Essay about Social Stratification - 1554 Words

In Australian society, many people agree that the socio-economic class that you are born into will determine the life chances you ultimately have for the rest of your life. Australian society is highly based upon the concept of social stratification which â€Å"refers to the division of the population of a society into strata arranged in a hierarchy† (Aspin, Lois J., 1996: page 39) Sociologists study the social world through paradigms, which are theoretical frameworks such as functionalism and conflict theory. The way that they view society is through these paradigms in which they evaluate the life chances that individuals get throughout their life. Life chances are defined as â€Å"the chances an individual has in sharing in the economic, social†¦show more content†¦Although most Australian households are able to experience the wide range of choices over housing when making decisions about the cost of living, savings and investment, there are many low income househo lds where renting is the only affordable option. â€Å"In 2009-10, 37 percent of men and 34 percent of women aged fifteen years and over living in low income households experienced rental stress.† (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2013). Those considered to be under rental stress, pay more than thirty percent of their gross income towards rent. Conflict Theorists argue that individuals and groups of social classes within society have differing amounts of material and non-material items, such as the homes and the land in which they live. They argue that those who have power within society use this power to exploit groups lower than them, including those from low socio-economic backgrounds. Power can be defined as â€Å"the superior or inferior access an individual has to influence and authority† (Aspin, Lois J., 1996: page 38). In regards to this use of power, conflict theorists would claim that the relationship is unequal and favours those who own their own homes and does not give those who have paid their housing expenses for many years, any right or economic interest with the property. It argues that this is the result of the strong-rich exploiting the poor-weak of society. Thus,Show MoreRelatedStratification, Stratification And Social Structure Essay1413 Words   |  6 PagesIn our daily social life, when people meeting together whether with a stranger or a friend, they are likely to classify others by a certain category of characteristics consciously or unconsciously. However, making categories not only applies to individual life, also societies have categories, as what the sociologists called stratification. Stratification which divides people according to social structures refers to bigger areas of factor including gender, age, ethnicity, family lineage, economicRead MoreSocial Stratification1648 Words   |  7 PagesSocial stratification defines any structure of inequality that persists in a society across generations. Social strata are groups of people — who belong to the same social class or have the same social level. Social strata are organised in a vertical hierarchy. In the early societies people shared a common social standing. In the hunting and gathering societies there was little stratification: men hunted for meat while women gathered edible plants. The general welfar e of the society depended on theRead MoreSocial Stratification1358 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿SOCIAL SCIENCE 101 (Society and Culture with Population Education) Unit IV. Social Stratification Meaning of Social Stratification When sociologists speak of stratification, they are referring to social inequality and social ranking, thus, stresses the differences among people. Is an institutionalized pattern of inequality in which social categories ranked on the basis of their access to scarce resources. Is the hierarchy arrangement and establishment of social categories that evolveRead MoreSocial Stratification864 Words   |  4 PagesSOCIAL STRATIFICATION AND SOCIAL MOBILITY IN THE CARIBBEAN Presenter Ms. N. Lewis What is social Stratification? ï  ¬ This refers to the ranking of social groups according to one or more criteria deemed important to society. ï  ¬ The ranking indicates that some groups have more and others have less of what society values- for example, money, power and prestige. Types of stratification Systems There are two types of stratification systems: 1. Closed system of stratification 2. Open system of stratificationRead MoreClass Stratification And Social Stratification1485 Words   |  6 PagesQ. ‘Class stratification is no longer relevant in explaining equality in the U.K. today.’ A. Class stratification runs on 3 main points: Power (legal ability, capacity or authority granted on a person/persons), Prestige (a reputation or influence arising from success) and Privilege (a special right or immunity) with these being the root of social stratification it’s easy to see why inequality in universal with the bourgeoisie (the elite 2% of the world) controlling the proletariat (working classRead MoreSocial Stratification : Functional Theory, And Conflict Theory1091 Words   |  5 PagesDoes Social Stratification Have a Functional Purpose in Society Social Stratification is considered to be a hierarchy of positions concerning economic production which influences the social rewards to those in the positions (Social Stratification, Definition Social Stratification, n.d.). There are two commonly known theories when it comes to social stratification, the functional theory, and the conflict theory. The functionalist believes that stratification is needed for society to enhance stabilityRead MoreThe Concept Of Social Stratification893 Words   |  4 PagesThe concept of social stratification is quite complex. It involves categorizing a person into socioeconomic levels based upon one’s profession, wealth, social status, and perceived power. Such a stratification makes up a social hierarchy, which involves placing groups of people in a higher standing than another group, with fewer people being included into the ‘higher’ classes. These concepts were not always apparent, only developing as result of human influence. Using Sumer and Uruk as examples,Read MoreThe Origin of Social Stratification5566 Words   |  23 PagesINTRODUCTION Social stratification is rigid subdivision of society into a hierarchy of layers, differentiated on the basis of power, prestige and wealth. It is the hierarchical arrangement of people in a society. Stratification is common in the animal kingdom on the basis of power and gender and some form of stratification has probably always existed among humans. With the development of food and other surpluses resulting from technological advances in agriculture and manufacturing, some peopleRead MoreSystems of Social Stratification2682 Words   |  11 Pagessystems of social stratification. The main aim of this essay is to compare and contrast these systems as well as indicating their advantages and disadvantages to development. The essay begins with defining the key terms which include comparing, contrasting and development. It further goes on to define as well as explain social stratification itself, the caste, the class and the colour-bar systems respectively. The essay further talks about the advantages and disadvantages of these systems of social stratificationRead MoreSocial Stratification1429 Words   |  6 PagesIreland The social stratification in Ireland today is undefined. During the Celtic Tiger it was perceived that Ireland as a whole was very wealthy and many people were classed as ‘wealthy’ or ‘upper class’. However since the recession hit the social status regarding the wealth of the country has deteriorated. It appears now that a larger number of the population are working or middle class and only a minority group remain in the upper classes of society. The growing unemployment rate has forced many