudras” (2017, para. 3).
Contrasting with the systems of slavery and caste, there is class. This is referred to as the
social ranking by economic position, however, boundaries are not clearly defined. Individuals
achieve characteristics which are capable of influencing social mobility (Larkin, 2015). A basic
characteristic of this system is income inequality. This is constantly seen in the real world as in
2015, the CEO-worker average retirement fund was $4.7 million while the 401(k) median
balance totaled to $18,000 (inequality.org). Considering that a CEO has a higher ranking than a
typical worker in the company, they are given a greater amount of money and possess more
power.
The four stratification systems not only differ from one another based on factors, but each
concept also includes its own social mobility. According to the textbook Our Social World: An
Introduction to Sociology, this relates to the progression or downgrade of hierarchy (Larkin,
2015). The caste system consists of an ascribed status considering its members are automatically
