Prepared By:

Group 8
 Social Stratification is a society’s categorization of their people
into socioeconomic strata, based upon their occupation and
income, wealth and social status, or derived power (social and
political).
 Political Stratification is best understood as the extent to which
such inequalities are encapsulated in, or influenced by, political
structures and processes.
Stratification – is the relative social position of persons within
social group, category, geographic region, or social unit.
 In modern Western Societies,
social stratification typically
is distinguished as three
social classes: (i)the upper
class, (ii)the middle class,
and (iii)the lower class.
 The categorization of people by social strata occurs in all
societies, ranging from the complex, state-based societies to tribal
and feudal societies, which are based upon socio-economic
relations among classes of nobility and classes of peasants.
Determining the structures of social stratification arises from
inequalities of status among persons, therefore, the degree of
social inequality determines a person’s social stratum. Generally,
the greater the social complexity of a society, the more social
strata exist, by way of social differentiation.
Types of Political Stratification:
1. Political Stratification from an Institutional Perspective
2. Political Stratification from an Relational Perspective
3. Political Stratification from an Embodied Perspective
Four Principles Posited to Underlie Social Stratification
1. First, social stratification is socially defined as a property of a
society rather than individuals in that society.
2. Second, social stratification is reproduced from generation to
generation.
3. Third, social stratification is universal but variable.
4. Fourth, social stratification involves not just quantitative
inequality but qualitative beliefs and attitudes about social
status.
Social Desirables
 The three-component theory of stratification was developed
by German sociologist Max Weber with class, status and
power as distinct ideal types. Weber developed a
multidimensional approach to social stratification that reflects
the interplay among wealth, prestige, and
power.
Wealth – Refers to the sum total of one’s
possessions as well as their regular income.
Wealth goes beyond income as a measure
of social class as it reflects the accumulated
wealth in addition to one’s earning potential
and accumulated debt.
Prestige – Refers to the reputation or esteem associated with one’s
position on society. Prestige used to be associated with one’s family
name, but for most people in developed countries, prestige is now
generally tied to one’s occupation. An individuals prestige is closely
tied to their social class – the higher the prestige of an individual,
the higher the social class.
Power – Refers to someone’s ability to get
others to do his/her will, regardless of whether
or not they want to. Legitimate power, power
given to individuals willingly by others, is
called authority. Illegitimate power, power
taken by force or the threat of force, is called
coercion.
Social Mobility System
 Social Mobility is the movement of individuals, families, households,
or other categories of people within or between social strata in a
society. It is a change in social status relative to others’ social location
within a given society.
A. Open (Class)
- In an open system, an individual’s social class is based on merit and
individual effort. Individuals move up and down the stratification
structure as their abilities, education, and resources permit. Given
talent, effort, and opportunity, individuals can move up to the social
class ladder. However, the reverse is also true. Circumstances can
reduce an individual’s standing in a class system.
 It refers to the free movement in status changes. In such a system, status
can be achieved, mobility is motivated and encouraged.
 There are equal opportunities irrespective of birth, gender, race,
religion, ethnicity and background.
The open society has the following features:
a. Though classes exist, they are not institutionalized, as in the case of the
caste and the estate system.
b. Though class boundaries are unclear and people do not show
excessive class consciousness, the inequality which is due to class
division is apparent.
c. Though status is usually achieved, there is evidence, however, that
status tends to be ascribed to the lowest and the highest social classes.
d. Social mobility is possible and it frequently occurs.
B. Closed (Caste)
 In a caste system, resources and social rewards are distributed on
the basis of ascribed statuses. A newborn child’s lifelong status is
determined by the status of his or her parents. Effort and talent
may affect someone’s position within a caste, but they cannot move
the person to a higher status.
 By reason of religious, biological, superstitious or legal
justification, those in one caste are allowed to marry only within
their own caste and must limit relationships of all types with those
below and above them I the stratification structure.
 There is a rigid system of inequality.
 There is no social mobility from one caste to another.
Types of Social Mobility:
1. Territorial Mobility – It is the change of residence from one
place to another.
2. Vertical Mobility – Refers to a major movement up or down in
social class position.
3. Horizontal Mobility – Refers to movement within a social class.
In general, there is no overall change in the social class status of
an individual involved.
4. Intergenerational Mobility – When a children attain a higher
or lower status than their parents held.
Social Inequality
 Social Inequality refers to the patterns of unequal access to social
resources. It reflects innate
differences between individuals,
for example, their varying abilities
and efforts.
 Social Inequality is a desirable
attributed in a democratic and
civilized society.
A. Access to Social, Political and Symbolic Capital
Social Capital – the ability of a collective to act together to pursue
a common goal.
Political Capital – refers to trust, good will, and influence
possessed by a political actor, such as politician, to mobilized
support toward a preferred policy outcome.
Symbolic Capital – refers to the resources that one possesses
which is a function of honor, prestige or recognition, or any other
traits that one values within a culture.
B. Gender Inequality

