SOCIAL

STRATIFICATION
by Dilawar Khan
Outline:
• Social Stratification
• Principles of Stratification
• Patterns of social stratification
• Open and closed systems
• Dimensions of stratification
• Theories of social stratification:
• Functionalist theory
• Conflict theory
• Class system
• Determinants
• Identification
• Significance
• Pakistani class systems
1. Social Stratification
• Definition:
Social stratification refers to society’s categorization of its
people into groups based on socioeconomic factors
like wealth, income, race, education, gender, occupation,
and social status, or derived power (social and political). As such,
stratification is the relative social position of persons within a
social group, category, geographic region, or social unit. 
2. Principles of Social Stratification
• Social stratification is a characteristic of society, not simply a
function of individual differences.
• Although variable in form, social stratification is universal.
• Social stratification persists over generations.
• Social stratification is supported by patterns of belief.
3. Types of Stratification Systems
Sociologists distinguish among two major ideal types of
stratification systems: Open system and Closed System
• Open System:

An open stratification system is based on achievement,

allow movement and interaction between layers and classes.
In turn, status is based on achievement which helps with
social movements and relationships between different
classes. Any “ascribed” status, like background, ethnicity,
gender, religion is less important in an open system.
Considering the characteristics, there are no exact rules and
there are a wide range of positions but fewer opportunities to
achieve economic advancement.
Types of Stratification Systems
• Closed System:

