social structure

division or classification of members of society into different strata promoting the

development of hierrchy among social groups
stratification
comes from the Latin word 'strata' which means 'level'
ancient egypt's social hierarchy
- pharaoh
- government officials, nobles & priests
- soldiers
- scribes
- merchants
- craftsmen
- farmers & slaves
basis of ranking people
- income, occupation, privilege, PAWEEER, manner of living, region, age, gender, race
- the greater the power, health and status, the more privileges and opportunitiez
social desirables
- factors that are accepted or desired in a society which are associated with social
status, popularity, acceptance or approval
three most desired qualities in every society
wealth, power, prestige

wealth
accumulated economic capital of an individual or group
power
capacity of an individual to influence another person to perform an act that he or she
would not otherwise do
prestige
wealth + paWEeeeR ; level of honor in human society
four types of stratification systems
- class
- caste
- state
- slavery
social mobility
shift in social status or rank of an individual within the frame of a social structure
vertical mobility
upward and downward mobility; progressiin of social status related to class, power and
prestige
horizontal mobility
movement from one status to another within the same social category
class system
- classification of an individual or group having explicit societal status based on acquired
characteristics
- three-fold classification (upper class/elite group, middle class/scientific & technical
individuals and lower class/working class)
caste
'breed' in Spanish; race in society
- each caste system has specific duties and responsibilities
caste system
- brahmin (priests/academics)
- kshatriya (warriors/kings)
- vaishya (merchants/landowners)
- shudra (commoners, peasants, servants)
- untouchables
estate system
- identical to practice of feudalism
- clergy, nobility, commoners
slavery system
- most extreme form of inequality
- deprived of everything
- caused by birth, consequence of committing a crime, capture & sale and military
defeat

social inequality
- dimension of stratification that concerns the gap between rich and poor
social exclusion
- concept of alienating or dividing individuals or a group in a certain society
- inequality amongst ethnic minorities and PWDs
gender inequality
- idea and situation that women and men are not equal
- refers to unequal treatment or perceptions of individuals wholly or partly due to their
gender
- gender discrimination among LGBTQI++
global inequality
- unequal distribution of scarce resources and values across territories
- involves the concentration of resources in certain nations, significantly affecting the
opportunities of individuals in poorer and less powerful countries
theories on inequality
- conflict theory
- functionalism
conflict theory
- Karl Marx
- divided into two: proletariats (workers) and bourgeoisie (landlords and owners)
- claims society is in a state of perpetual conflict due to competition for limited resources
- holds that social order is maintained by domination and power, rather than consensus
and conformity.
functionalism
- social inequality serves the function of motivating people to work hard to gain
resources
- inequality encourages the discovery of talent
- functionalists see inequality as something that is necessary in society for it to remain
functional