The hierarchical arrangement of large

social groups based on their control over

basic resources.
Stratification involves patterns of structural
inequality associated with membership in these
groups.
Resources are anything valued in a society
(money, property, medical care, education).
Life chances refers to the extent to which
individuals have access to resources.

Social Class
Social Status

Ascribed
Achieved

Roles

Upper Class
Elite families found mostly in agriculture,
industry, business or government
New Rich
Traditional Rich

Middle Class
Small business, industry owners, professionals
May or may not have properties
Lower Class
Largest in number and live in subsistence levels
Underemployed, indigent families, artisans

Stratification systems are classified as

open or closed.
Open system: Boundaries between levels in
hierarchies are flexible and positions are
influenced by achieved statuses.
Closed system: Boundaries between levels in
hierarchies are rigid, and positions are set by
ascribed status.

No system is completely open or closed.

Social Mobility
Social Distance
Class consciousness
Class struggle

The movement of individuals or groups

from one level in a stratification system to
another.
Moving of people in the social system up
and down the scale

Intergenerational mobility is the social

movement experienced by family members
from one generation to the next.
Intragenerational mobility is the social
movement of individuals within their own
lifetime.

 Vertical Social Mobility

Movement of group or person from one position to
another in different social classes up and down the
social stratification system

Horizontal Social Mobility

One social position to another with roles of varying
importance within the same social class

An extreme form of stratification in which

some people are owned by others.
Slavery had four primary characteristics:
1. It was for life and was inherited.
2. Slaves were considered property,
not human beings.
3. Slaves were denied rights.
4. Coercion was used to keep slaves
in their place.

A caste system is a system of social

inequality in which peoples status is
permanently determined at birth based on
their parents ascribed characteristics.
India's caste system was based on occupation.
Apartheid in South Africa was based on race.

Caste systems are maintained through:

endogamous marriage
Cultural beliefs and values including religion

According to Marx, income and wealth are

determined by a relationship to the means
of production.

 Capitalist class (bourgeoisie) consists of those

who own the means of production (land, factories,
mines, etc.)
Working class (proletariat) consists of those who
must sell their labor in order to survive.

The capitalist class exploits the working

class.
Workers experience alienationa feeling
of powerlessness and estrangement.

Class conflictthe struggle between the

capitalist class and the working class
Marx predicted an end to capitalism when
the workers realized they were oppressed
and overthrew the capitalists.

Weber suggested three elements of class:

Wealth - the value of all of a persons or
familys economic assets, including income,
personal property, and income-producing
property.
Prestige - the respect or regard with which a
person or status position is regarded by others.
Power - the ability of people or groups to
achieve their goals despite opposition from
others.

Sociologists often use the term

socioeconomic status (SES) to refer to a
combined measure that attempts to
determine class location by classifying
individuals, families, or households in terms
of factors such as income, occupation, and
education.

Gilbert and Kahl have developed a

contemporary model of social class based
on the Weberian model.
Upper class (capitalist)

The wealthiest and most powerful class

Often divided into "old money" and "new money"

Upper-middle class
Highly educated professionals
Many families with family-owned businesses
A combination of factors qualifies people for this
class: university degree, authority and
independence on the job, high income.

Middle class
2-year or 4-year college degrees
Technicians, lower-level managers, semiprofessionals

Working class
Semiskilled
Clerks, salespeople

 Pink-collar occupationsrelatively low-paying,

non-manual, semiskilled positions primarily held
by women
Examples: day-care workers, checkout clerks

Working poor
Live just above the poverty line
Unskilled jobs, seasonal and migrant jobs, service
jobs

Underclass
Poor, seldom employed
Long-term deprivation
Low levels of education and income