SOC-102 Social Stratification Analysis PDF

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Stratification Essay Part One In Sociology, there are several different types of stratification systems—which are essentially systems that divide people socially, often by economic status. Three of these systems include estate systems, caste systems, and class systems. In an estate system, one smaller, highly ranking group holds the power and control over society and its resources. Members of this system have an ascribed status, which means that they are born into their societal roles and have little to no social mobility. Historically, we have seen estate systems function in societies, such as most of Europe during the middle ages. Aristocrats and other elite members of society were at the top of the system and maintained the power. The middle estate was made up of clergy, which consisted of many members of the church; unlike the others, this estate is not necessarily ascribed, as individuals can become members of the church and therefore become apart of the clergy. The lowest estate level is the largest and is made up of the common members of society. These people have little to no power in society and are controlled by the upper estates (Brown). In a caste system, members of each caste are strictly ascribed to their caste and there is no social mobility whatsoever. In fact, in a caste system, members of different castes do not interact with one another. Similar to the estate system, a small elite group of individuals hold the power and control the society and the largest caste is the lowest one, which consists of the poorest members of society. India used to function according to a caste system, and some would argue that it still does today. At the top of this system are the Brahmins, and the lowest level is known as the untouchables.

Many people would consider the United States today to be a class system. It is an open system in which people can have an achieved status. This means that the system allows for social mobility and individuals can work to change their economic or class status. Though there are different classes, there is significantly more fluidity within a class system than in a caste or estate system. In fact, the United States is actually considered a land of opportunity by many, as individuals pursue “the American Dream.” This dream is an elaboration of the idea of achieved status; people often long for the ability to improve one’s status by the means of hard work and dedication (Brown).

Part Two Upon analyzing the data from the U.S. Census Bureau American FactFinder, it becomes clear how much stratification there is between the races as well as the genders. The data displays that men who are all white are the most likely of all men to receive higher education of some sort (2018). In fact, 92.6 percent of white men are high school graduates or higher. Whereas, only 68.4 percent of Hispanic men are high school graduates or higher. However, all-white women have the highest rate of graduation and higher education, as 93.6 percent are at least high school graduates. Hispanic women are again the least likely to receive higher education, at 70.9 percent. The races that have the most educational opportunities are white and Asian people. The races that have the least educational opportunities are black and Latin people (2018). This data shows that white women hold the most power and opportunities than any other group of people. However, many would still argue that though statistics have shown that women are more likely to complete higher education, men still hold most of the societal power. Specifically, white men hold the most power. This is because when examining society today,

most of our elected officials and other such members of society are white men. Even forty-four of our forty-five Untied States presidents have been white men. And we have yet to see a woman elected for president. Therefore, while the data might display that white women are at the greatest societal advantage, it seems to be that white men actually hold most of the power. Members of the African American and Latino community are at the greatest disadvantage in society both in terms of educational opportunities and economic and social status (Brown). This data is effective in demonstrating how divided and stratified our society is despite what many people believe. What lies beneath the surface of our class system is members of society who are essentially stuck in their ascribed status. People born into minorities and vulnerable populations have a significantly harder time trying to achieve certain goals than more advantaged members of society. People often make inferences that the division of labor in our society is perpetuating this stratification. However, it is important to address all the individual factors that influence and perpetuate social stratification. Factors such as the socio-economic status that one is born into can greatly impact how much social mobility an induvial is able to have (Wodtke, 2017). Throughout United States history, there have been unfair laws, opportunities, and other such influences that have segregated the races and the genders. For many years only straight, white men were able to hold any power in our country. Now, each race and gender is granted equality by the law and society is slowly working to readjust itself to make opportunities more equal among each race, gender, and sexuality. In fact, with this new data showing that women are more likely than men to receive a higher education, society seems to be finally transforming into a more balanced and fair structure. This data would be significantly different even if it was collected from only ten or twenty years ago. Overall, stratification and social inequality is an

issue that society has always faced, but seems to be gradually correcting itself in society today (Wodtke, 2017).

Resources (2018). Retrieved from https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=Educational Attainment&hidePreview=false&t=Educational Attainment&tid=ACSST1Y2018.S1501&vintage=2018 Brown, A., Claerbaut, D., & Larkin, T. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://lc.gcumedia.com/soc102/our-social-world-an-introduction-tosociology/v1.1/#/bios Wodtke, G. T. (2017). Social Relations, Technical Divisions, and Class Stratification in the United States: An Empirical Test of the Death and Decomposition of Class Hypotheses. Social Forces, 95(4), 1479–1508. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1093/sf/sox012...