Theories of Social Stratification

Sociology is an integral part of any society, and social stratification is its key element. Everyone dreams of a society where every person is equal, and no one is superior to another. This type of society is called an egalitarian society. In an egalitarian society, there is no difference between the rich and poor and everyone has an equal share in the society’s wealth and resources. However, in present-day societies, equality exists primarily in rights, not in stature. Societies are divided into sub-groups, and this is called stratification. 

Meaning of stratification

The real world is far from the ideal egalitarian society. Societies are divided based on caste, creed, colour, and wealth, and this is called social stratification.

• In ancient times, the land belonged to the upper caste, while the lower caste had nothing in terms of land and property. This was when social stratification was at its peak

• The caste system in India is also a type of social stratification. The four main castes in India include Brahmin, Vaishya, Kshatriya, and Shudra. In many parts of the country, the caste system is still prevalent
• Apart from caste and wealth, many societies are also stratified in terms of gender, class, and religion

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Basis for stratification of a society

There can be multiple basis or reasons for stratification within a society. Some of these include:

• Economic condition: In many societies, people are divided based on their economic status. It plays a crucial role in determining their position in society. People are marked based on the amount of money they earn, and such a situation often creates a sense of inferiority among individuals
• Social Class: India is the most prominent example of stratification based on social class. In such a stratification, people are divided based on caste assigned to them at birth which determines their present and future positions in the society
• Gender: Social stratification based on gender is a huge problem that most societies in the world face today. In such a stratification, men and women are differentiated across various aspects of their personal and professional solely based on their gender
• Religion: Differentiation based on the faith of people is called religion-based stratification. Some of these religions include Hinduism, Christianity, Islam and Judaism
• Social Network: Upper-class people who only share a friendly relationship of their own status and money and hardly get in touch with people of the lower class follow the concept of stratification based upon the social network

Types of systems in stratification

There are two types of systems for social stratification:

• Open System: This is the type of system when merit is the basis of stratification in society. Merit-based stratification comes under this category 
• Closed System: In this type of social stratification, the people are stratified based on parents’ position in society. The birth of the person decides the strata in closed system stratification

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Characteristics of social stratification

The social stratification system is still followed by many societies globally. The characteristics of such a system include:

• Ancient: The system of social stratification has been followed since time immemorial. It is one of the oldest systems which discriminates against two people based on caste, creed, colour, gender and many other properties
• Universal: Social stratification is a global phenomenon, followed by almost all communities around the world in some way or another
• Diverse forms: Social stratification is never the same across societies. It takes various diverse forms. For example, the Indian society is divided into four castes and the roman society into two, the Patricians and the Plebeians

Modern stratification and its variations

In today’s era of digitalisation, stratification is divided into five subparts. These include:

• Upper Class
• Upper Middle Class
• Lower Middle Class
• Working Class
• Lower Class

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Theories of social stratification

Functionalist Theory of Social Stratification 

According to this theory, different types of societies exist in the world to complete a particular purpose of the society. This theory was proposed by sociologists Kingsley Davis and Wilbert Moore.

Marxist Theory of Social Stratification 

Karl Marx was always opposed to the idea of social stratification. According to him, upper-class people were responsible for the condition of the lower-class people. He shared the capitalist idea in two ways. 

• Substructure: The relationship of the workers comes under the category of the substructure
• Superstructure: The main components of the superstructure are industrialists and their owners. They are only responsible for changing the substructure

Conclusion

Social stratification is an age-old phenomenon that is still very prevalent in today’s societies. Various thinkers and philosophers have tried to explain the phenomenon and documented its pros and cons. With the advent of education and awareness over time, many societies have become sensitive about the concept of social stratification, and are working towards doing away with it. However, there is still a long way to go to free the world of the various evils of social stratification.