He claimed that every society was based on power, social stratification essay he defined as the ability to achieve desired ends despite resistance from others. Administrative involvement among high-class people is favorable due to the fact that they are more persuasive among the subjects as compared to middle-class people. The positions offering the most rewards — financial, respect, status, social stratification essay, and lifestyle comforts — are the most important and require the greatest talent and training. Transformational Leadership Essay Sample. The open class system is a system that has both upward and downward mobility.
The Davis and Moore Hypothesis
Social stratification is a structured ranking of categories of people who social stratification essay unequal amounts of wealth, power, and status from generation to generation. It is a cultural universal found in almost every society from the past to present. However, the basis upon which stratification rests may vary through time social stratification essay from one society to another. In order to be accepted by all members of society, including those of low rank, every system of stratification must have a legitimizing ideology. This legitimizing ideology typically justifies inequality through claims to transcendental ideas, usually from religion. Examples of major systems of stratification include caste, slavery, estate or feudal, social stratification essay, and social class.
While the British monarchy is a remnant of a European caste system, the oldest worldwide example that most closely approximates the type based on ideas is that of India. Ascribed at birth, social stratification essay, caste position determines virtually all aspects of life, including, for example, the type of work one is allowed to perform, marriage partners, rights, and obligations. Slavery is another ancient system of stratification still found in various forms in some parts of the world. The distinguishing characteristic of slave systems is that a person can legally own another human being as property. Individuals have usually become slaves in one of three ways: ascription by birth, military conquest or capture, or debt.
In ancient societies, slavery was mostly ascribed or the result of military conquest. Slaves could obtain their freedom by purchasing it from their owner. Slaves also held a variety of social positions, including some with high prestige or authority. In the United States, slavery was based on capture among Native Americans or ascription children of African slaves were themselves slaves. Although possible, most slaves would rarely have opportunities to obtain their freedom legally. In the latter case, a legitimizing ideology—this time racism— justified this practice of white superiority, social stratification essay. The estate or feudal system is characteristic of agrarian societies. The best approximation to the ideal type occurred in medieval Europe, where feudalism existed through ownership of land by militaristic nobility that provided protection to the peasants or serfs in exchange for their labor to cultivate the land.
Around the 12th century, this system evolved into the estate system, comprised of nobles, priests, soldiers, craftsmen, and commoners. As social stratification essay system matured, it became increasingly rigid, with class positions defined by ascription. Under this system of stratification, social inequality was high. Social class is historically the newest form of stratification, one social stratification essay derived from capitalist industrialization. Karl Marx viewed class stratification as determined exclusively by ownership of the means of production social stratification essay generate wealth.
However, other theorists such as Max Weber argued that class position is determined not exclusively by wealth but also by status and power, social stratification essay. For example, Weber argued that a high rank in one category such as wealth did not necessarily imply high rank in status or power, although normally that was the case. Rather, some people could experience status inconsistency, such as a college professor who may enjoy high social status but a lower level of wealth. Kingsley Davis and Wilbert Moore exemplify the functionalist sociological approach to stratification. They argued that every society requires the performance of important jobs that require certain levels of skill, training, social stratification essay, and innate ability.
To induce those capable of performing these jobs to undertake the necessary training, they must receive higher rewards, thereby justifying social inequality. Although their argument sounds social stratification essay, it does not explain why the salaries of some highly valued jobs, such as clergy and teachers, have low rewards. It also fails to explain why the salaries of movie and rock stars far exceed those of people considered more valuable, social stratification essay, such as doctors or accountants. Finally, social stratification essay, their argument does not address why some jobs are valued more than others in the first place.
According to conflict theorists, stratification is the result of the capitalist system that exploits those with little to no power. They argue that those who have wealth and power shape laws in a manner that protects their own class interests. For example, stealing a loaf of bread is social stratification essay punishable offense of theft, even if the thief is a poor hungry social stratification essay. This allows the capitalist class to offer workers wages below their fair value. Capitalist social stratification essay owners keep the difference between what they pay workers and the full value of their work, thus making the owners wealthy. In addition, Marx argued that the capitalist system of work leads to workers experiencing alienation from their products, society, and even themselves.
