UCSP

Concept, Characteristics and Forms of

Stratification Systems
Week4
STRATIFICATION

describes the way in which different groups of people are placed within society. The status of
people is often determined by how society is stratified - the basis of which can include;

Wealth and income - This is the most common basis of stratification

▪ Social class

▪ Ethnicity

▪ Gender

▪ Political status

▪ Religion (e.g. the caste system in India)

SOCIAL
STRATIFICATION

refers to a society’s categorization of its people into rankings of socioeconomic tiers based on
factors like wealth, income, race, education, and power.
You may remember the word “stratification” from geology class. The distinct vertical layers found in
rock, called stratification, are a good way to visualize social structure.
Society’s layers are made of people, and society’s resources are distributed unevenly throughout
the layers. The people who have more resources represent the top layer of the social structure of
stratification. Other groups of people, with progressively fewer and fewer resources, represent the
lower layers of our society.
 Upper Class are mostly in the ascribed status (born rich) some are through achieved
status (earned through hard work), while the Middle Class are mostly in achieved status
(born poor work hard to earn the status) and the Lower class are mostly ascribed status
(born poor).
 “THE SITUATION OF SOCIAL STRATIFICATION IN THE PHILIPPINES”

Posted on September 2, 2016 by MDE

Social stratification in the Philippines, has three social classes that can be seen in the
community:

(1) The upper class has high personal income, inherited wealth and economic influence;

(2)The middle class are the small businessmen, teachers, merchants, traders with modest
income; and

(3) The lower class has to earn low incomes with little or no savings; some are unemployed.
 “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and unites with his wife, and they become
a new family.”
Genesis 2:24 (Net Bible)
The CROODS is a comedy adventure that follows the world's first modern family through the
journey of a lifetime. When the cave that has always been their home is destroyed – with the
rest of their world not far behind it – The Croods are forced to set off on the first family road
(or path) trip. Rocked by generational clashes and seismic shifts, The Croods discover an
incredible new world filled with fantastic creatures, and a future beyond any they imagined.

This family begins in fear ended with faith, that their family will remain intact and complete
against all odds.
Here in the Philippines, social stratification is very noticeable. Wherever you are and wherever
you go, social stratification is present. Sometimes, you cannot notice it but when you look at a
certain thing or situation deeply, you can see that. The influence of government officials is more
noticeable in public today. Sometimes, in a simple traffic violation, they usually involved the name
of their known politician to escape the punishment that they should face.
In terms of wealth, they usually use the money to do them a favor and to prioritize them.

In education, most of the time people don’t look at the knowledge that the person has,
they usually look at the school or university where the person came from.
And in physical appearance, people having luminous skin, tall, and attractive are given
more chances and advancement. These are some basics that what was said in the law that
all citizens are equal was not true because, in a fundamental sense, people are not
equal. And these are the reasons why we people deserve and looking for more
improvement in life.
We Filipinos are very conscious of the social class where we belong. We don’t want to be inferior
to others that’s why we are looking on the other way to popular or known, to gain reputation and
to be prioritized by others. We are always looking for advancement that we can get only when we
are in the higher class in society. Even though most of the Filipino population today is in the
middle class and only a few are in the highest class, we can feel the influence of those few who
are in the highest class in our everyday living. This is how great the social stratification is and in
which even in the house of God or in the churches their influence is very noticeable. But even
though this social stratification is present in our everyday living, don’t forget that in the eye of God
we are all equal and we are given equal prioritized by Him. But don’t be stocked on what you are
today. Exert an effort to have an improvement in life.
 REMEMBER:

Social stratification in the Philippines, has three social classes that can be seen in the
community:

(1) The upper class has high personal income, inherited wealth and economic influence;

(2) The middle class are the small businessmen, teachers, merchants, traders with modest

income; and

(3) The lower class has to earn low incomes with little or no savings; some are unemployed.
CONCEPT, CHARACTERISTICS AND FORMS OF
STRATIFICATION SYSTEMS USING
SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

LOOKING BACK
 Karl Marx
1818-1883

“Organization of society is
determined by economic forces”

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

 HE ADDED THAT INDUSTRIAL
REVOLUTION DIVIDED
the society into two social classes:
Capitalist and workers. Social class are
Karl Marx people who are group collectively due to
their similarities in their professional status,
amount of prestige or lifestyle.
 CAPITALIST VS. WORKERS

Capitalist a person who has a lot of money, property, etc., and who uses those
things to produce more money.
Workers a person who does a specified type of work or who works in a specified way
THIS FORMATION OF SOCIAL CLASSES IS THE CAUSES AND START OF DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL
STRATIFICATION EVENTUALLY IN OUR SOCIETY TODAY.

This social classes is also categorized through various factors of social

stratification.
 VARIOUS FACTORS IN SOCIAL STRATIFICATION

Wealth
Wisdom and Charisma
Social Standing of Parents
Society’s Occupational Structure
 THE NET VALUE OF MONEY AND ASSETS A
PERSONHAS, AND INCOME,
A PERSON’S WAGES OR
INVESTMENT DIVIDENDS. WHILE
Wealth PEOPLE ARE REGULARLY CATEGORIZED
BASED ON HOW RICH OR POOR THEY ARE,
OTHER IMPORTANT FACTORS INFLUENCE
SOCIAL STANDING
 people who have them are revered more than
those who don’t. In some cultures, the elderly

WISDOM AND are esteemed; in others, the elderly are

CHARISMA disparaged or overlooked. Societies’ cultural

beliefs often reinforce the inequalities of
stratification.
 Parents tend to pass their social position on to
their children. People inherit not only social
standing but also the cultural norms that
accompany a certain lifestyle. They share
SOCIAL STANDING OF these with a network of friends and family
OUR PARENTS members. Social standing becomes a comfort
zone, a familiar lifestyle, and an identity. This is
one of the reasons first-generation college
students do not fare as well as other students.
 Teachers, for example, often have high levels of
education but receive relatively low pay. Many believe
that teaching is a noble profession, so teachers should
SOCIETY’S do their jobs for love of their profession and the good of
OCCUPATIONAL their students—not for money. Yet no successful
STRUCTURE executive or entrepreneur would embrace that attitude
in the business world, where profits are valued as a
driving force. Cultural attitudes and beliefs like these
support and perpetuate social inequalities.
REMEMBER

There are various factors in social stratification and a person is categorized in such a way like the following:

It can be based on wealth, the net value of money and assets a person has, and income, a person’s wages or investment
dividends. Resulting too few rich people while majority are poor.

While in some cultures, wisdom and charisma are valued, and people who have them are revered more than those who
don’t. Resulting to wise counsel while others gave poor advices.

One key determinant of social standing is the social standing of our parents. Resulting to inherit prominent or political
position in society while others are unknown and followers.

Other determinants are found in a society’s occupational structure. Resulting to white collar jobs while others are in blue
collar jobs.