Gender – comprises the behavioral and psychological traits

considered appropriate for men and women. A person’s sex refers
to the biological identity of that person.
Gender Roles – Are the specific behaviors and attitudes of that a
society establishes for men and women.
Gender Identity – Is the awareness of being masculine or feminine
as those traits are defined in culture.
 Gender Inequality - Sex and gender-based prejudice and
discrimination, called sexism, are major contributing factors to
social inequality. The emphasis on gender inequality is born out of
deepening division in the roles assigned to men and women,
particularly in the economic, political and educational spheres.
Factors Influencing Gender
1. Biological Influence
2. Social Influence
3. School
4. Media
5. Peers
6. Cognitive Influence
 Legal, social and cultural situation in which gender determine
different rights and dignity for
women and men, which are
reflected in their unequal
access to/or enjoyment of
rights, as well as the
assumption of stereotyped
social and cultural roles.
 Women have always been
constrained by societies that
have structural bias, mainly
due to cultural beliefs, in favor
of men.
 In some cultures, women could not own property, and they could
not even drive their own cars.
 There is also the reality that women are faced with the double
burdens of being both primarily responsible for the care and
upkeep of children and of households.
 Women also suffer harassment in the work place and are
victimized by sexual assaults and violence.
 A similar situation is faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
transgender (LGBT) persons, who are often subjected to
discrimination and ridicule by a society that considers them
aberrations of forms of deviancy.
C. Ethnic Minorities

 Ethnic Minority is a group of people who differ in race or color or

in national, religious, or cultural origin from the dominant group –
often the majority – of the country in which they live.
Characteristics that distinguish Minority Groups from the
other Groups in Society
1. The group possesses identifiable physical
or cultural characteristics that differ from
those of the dominant group.
2. Group members are the recipients of unequal treatment at the
hands of the dominant group.
3. Membership in the group is an ascribed, or assigned, status.
4. Group members share a strong bond, and a sense of group
loyalty.
5. Members tend to practice endogamy – marriage within a group.
 To be considered minority group, a group must exhibit all of the
above characteristics. Exhibiting only one or two of the
characteristics is not enough.
 Race and Ethnic Stratification refers to the systems of inequality in
which some fixed groups membership, such as race, religion, or
national origin is a major criterion for ranking social positions
and their differential rewards.
Race – In sociological terms, a race is a category of people who
share observable physical characteristics and whom others see as
being a distinct group. For sociologists, the important issue is not
that a person has a specific color of skin or hair of certain texture.
Rather, sociologists are concerned on how these reactions affect
individuals in society.
Ethnicity – Sociologists refer to the term ethnicity as the set of
cultural characteristics that distinguishes one group from another
group. The term ethnicity comes from the Greek word ethnos,
originally meaning “people” or “nation”. Thus, the Greek word
referred to cultural and national identity. Today, and ethnic minority
is socially identified by unique characteristics related to culture or
nationality. Just as physical characteristics define racial minorities,
cultural differences define ethnic minorities.
 An ethnic minority is subculture defined by its own language,
religion, values, beliefs, norms, and customs. Like any subculture, it
is part of the larger culture – the members work in the majority, or
host, economy, send their children through the host educational
system, and re subject to the laws of the land.
 Ethnical people are bound together by virtue of common ancestry and a
common cultural background.
Common Patterns of Minority Treatment
1. Cultural Pluralism – one response to ethnic and racial diversity.
2. Assimilation – blending of fusing minority groups to dominant society.
3. Legal Protection – to ensure that the rights of minority groups are
protected.
4. Segregation – physically separate a minority group from the dominant
group.
5. Subjugation – maintains control over groups through force.
6. Population Transfer – dominant group separates itself from the
minority group by transferring the minority population to a new territory.
7. Extermination – most extreme pattern of intergroup relations.
D. Other Minorities (Person with Disability and Age
Inequality)
 PWDs are also discriminated upon, and their physical
impairments become basis for them to be denied equal
opportunity in employment.
 Age discrimination is defined as the unfair treat-
ment of people with regard to promotions,
recruitment, resources, or privileges because of
their age. It is also known as ageism: the stereo-
typing of and discrimination against individuals
or groups based upon their age.
E. Global Inequality
 Inequality does not exist only in societies, but also among states.
 There are states that are wealthier and more powerful than the
other states, and the former end up being more influential in the
global community.
 Global Inequality can also be manifested through the operations
of translational corporations and organizations that operate on a
global scale. Private corporations have enormous power that they
can wield to influence the economy of countries where they have
investments.
 There are mechanisms that can address global inequalities. One of
these is the formation of regional groups, such as the Association
of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN). The main drawback is that
despite the presence of the ASEAN, individual members may be
constrained to provide assistance to others due to the policy of
noninterference, where members are hesitant to intervene into the
foreign and domestic issues of another country.