Question

1. (a) Define social class. How is social class different for the other systems of stratification such as slavery and caste? (b) There are three sociological perspectives on stratification. Structural Functionalism (Davis and Moore 1945); Conflict Theory (Marx and Engels); Max Weber’s three-part theory—define each of the elements. Briefly summarize each of these theories.

Answer 1

• 1.A social class is a large group of people who occupy a similar position in an economic system. There are several different dimensions of social class, including:
• Income refers to earnings from work or investments, while wealth refers to all of those assets an individual owns, such as cash, savings and checking accounts, stocks, bonds, real estate, etc. minus outstanding debts.
• Most people make money from work, but for the wealthy, much of theirs is inherited. As a result, wealth is distributed much more unevenly than income, because wealth is typically passed down from generation to generation.
• Work is considered an important dimension of social class as well. People commonly give greater respect to those who have more prestigious occupations. In any society, those with high-prestige occupations often belong to more privileged categories of people. When it comes to occupational prestige, the highest-ranked occupations, such as physicians, dentists, and engineers, are typically held by men. Women and people of color often dominate the less prestigious occupations.
• Education is an important dimension of social class. In fact, education is one of the strongest predictors of occupation, income, and wealth later in life. Most better-paying white collar jobs require a college degree, while most blue collar jobs require less schooling, and bring less income and prestige.
• Finally, it is argued that nothing affects social standing as much as being born into a particular family. The family we are born into has a strong bearing on schooling, occupation, and income.
• The primary difference between them is that "class" is based primarily upon material acquisition or the lack of it, while "caste" can be based on such a premise but is more of a traditional notion of hierarchy.
• Another difference between caste and class is that caste is almost a genetic idea; it is something that is passed down from generation to generation automatically. By contrast, a person's class may be very different from that of his or her parents. Caste is automatically hereditary, class is not.
• Another difference is that castes are endogamous, which means that people from one caste may not marry outside the caste. While it is often true that people of one class marry inside that class, there is no rule that says they must, as there is with caste.
• Members in a particular caste share certain values. For example, in India, the definition of the "Brahmin" caste is more than economic, and is based on common beliefs and practices. When the term "class" is used, it is linked through the primary notion of wealth or status, and does not carry with it the traditional concepts that caste does.
• Both are forms of social segregation and stratification, but one is more ushered in over time while the other is a relatively modern construct predicated upon wealth and the prestige associated with it.
• Slavery involves one person owning another, which means that the owner has total control over the enslaved person's time, body, and movements.
• Open systems, which are based on achievement, allow movement and interaction between layers and classes. Different systems reflect, emphasize, and foster certain cultural values and shape individual beliefs. Open stratification systems include class systems.A class system allows for social mobility. A person has a choice in the matter of their outcome. It is this system that nurtures the idea of the American Dream.
• Closed systems accommodate little change in social position. They do not allow people to shift levels and do not permit social relationships between levels. The most extreme closed system of social stratification is that of slavery.
• A select group of individuals exercise complete power (and ownership) over an identified group that is offered no access to resources. There is no chance of social mobility of the lowest group.
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