Download Ch. 9 S. 1

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Chapter 9 Section 1: Systems of Stratification
Obj: The characteristics of caste systems and class systems; How the major theories of social
stratification differ.
Almost every society in the course of human history has separated its members on the basis of
certain characteristics. Sociologists call this division of society into categories, ranks, or classes
social _______________________. The levels of stratification and the types of characteristics
used have varied from society. Such ascribed statuses as ancestry, race, age, physical
appearance, and gender are among the most common distinguishing characteristics.
__________________ statuses-such as educational attainment and occupation-can also be
used to determine social standing. Other factors that play a part in determining rack or position
in society include talent and effort. Divisions based on such individual characteristics, abilities,
and behaviors lead to social _________________-the unequal sharing of scarce resources and
social rewards.
Types of Stratification Systems
The level of social ____________________ in a society varies according to the degree to which
that society’s stratification system is open or closed. In a closed system, movement between the
_________________, or status levels, is impossible. A person is assigned a status at birth and
remains at that level throughout life. In an open system, movement between strata is possible.
The ease of movement depends on the degree of ______________________ in the system.
Sociologists recognize two basic types of stratification systems in today’s societies_________________ systems and _____________ systems. Picture a stratification continuum
with closed systems to the left and open systems to the right. Caste systems would fall at the far
left of the continuum. In a caste system, a person’s status is assigned at ______________. In all
but the rarest cases, the individual remains in the shat status throughout life. Class systems, on
the other hand, would fall somewhere on the right of the continuum. The actual location depends
on the society under consideration, because class systems range from slightly open to very
open.
Caste Systems – In a caste system, scarce ______________________ and social
__________________ are distributed on the basis of ascribed statuses. A newborn child’s
lifelong status – or caste – is determined by the status of his or her parents. While effort and
talent may affect someone’s __________________ within a caste, they cannot help the person
move to a higher status.
Because status is ____________________, a caste system has elaborate norms governing
interaction among the different castes. For example, marriage between members of different
castes would make it difficult to assign a status to children. Which parent’s status would be
used? To avoid this problem, caste systems have traditionally forbidden the practice of
______________________, marriage outside one’s own social category. Instead, caste
systems generally have practiced _________________________. Endogamy is marriage within
one’s own social category.
Caste systems were once a very common form of social organization in South Asia.
________________ provides one of the best examples of this system of stratification.
Developed more than 3,0000 years ago, the Indian caste system assigned individuals to one of
four castes. These castes were subdivided into thousands of ________________________
based on specific occupations. Below these four castes was a class of outcastes. They were
considered unclean and were given only the most undesirable tasks to perform. Other castes
avoided all contact with them because being touched by one made a higher-caste person
unclean. The only way to remove this “________________” of uncleanness was to go through
special cleansing rituals.
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The Indian constitution, which was adopted in 1950, outlawed the
________________________ against the outcastes. It also declared that all Indians, regardless
of background, were equal. In addition, government programs set aside places in schools and
government jobs for lower caste members. But ________________________ the caste system
has proved extremely difficult. Some blurring of distinctions among the castes has taken place in
the cities. There, modern __________________________ systems and work arrangements
force mixing among the castes. However, in the rural areas-where most Indians live-caste still
plays a major role in organizing everyday life.
Class Systems – In a _____________ system the distribution of scarce resources and rewards
is determined on the basis of achieved statuses. This linking means that individuals have some
_______________ over their place in the stratification system. Given talent, effort, and
opportunity, individuals can move up the social-class ladder. However, the _______________ is
also true. Circumstances can reduce an individual’s standing in the stratification system.
Sociologists have defined social class in various ways. Those who base their work on the
theories of Karl ___________ define social class in terms of who owns the means of production.
The means of production are the materials and methods used to produce goods and services. In
this view of social class, society is divided into two basic groups-those who own the means of
production and those who own only their labor. According to the followers of Marx, the owners of
the means of production in a capitalist society are called the _____________________. The
workers who sell their labor in exchange of wages are called the
__________________________. The bourgeoisie reaps all of the profits, even though the
proletariat does the work. According to Marx, the only determining feature of class is he
ownership of property.
Max _______________ expanded Marx’s ideas. Weber believed that class consists of three
factors-property, prestige, and power. Weber accepted that ___________________ plays
significant role in determining people’s places in society. However, he suggested that prestige
and power also greatly affect social standing. For example, inheritance taxes and the costs of
maintaining their estates have greatly reduced the wealth of many English nobles. However,
they still may hold a position of power in the community. On the other hand, the wealthy
individual who made his or her money through _______________ means may be shunned by
the establish upper class.
Dimensions of Social Stratification
Today many sociologists adopt Weber’s view of social stratification. They define
__________________ class as a grouping of people with similar levels of _________________,
power, and ________________. For sociologists, these three terms mean very specific things.
