Lecture Notes on Social Stratification

Definition of Social Stratification

• Social Stratification: Emergent and/or purposeful categorization of people and groups to establish/reinforce differences in relative social worth (social ranks).
• Key Assertions:
  1. Involves emergent or purposeful categorization.
  2. Categories establish/reinforce social worth differences.

Understanding Social Categories

• Fundamental Feature: Categorization.
• Examples of Social Categories:
  • Innate Categories:
    • Gender roles (e.g., mother, father).
    • Age (e.g., infant, toddler, elderly).
  • Economic Roles:
    • Occupations ranked on economic value.

Emergent vs. Purposeful Categorization

• Emergent Example:
  • Rock Star: Emerged unintentionally; started with Elvis Presley's rise in 1956.
  • Factors: Television, pop culture, and technological developments.
• Purposeful Example:
  • Racial Categories (White/Black):
    • Created by American pro-slavery movement.
    • Utilized to defend slavery and establish racial hierarchies.

Impact of Categorization on Social Rank

• Purpose of Categorization:
  • To organize society or maintain existing structure.
  • Can be beneficial (e.g., rock star) or harmful (e.g., racial categories).
• Sociological Interest:
  • Focus on hidden ways categories reinforce social inequalities.

Universal Features of Social Stratification

1. Universality:
   • All societies generate ranked categories.
   • Examples:
     • Simple societies (tribal leaders).
     • Modern societies (economic rank).
2. Changeability:
   • Ranks of categories can change over time (e.g., English royal family).
3. Link to Social Inequality:
   • Categories and ranks contribute to inequality (e.g., gender stratification).

Gender Stratification and Inequality

• Gender Attributes:
  • Male vs. Female stereotypes.
  • Leadership often seen as masculine.
• Impact on Leadership:
  • Male-dominated leadership roles.
  • Example: Every U.S. president being male.
• Real-World Example:
  • Photo analysis showing gender-based placement in business settings.

Conclusion

• Core of Sociological Research:
  • Examines categorization and its effects on society.
• Social Changes and Inequality:
  • Categories evolve with social changes.
  • Sociologists' role: Identify stratification systems and their link to inequality.