Define social stratification and discuss the four systems of social stratification
What will be an ideal response
Social stratification is a system in which people and nations are divided into layers based on their accessibility to scarce but valuable resources. The four systems of stratification include: slavery, caste, estate, and class.
(1 ) Slavery is ownership of one group of people by another. Traditionally, slavery was created by debt, war, or crime. But colonial landowners in the New World adopted slavery to fit their economic needs.
(2 ) The caste system is built on a rigid stratification system based on birth and lasting a lifetime. Four castes with thousands of subcastes, or jati, as well as a fifth class of "untouchables," compose the system in India.
(3 ) The estate system was used in Europe during the middle ages. Based on a philosophy of the "divine right of kings," there were three estates – the first estate composed of nobles and wealthy landowners, the second composed of clergy, and the third composed of serfs.
(4 ) The class system features stratification based on one's power, wealth (property and income), and prestige. Unlike the others, the class system has fluid boundaries and offers social mobility.
You might also like to view...
Which sociological perspective is most likely to focus on the stigma associated with being poor?
a. functionalism b. conflict theory c. symbolic interactionism d. feminist theory
Gutman's data suggests that enslaved women who had their first children out of wedlock
continued to live with their parents. Indicate whether the statement is true or false
SAGE Core Concepts in Sociology: Media, Technology, and Social MovementsClick on the above link to access the Interactive eBook. Once you've signed in, scroll to page 238, and watch the video. When you've finished watching the video, come back to the test, and answer the following questions:Media and technology are important ______.
A. looking glasses B. agents of socialization C. violence vectors D. petite bourgeoisie
Reynolds and Baird's study revealed that those who failed to achieve their educational dreams did not experience long-term frustrations over that failure. They called this response
A. the Hawthorne effect. B. social control. C. resocialization. D. adaptive resiliency.