Marx believed that the only way to end exploitation would be through social stratification essay social revolution by the working class. The only society with no stratification would be a communist one, as advocated by Marxists. Historically, such a society existed in prehistoric times with human groups that were hunters and gatherers and where little distinction existed between members as they enjoyed basic equality with one another in primitive communal societies. Nineteenth-century utopian idealists and hippies in the s also experimented with classless communes, many of them short lived. No large-scale, modern communist society has ever existed; the former Soviet Union, China, Cuba, and North Korea do not fit the true definition of communism.
Instead these societies are better described as socialist dictatorships that base stratification on Communist Party affiliation rather than wealth. Authentic communism may never occur on a large scale, given the necessary idealistic preconditions to make such a society possible. This example Social Stratification Essay is published for educational and informational purposes only. If you need a custom essay or research paper on this topic please use our writing services, social stratification essay. com offers reliable custom essay writing services that can help you to receive high grades and impress your professors with the quality of each essay or research paper you hand in. Essay Examples. Essays on Controversial Topics.
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As the system matured, it became increasingly rigid, with class positions defined by ascription. Under this system of stratification, social inequality was high. Social class is historically the newest form of stratification, one essentially derived from capitalist industrialization. Karl Marx viewed class stratification as determined exclusively by ownership of the means of production that generate wealth. However, other theorists such as Max Weber argued that class position is determined not exclusively by wealth but also by status and power. For example, Weber argued that a high rank in one category such as wealth did not necessarily imply high rank in status or power, although normally that was the case. Rather, some people could experience status inconsistency, such as a college professor who may enjoy high social status but a lower level of wealth.
Kingsley Davis and Wilbert Moore exemplify the functionalist sociological approach to stratification. They argued that every society requires the performance of important jobs that require certain levels of skill, training, and innate ability. To induce those capable of performing these jobs to undertake the necessary training, they must receive higher rewards, thereby justifying social inequality. Although their argument sounds rational, it does not explain why the salaries of some highly valued jobs, such as clergy and teachers, have low rewards.
It also fails to explain why the salaries of movie and rock stars far exceed those of people considered more valuable, such as doctors or accountants. Finally, their argument does not address why some jobs are valued more than others in the first place. According to conflict theorists, stratification is the result of the capitalist system that exploits those with little to no power. They argue that those who have wealth and power shape laws in a manner that protects their own class interests. For example, stealing a loaf of bread is the punishable offense of theft, even if the thief is a poor hungry child.
This allows the capitalist class to offer workers wages below their fair value. Capitalist business owners keep the difference between what they pay workers and the full value of their work, thus making the owners wealthy. In addition, Marx argued that the capitalist system of work leads to workers experiencing alienation from their products, society, and even themselves. Marx believed that the only way to end exploitation would be through a social revolution by the working class. The only society with no stratification would be a communist one, as advocated by Marxists. Historically, such a society existed in prehistoric times with human groups that were hunters and gatherers and where little distinction existed between members as they enjoyed basic equality with one another in primitive communal societies.
Nineteenth-century utopian idealists and hippies in the s also experimented with classless communes, many of them short lived. No large-scale, modern communist society has ever existed; the former Soviet Union, China, Cuba, and North Korea do not fit the true definition of communism. Instead these societies are better described as socialist dictatorships that base stratification on Communist Party affiliation rather than wealth. Authentic communism may never occur on a large scale, given the necessary idealistic preconditions to make such a society possible. This example Social Stratification Essay is published for educational and informational purposes only.