Closed class systems are defined as where people

can do little or nothing to change their social standing.
A good example of this is the “Caste” system, which is
defined as a person who is born into their social
standing and remain in it their whole lives. Simply put,
as soon as you are born you are where you are and will
stay like that with little to no chance of improving. In
this class, ascribed status are a big factor and must
remain that way for life. Trying to improve or move
between classes are usually forbidden.
4. Dimension of Social Stratification
•Karl Marx and Max Weber have helped us to unravel the nature of social
stratification.
• Marx believed that the key to social stratification in capitalist societies is
the division between those who own and control the crucial means of
production and those who have only their labor to sell—the oppressed
working class. In Marx’s view, these two groups and their conflicting
interests provide the foundation for stratification in capitalist nations. For
Marx, social stratification consisted of a single economic dimension.
• Weber (1946) felt that Marx provided an overly simplistic image of
stratification. He contended that other divisions exist within society that
are at times independent of class. Consequently, he took a
multidimensional view of stratification and identified three components:
• Class (economic standing)
• Status (prestige)
• Party (power).
Dimension of Social Stratification
• social class – grouping of people with similar levels of wealth,
power, and prestige.
• wealth – made up of assets (value of everything one owns) and
income (money earned through salaries, investments, or capital
gains
• power – the ability to control the behavior of others, with or
without their consent based on force, possession of special skills,
knowledge, social status, personal characteristics,
custom/tradition
Dimension of Social Stratification
• prestige – respect, honor, recognition, or courtesy an individual
receives from other members of society based on income,
occupation , education, family, residences, possessions, club
memberships.
• socioeconomic status – SES, rating that combines social factors
such as educational level, occupational prestige, residence,
income, used to determine an individual’s relative position in the
stratification system.
5. Theories of stratification
• Structural Functionalist theory: The Davis Moore thesis
which has become the definitive functionalist explanation for
social inequality can be summarized as follows:
• All societies have important tasks that must be accomplished and certain position
that must be filled.
• Some positions are more important for the survival of society than others.
• The most important positions must be filled by the most qualified people.
• The positions that are the most important for the society can be
carried out by people with scarce talents who have received
long and expensive education and training. Such functionally
important positions also subject individuals to considerable
pressure and day to day responsibility, thus they must be the
most highly rewarded.
Theories of Stratification
• Conflict explanation of social stratification: Conflict theory
is based on the assumption that social stratification is created
and maintained by one group in order to protect and enhance its
own economic interest.
• According to Karl Marx, classes arise out of the productive
system of a society. The relationships between the ruling
classes and the ruled classes would be marked by struggle and
conflict over the unequal distribution of wealth and power
within the society.
• Stratification exist only because the rich and powerful are determined to hang on
to more than their share of scarce resources.
• Inequality results from the more powerful exploiting the less powerful.
• Class conflict is the struggle between social classes for more
equitable distribution of wealth, power, and prestige.
Demonstration, strikes, riots, revolts and other forms of
violence are indicators of class conflict.
6. Class System
Introduction/Definition
• The class system is universal phenomenon denoting a category
or group of persons having a definite status in society which
permanently determines their relation to other groups. The
social classes are de facto groups (not legally or religiously
defined and sanctioned) they are relatively open not closed.
• Or
• A system of hierarchy in which individuals and groups are
classified into classes on the basis of esteem and prestige
acquired mainly through economic success and accumulation of
wealth.
6.1 Determinants of Class system
• Some of the commonly agreed upon determinants are:
o Wealth: A social class may be discriminated on account of
monetary value of all own and income earned by its
members.
o Power and influence: Power and influence are the terms
related to the degree to which one has the ability to be in
charge or to rule. A social class may have national or
international influence on many aspects especially economic
factors.
o Authority: Authority particularly in the face of resistance,
also serves as one of the factors for determining the social
class.
Determinants of Class system..
o Education and Occupation: Education level of a member of
a society associates him/her to a specific social class.
Education also has a direct relation with the occupation that
he/she holds owing to the social class they belong to.
o Social Background: Social background of one’s parents
plays an important aspect in associating an ascribed status
with him/her. Usually children belong to the same social class
as their parents
o Standard of living: A higher the standard of living is
associated with the upper levels of social class hierarchy as it
comes only with wealth.
Determinants of Class system..
o Leisure pursuits: The upper hierarchy of social class has
expensive leisure pursuits. Classical music, art, poetry are the
leisure pursuits associated with upper class in Pakistan.
o Accent and dress: Accent and dressing style also varies
among different levels of social class.. Wearing designer
clothes, learning different languages such as French and
Dutch are highly common among the upper classes of many
countries.
o Social circle: It applies to determining which group of social
class one belongs to. So the social circle acts as one of the
factors responsible for determining one’s social class.
6.3 Identifying Social Classes-
Three primary methods are employed by sociologists for
identifying social classes:
• Objective method: The objective method views social class
as a statistical category I.e. it uses numerically measurable
criteria to categorize individuals
• Self-placement method: people identify their social class to
which they think they belong. Class is viewed as a social
category, one in which people group themselves with others
they perceive as sharing certain attributes in common.
• Reputational method: In the reputational method, they are
asked how they classify other individuals.
6.4 Significance of Class system
• Opportunities and rewards of a person are greatly
affected by his class position
• Social classes act like sub-cultures, the personality
development one is affected in many ways by social
classes
• Assign social responsibilities and privilege.
• Social class affects the way people deal with virtually
every aspect of reality.
• Cultivates class ethnocentrism
• groups which live differently, also think and behave
differently. Which results in diversity of outlook and
behavior.
6.5 Pakistani Class System
Four common social classes informally recognized in many
societies are:
1. Upper class,
2. Middle class,
3. Working class
Pakistani Class System
• Upper Class
• High level of income
• High paying profession
• Living in most cleanest place of country
• Their size is 2% of total society
• Approx. 3.7 million they have 60% to 65 % of money of
country.
• Actually they are :
• High leader ship
• Big Business Man
• Top Management of the country
Pakistani Class System
• Middle Class:
• Their income is not so high
• They are hard workers for their goals
• Their level of wishes is not so much top class
• Their population is 28% out of total population
• Their population is 53% to 54% of of total population
• They are actually
• They are small to medium size business man.
• Middle management
• Low ranking govt office
Pakistani Class System
• Working Class:
• They not much educated
• They are not in accusative profession
• Their income is low
• They build their homes hardly 2 rooms
• Their size is 20% of out of the total population
• They are actually
• They are very small size shop owner. Skill, semi skill & unskilled
• Low grade govt staff (peons, driver)
• Poor former
• Political worker
END