What are the Major Principles of Stratification?

The principles of stratification are ruling human life. Our social life revolves around these essential elements of stratification.

Hierarchy: Stratification would be indicative of a hierarchical nature in which people and groups are arranged in stepwise fashion from top to bottom. The hierarchy inside the strata goes from the most privileged to the least privileged.

Inequality: The stratification expresses inequality within the privileges, opportunities, resources, and privileges. Inequalities manifest themselves in the economic, social, and political fields.

Elements of Stratification: The major dimensions of stratification are class, caste, race, and gender. Each element makes its contribution to the positioning of individuals within the social hierarchy.

Social Mobility: The principle denotes the possibility of moving oneself or one’s group up or down the social ladder. Social mobility can be upward or downward and depends on education, economic factors, and social networks.

Inherent Processes: Stratification has often been traced back to the individuals’ decisions apart from a few of the structural factors operating within society. Entrenched systems, such as historical legacies or institutional discrimination, may produce inequality.

The underlying principles of stratification revolve around various sociological theories. These theories display the varied ways in which structure and social relationships within a given society should be analyzed. Based on the underlying principles of stratification, functionalism, symbolic theory, and symbolic interactionism are major theories. Each has a different view.

Functionalism

One of the leading sociological theories is that of functionalism. Functionalism focuses on how the different parts of the society work together. According to the functionalist thinkers, stratification maintains the stability of society. They say every social position functions in one way or another, and these functions contribute to the overall functioning of society.

An example being, some occupations are more valued than others. Such occupations need a lot of expertise and education. Not everyone can carry them out. Therefore, concerning this very fact, individuals are compensated based on their rank.

The more highly ranked one is, the more honor and cash he gets. It is all because of such inequality that people wish to be educated and skilled.

Further, functionalists do believe that stratification brings about efficiency: the most qualified people will take up the most important positions. It encourages people to develop themselves and provides a driving force for personal and societal development. Finally, it benefits society when there is an organized functioning system.

However, critics of functionalism still feel that the theory does not consider the inequalities present within society. They point out that not everybody has an equal opportunity. There are people who are at a disadvantage compared to others. These could be race, class or even gender-based.

Symbolic Theory

Another perspective in which the different principles of stratification could be regarded is that of symbolic theory. This theory focuses upon meanings and symbols guiding social interactions-putting the emphasis on how individuals interpret and give meaning to their experiences.

The symbolic theory, within stratification, reflects how the notion of ranking of individuals relates within societies. Individuals in societies often learn to connect certain symbols with status. Examples of these symbols include but are not limited to, clothes, speech, and non-verbal behavior. For example, an expensive watch may be representative or expressive of wealth and prosperity. On the other hand, torn shoes may indicate the opposite.

It is these symbols that give shape to the individuals’ identities, say the symbolic theorists. It is the accepted symbols of people that dictate the way others treat them. This again increases the reality of the status of a person. When they internalize these symbols, they may act as the society expects them to.

What is more, symbolic theory underlines that social interactions reproduce stratification. People interact with others using perceptions of status. Interaction reproduces social hierarchies by creating and maintaining a system of social rank. Everyday life becomes part of the huge mechanism for stratification processes within societies.

Symbolic Interactionism

Symbolic interactionism is closely associated with the symbolic theory. Interactionism focuses on the daily interactions that occur between the persons. This point of view brings into focus the impact of communication and social context in understanding stratification.

Through symbolic interactionism, we see how reality is created for the individual. Each of them interprets his/her world based on how they have interacted with the other person. This would include their perception of social position and ranking, too. A person may, for instance, feel superior or inferior based on the feedback that comes from peers.

This theory also focuses on the micro-level in society. It looks at the issue of how meaning has been created in the life of an individual. Social class and status are felt at individual levels. For instance, a high-income individual might be alienated from the lower status. He might get this feeling that determines his behavior and attitude.

Moreover, symbolic interactionism explains how people negotiate their identities. One may attempt to fulfill the role set by society or refuse to do so. Their actions can be oppositional and supportive of the principles of stratification. For instance, the representatives of the lower class may work to beat the stereotypes. They may be successful along counter-cultural lines.

People also build up their biographies through the life course. These biographies remind them about their position in the hierarchical evolution of societies. Again, these biographies make influences upon other people’s perception too.

Conclusion

Principles of stratification, no doubt, are useful to comprehend how societies evolve with complex organization. Three theories that tend to elaborate upon the aspect of this very intricate phenomena include functionalism, symbolic theory, and symbolic interactionism. Each of these discusses different dimensions that this stratification mechanism portrays.

The theories explain better the principles of stratification. Theories explain to one the intricacy of social stratification. Intensive research on the above principles brings one closer to how society works. In the present world, where everything has several complexities, it’s better to be informed about these principles. It will shed light to the debates taking place around issues of inequality, identity, and the human condition.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

Why is stratification important?

Stratification is important to understand the dynamics of society and what it means for inequality. Stratification affects life chances, interactional patterns, and stability in society. Research on stratification might also bring insight into issues related to poverty, discrimination, and social justice.

How does stratification vary across cultures?