If you need a custom essay or research paper on this topic please use our writing services. Swamy Babani. Download Download PDF Full PDF Package Download Full PDF Package This Paper. A short summary of this paper. Download Download PDF. Download Full PDF Package. Translate PDF. In Belize, social stratification is based on individual achievement. How far would you agree with this statement? Submitted by: Submitted to: Swamy Babani Mr. Introduction For centuries, sociologists have studied the root causes and effects of social stratification in society. This is because in all countries around the world, there is a degree of social stratification.
However when it comes to classifying people into different social groups, the reasons for doing so differs. In Belize, social stratification is partially based on individual achievement. Though, it is only to a certain extent that most Belizeans have individual success without the aid of others. In this essay, we will first start by defining what social stratification is and how individual achievement can be linked toward it; then we will discuss how social inequality plays a huge role in helping individuals to flourish in Belize. This essay will give reasons to why social stratification is not entirely based on individual achievement, but also on discrimination, power, authority and wealth.
What is Social Stratification? Social Stratification is a system by which a society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy. It is based on four basic principles, i it is a trait of society, not simply a reflection of individual differences ii it carries over from generation to generation iii it is universal but variable and iv it involves not just inequality but beliefs as well Macionis, Now the second trait mentions that it was carried over in generations by society rather than individuals. This means that there can either have an upward or downward movement. This would occur in Belize when some individuals gain or lose wealth. The degree to which this mobility may occur can be based on an individual effort as well as in other circumstances that occur in society.
Later in this essay we will explain the circumstances such as political affiliation and inequality that may cause an individual to have an upward or downward shift in the social hierarchy of Belize. Social stratification as mentioned by Macionis is also universal since it can be found anywhere in our contemporary society however it also varies from one society to another. These differences once again may be caused by the inequality and beliefs of the society. What influences Social Stratification? According to Crossman, , social inequality is characterized by the existence of unequal opportunities and rewards for different social positions or statuses within a group or society. It contains structured and recurrent patterns of unequal distributions of goods, wealth, opportunities, rewards, and punishments.
In Belize, inequality exists and causes unequal distribution of opportunities which therefore greatly affects social stratification. Our country is classified as a democratic society. Democracy is a political system that gives power to the people as a whole. In Belize, we practice this representative democracy. Our democracy leads us to have an open market economy which focuses heavily on our capitalistic society. This openness is the opportunity for individuals to change their social status. It allows mobility. One of the historic theorists that support this capitalistic society is Karl Marx. He believed that inequality is bound to exist in any society. He based his conflict theory on the idea that contemporary society has only two classes of people: the bourgeoisie and the proletariat.
The bourgeoisie are the owners of the means of production: the factories, businesses, and equipment needed to produce wealth. The proletariat are the workers. According to Marx, the bourgeoisie in capitalist societies exploit workers. The owners only pay them enough to afford food and a place to live, and the workers, who do not realize they are being exploited, have a false consciousness, or a mistaken sense, that they are well off. They think they can count on their capitalist bosses to do what was best for them Social Stratification and Inequality, What Marx is saying is that social stratification is based on income as well as how people perceive themselves in society.
This conflict theory views inequality as resulting from groups with power dominating less powerful groups. Marx as well as other conflict theorists believes that social inequality prevents and hinders societal progress as those in power repress the powerless people in order to maintain the status quo. Positions are important so long as those in power consider them to be significant Crossman, Therefore, social stratification is greatly shaped by inequality and is not based solely on individual achievement. Now we will look at how the social stratification in Belize is also based on individual success, discrimination, power, authority and wealth.
This reality has even lead to the belief that your skin colour would determine how successful you are in life. However, discrimination on a whole affects social stratification. Discrimination is defined as the treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in favour of or against a person or thing based on the group, class or category to which that person or thing belongs rather than on individual merit Dictionary Reference, In Belize, we have both an open class and closed class system in our social stratification. The open class system is a system that has both upward and downward mobility. It is achievement based and allows social relations between the classes. On the other hand, in the closed class system, people have been confined to their ancestral occupations.
Their social status has mostly been prescribed by birth Open Vs Closed Straisifcation System,
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