Stratification

Introduction
Cont…
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Definition
• Social stratification can be referred to the hierarchical arrangement of
individuals or groups within a society based on various social dimensions
such as wealth, power, status, and privilege
• It involves the categorization of people into different social classes or
strata, with some groups having greater access to resources,
opportunities, and social rewards than others
• This hierarchical structure shapes individuals' life chances, opportunities,
and experiences, impacting their social mobility, access to education,
healthcare, and overall well-being
• Stratification is a fundamental concept in sociology that helps explain
patterns of inequality and social organization within societies
Class: Karl Marx
• Stratification divides society into two mutually opposed or contrary
social categories where one exploits the other
• Ownership of means of production (stratification divides society into
two mutually opposed or contrary social categories where one
exploits the other)
• Two classes: bourgeoisie and proletariats/capitalists and
workers/haves and have-nots
Cont…
• Bourgeoisie (Capitalist Class):
• The bourgeoisie are the owners of the means of production, including factories, land,
and capital
• They derive their wealth from the profits generated by the labour of the proletariat
• The bourgeoisie hold economic and political power in society, shaping its structure to
maintain their dominance
• Proletariat (Working Class):
• The proletariat consists of wage workers who sell their labour power to the
bourgeoisie in exchange for a wage or salary
• They do not own the means of production and must rely on selling their labour to
survive
• The proletariat constitutes the majority of the population in capitalist societies and is
exploited by the bourgeoisie for surplus value
Cont…
• Petite Bourgeoisie (Small Business Owners):
• The petite bourgeoisie includes small business owners, self-employed individuals, and
independent professionals
• While they own some means of production, such as small businesses or individual skills, they
often lack significant economic and political power compared to the bourgeoisie
• The petite bourgeoisie can sometimes align with either the bourgeoisie or the proletariat
depending on their economic interests
• Lumpenproletariat (Underclass):
• The lumpenproletariat refers to marginalised and dispossessed individuals who lack stable
employment and are often excluded from traditional class structures
• This group may include the homeless, criminals, and other socially marginalised individuals
who do not fit neatly into the capitalist mode of production
• Marx saw the lumpenproletariat as a potentially volatile element in society, prone to
criminality and social unrest
Aspects of Stratification in Marxist Theory
• Exploitation:
• Central to the Marxist analysis is the concept of exploitation, wherein the bourgeoisie
extract surplus value from the labour of the proletariat
• This occurs through the capitalist mode of production, where workers are paid wages that
are lower than the value they produce
• The surplus value accrues to the capitalist class as profit, perpetuating economic inequality
• Power:
• Power in Marxist theory is closely tied to class relations
• The bourgeoisie wields economic power through their ownership and control of the means
of production, enabling them to influence political decisions, shape societal norms, and
maintain their privileged position
• The proletariat, lacking ownership of productive assets, has limited power and agency
within the capitalist system
Cont…
• Conflict:
• Marx viewed society as inherently conflict-ridden, with class struggle serving as the primary motor
of historical change
• The antagonistic relationship between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat arises from their
conflicting interests regarding the distribution of wealth and control over production
• This class conflict manifests in various forms, including labour strikes, protests, and revolutionary
movements aimed at challenging capitalist exploitation
• Ideological Control:
• Ideological control refers to the manipulation of beliefs, values, and cultural norms by the ruling
class to justify and perpetuate their dominance
• The bourgeoisie utilize institutions such as the state, media, education, and religion to propagate
ideologies that serve their interests, such as individualism, consumerism, and the myth of
meritocracy
• These ideologies obscure the underlying structures of exploitation and reinforce the existing social
hierarchy
Cont…
• Alienation:
• Marx identified alienation as a central feature of capitalist society, resulting
from the estrangement of individuals from the products of their labour, the
process of production, and their humanity
• Workers experience alienation as they are reduced to mere commodities, their
labour commodified and disconnected from its creative and fulfilling potential
• This alienation breeds feelings of powerlessness, isolation, and discontent
among the proletariat, exacerbating social stratification
Max Weber:
• After Marx, Max Weber made an important contribution to the ideas on
stratification
• While Marx thinks that the principal form of stratification is class, Weber believes
that besides class, there are two other forms, namely status and power
• Like Marx, Weber also sees class in economic terms, but he moves ahead of Marx
because he says that classes develop in market economies
• Thus, class is a characteristic of capitalist societies because these societies have
market economies
• In capitalism, the family is not the unit of production
• The market takes over the processes of production and distribution of produce
• People depend upon the market for virtually all types of goods and services
Cont…
• People sell their skills in the market and derive their livelihood from
the income they get
• Certain skills (like of engineering, technology, medicine) fetch a higher
price in the market than certain others
• Those who have such skills, which may be called marketable skills,
have better chances to survive and make use of the facilities than
those who are unskilled or semi-skilled, or have those skills that are
not a priority in the market
• The same principle also applies to property
Cont…
• The returns from property vary with respect to its location, even the part of
the city or village where it is located. The market also determines the prices
of property
• From this, it follows that the chances of survival of an individual, which are
called life chances, depend upon the market situation
• The individual's skills determine his class, which is dependent upon the
market
• People who have no ownership of property but have skills that are much
needed by the market have good chances to survive
• Thus, they are not 'have- nots', as the Marxian theory would call them
• Weber also rejected the idea of the ruling class
Class and Power
• According to Marx, class that owns the means of production also controls political
power
• According to Weber, ownership of the means of production may not always lead
to a control over political power
• Individuals get political power not because of economic power but because of
their political skills, like their ability to communicate as effectively as possible,
their ideology, their manifesto, their organizational skills and commitment to
goals, etc.
• Thus, economic power and political power may not go hand in hand in modem
societies
Class and Status
• It's crucial to differentiate class from status in Weber's framework
• While class is rooted in economic factors like market position and
access to resources, status is determined by the level of social honour
and prestige associated with an individual's social standing and
occupation
• For instance, a high-ranking military officer might hold a lower-class
position due to their salary compared to a corporate executive
• The military officer enjoys considerable social status due to the
honour associated with their profession and service
Weber’s three classes
• Property Class (Besitzklasse):
• This class comprises individuals who hold significant ownership of the means of
production, granting them considerable economic power (e.g., factory owners,
landlords)
• Earning Class (Erwerbsklasse):
• This class encompasses individuals who primarily derive their income through the sale
of their labor or skills in the market (e.g., professionals, white-collar workers, skilled
blue-collar workers).
• Social Class (Soziale Klasse):
• This broader category incorporates the aforementioned classes and acknowledges the
influence of lifestyle and social status
• Individuals within the same earning class might occupy different social classes due to
variations in social honor and prestige associated with their professions or lifestyles