Wealth – An individual’s _________________ is made up of his or her assets-the value of
everything the person owns-and income-money earned through salaries, investment returns, or
other ________________ gains. In the US, wealth is concentrated overwhelmingly in the hands
of a small ____________________ of the population. The richest 1% of the population controls
more than 1/3 of the country’s wealth. About 4/5’s of the country’s assets are in the hands of the
richest 1/5.
_________________ is also distributed unequally in the US, although not as strikingly as total
wealth. The top 1/5 of income earners receives approximately 50% of the total national income.
Recent studies ____________ that this income gap is growing. One study estimates that the
average corporate executive makes 419 times as much money as the average production
worker. This ___________ stood at 326 to 1 in 1997 and just 42 to 1 in 1980.
Power – People with substantial wealth also usually possess considerable power.
______________ is the ability to control the behavior of others, with or without their consent.
Power can be based on force, the possession of a special skill or type of
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___________________, a particular social status, personal characteristics, or
_______________ and tradition.
Prestige – Individuals can be _________________ accordingly to prestige as well as by the
wealth and power they possess. _________________ is the respect, honor, recognition, or
courtesy an individual receives from other members of society. Prestige can be based on any
characteristics a society or group considers important. Income, occupation, education, family
background, area of residence, possessions, and __________ memberships are among some
of the most common factors that determine prestige.
In the US, occupation tends to be the most important determinant of prestige. When asked to
rate ______________________ according to levels of prestige, Americans consistently place
jobs that require higher levels of education at the top of the list.
To make the ranking of people according to wealth, power, and prestige possible, sociologists
often calculate people’s _______________________________ status (SES). This is a rating
that combines social factors such as educational level, occupational prestige, and place of
residence with the economic factor of income. These combined _____________ are then used
to determine an individual’s relative position in the stratification system.
Explaining Stratification
Sociologists are interested not only in the ________________ of social stratification, but also in
its causes and consequences. Functionalists and conflict theorists have offered
____________________. Other sociologists, seeing weaknesses in both approaches, have tried
to blend the two.
_____________________ Theory – Functionalists view stratification as a necessary feature of
the social structure. The functionalist explanation assumes that certain roles in society must be
performed if the system is to be maintained. Higher rewards for the performance of these roles
ensure their fulfillment-the more important the role and more ______________ needed to
perform the role, the higher the reward. Functionalists claim that without varying rewards, many
jobs would not be filled, and society could not function smoothly. For example, why would
someone take the time and expense to become a ________________ if the reward for being a
salesclerk were the same?
Critics have suggested that the functionalist explanation has _________________. The theory
fails to consider that not everyone in society has _______________ access to such resources
as education. Without this access, people are unlikely to obtain high-status occupations. The
functionalist approach also ignores the likelihood that there may be many talented people in the
lower ______________. Because of stratification these people may be prevented from making a
contribution to society. Finally, it cannot explain why rewards sometimes do not reflect the social
value of the role. Why should movie stars and professional athletes-whose importance to society
is limited-command such high incomes?
_______________ Theory – Conflict theorists see competition over __________ resources as
the cause of social inequality. Conflict theorists who base their work on Marxist theory say that
stratification comes form class exploitation. The owners of the means of production control the
_______________ class in order to make profits and maintain their power in society.
Many American conflict theorists-such as C. Wright Mills, Irving Louis Horowitz, and G. William
Domhoff-take a broader view of ________________. According to their view, various groups
within society ______________ with one another for scarce resources. Once a group gains
power, it is able to shape public policy and public opinion to its own advantage. In that way, it
maintains its position of _________________.
Critics have found shortcomings in conflict theory as well. One of its major
________________________ is that it fails to recognize that unequal rewards are based, in
part, on ____________________ in talent, skill, and desire. Not everyone is suited for every
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position in the social structure. Consequently, society must have some way to urge the proper
individuals into positions that are __________ to its operation. One way to do this is through the
offer of different rewards.
Efforts at Synthesis
Some sociologists, noting that __________________ approach fully explains stratification, have
tried to synthesize, or blend, the two. Ralf Dahrendorf suggests that each approach might be
used to explain specific aspects of stratification. For example, functionalist theory helps explain
why people are willing to spend years __________________ to become doctors or lawyers.
Conflict theory helps to explain why the _______________________ of the wealthy tend to go to
the best colleges.
Gerhard Lenski takes a similar approach. However, he asserts that the usefulness of the theory
depends on the ___________________ under study. He notes that functionalists state that a
stratification system functions because members of society accept it. Such a view would apply to
simple societies – such as hunter-gatherer societies. In ________________ societies, survival
depends on _________________________. Lenski suggests that the conflict theory would
apply to more complex societies, in which people struggle to control wealth and power. A ruling
group emerges form the struggle, and social inequality develops as this group takes steps to
maintain its position.