Basics in Social Science, Lecture Sheet-7 Summer 2017, for all

sections.

These sheets are intended to make the sociological issues a bit easy for you to understand so
that you can follow the books or other resources. You must not think that reading these
and not-reading books will be enough for you.

(Dr. Buddha Dev Biswas/AIUB, Dhaka)

Stratification
Part One: Social Stratification (SS)

It is the division of a society into layers or strata whose

members have unequal access to social opportunities and
rewards.

People in the top strata enjoy the privileges that are

unavailable to others in the society. Consequently, people in
the bottom strata endure penalties that other members in the
society escape.

(Think about our country: Some people get special facilities in

different places because their parents are either influential or
moneyed. A powerful man’s son may one day kill a person under
his car on the street and yet avoid punishment. Will these happen to
any ordinary citizen?)

In a stratified society, inequality is a part of the social

structure. And what is interesting, this inequality passes from
one generation to another.

A society can be stratified along a number of dimensions:

wealth, occupation, education, power, prestige, fame, or
anything that is distributed unequally. (Example: a well-off
man’s child will go to schools and universities and later on get
a job; a poor man’s child may get dropped out of school)
But remember, these aspects do not work in the same way,
and at times can be overlapping as well. Say, a writer is
educated and enjoys great prestige but has little personal
wealth. A drug dealer can be wealthy but has very little
prestige.
Status refers to a person’s position in the
system of stratification.
A social class is a grouping of individuals
who occupy similar statuses or positions in
the social hierarchy, and therefore share
similar political and economic interests.
Power is the ability to achieve one’s goals,
despite opposition.
Prestige is a social honor and esteem.
Definitions & explanations of Social Stratification

 E. Chinoy (in his book Society: An introduction to Sociology, 1967)

In every society, some men are identified as superior and others as inferior…some
rule and others obey—although the latter may possess varying degrees of influence
or control over the rulers. (Guess, how does this happen.)

These contrasts between higher and lower, rich and poor, powerful and powerless
—constitute the substance of social stratification.

 David Dressler
SS is a system for ranking people in different levels, or strata, or prestige or status.

 H. Raurence Ross (in his book Perspectives on Social Order, 1968)

SS refers to the differential ranking of statuses whereby some are considered

higher and others lower.

 Ogburn & Nimkoff (1958)

SS is “regulated inequality” where individuals and groups are ranked in hierarchy

on the basis of social roles and activities.

(Think for a while, what can the meaning of “regulated inequality”? Who regulates the
inequality?)

 Bali & Bryant (in their edited book Introductory Sociology, 1969)

Borrowed from geology, the term SS in sociological use denotes a hierarchy of

inequality, a system in which the population is assigned differentiated statuses of
superiority and inferiority.

(Do you know why SS has been borrowed from geology? Geologists say that the soil is
never the same in all parts of a country. The soil has different layers and patterns.
Accordingly, the earth is structured. In the same way, humans have different layers and
patterns in terms of colors, genders, education, religion, culture etc. and accordingly they
structure the entire society. Think of our Dhaka city. Some are inside the cars with
headphones on ears; some are on the streets begging for one taka or selling Clinton’s ‘My
Life’. Think of our Bangladeshi society. Bangalees from different districts, Chakmas,
Tripuras…; think of South Asia…)

Therefore, what we are getting from all these definitions are:

 SS is not a natural issue (like the earth); rather it is a

‘social issue’ (created by humans).
 All societies in the world have Social Stratification—
though the styles and patterns vary.
 The culture of a society reflects its Social Stratification.
 Social Stratification is the direct result of personal
wealth and its distribution.

(Because, if Jodu has wealth which his school-friend Modhu doesn’t have, Jodu
will create a personal and social distance from Modhu in his later life, try to grab
different opportunities that will be available to him and will never want Modhu to
enjoy the same—and ultimately will think of oppressing Modhu. In the same way,
Jodu’s son Hedu will behave against Modhu’s son Kodu. However, if Modhu has a
daughter instead of a son, the story might be different…after all sociologists cannot
control the minds of Bangla cinema directors!)