Theories and dimension of social stratification and social inequality

Theories of the social stratification

There are the two approaches to the study of the stratification:

1.Conflict approach under which the Karl Marx and the Webers theories come.

2. Functionalist Approach under which Talcott parsons and Davis and Moore 's fall.

Conflict Theory

According to the Karl Marx in all stratified societies, there are two major social groups; a ruling class and a subject class. The ruling class derives its power from its ownership and control of the forces of the productions. The ruling class exploits and suppresses the subject class.As the result, there is the conflict of the interest between the two classes. The various institution of the society such as the legal and the political system are the instruments of the ruling class domination and serve to further its interests. Max believed the western societies developed through the four main epochs: primitive communism, ancient society, feudal society and the capitalist society.

Although the conflict theory generally acknowledges that socioeconomic inequality occurs in nearly all societies, they do not think it exists because it meets the social need for the productivity. They note, for example, more economically and the developed societies generally have the less inequality than the others. In general, the conflict theory sees the socioeconomic inequality as existing because wealthy and the powerful usually the small group in any society benefit from it and have the enough power to make the social system work to protect themselves.

Due to this great inequality, conflict theorists in the tradition of the Karl Marx see a tendency in most societies for class conflict.It is in the interest of the wealthy to keep the things as they are, where those without wealthy have an interest in the social change. Marx predicted that this conflict of the interest would eventually lead to the overthrow of the most capitalist societies as the subordinate class realized its own interests and seized the wealth from the ruling class.

Functional Theory

Talcott parsons believe that order, stability, and the cooperation in the society are based upon value consensus that is general agreement by the members of the society considering what is good and what is worthwhile. Stratification system derives from the common values, it follows from the existences of the values that individuals will be evaluated and therefore place in some form of the rank ordered. Stratification is the ranking of the individuals in the social system according to common value system. Those who perform in terms of the society values will be ranked highly and they will be likely to receive a variety of the rewards and will be accorded high prestige since they exemplify and personify the common values. According to the Kingsley and Moore stratification exists in the very form of the society.

All the social system shares the certain functional prerequisites which must be meet if the system is to survive and operate efficiently. One such prerequisite is the role allocation and the performance. Thus means that all the roles must be filled. They will be filled by those best able to perform them. In one of the most widely cited and debated pieces ever to appear in sociology journal Kingsley and the Moore presented the socio-economic inequality functionalist theory. They argue that the economic stratification exists because it meets for the society productivity by motivating the people.

Social inequalities

The term inequality describes the condition in which the member of the society has different amounts of the wealth, prestige or the power. Some of the degrees of the social inequality are found everywhere in the society. When the system of the social inequality is based upon the group's hierarchy, sociologists refer to it as the social stratification: a structured ranking of the society that perpetuates unequal distribution of the economic rewards and the power in the society. There are different inequalities in the social aspects of the society. Social inequalities are the main cause of the conflict and the disagreement in the society that leads to the no peace and least harmony between the members of the society. Due to the social inequalities, there are challenges in the society. As the social inequalities are found to some extent in the societies.

Dimensions of the social stratification

Different kind of scare resources is distributed unequally in a society.We could rank the people on the basis of how each kind of the scare resources is distributed.  According to the Max, there are three major dimensions of the stratification they are as follows:

The political dimension:

When we talk about the political dimension of the stratification of the social inequality, we are mostly talking about the unequal distribution of the power. Power is the ability to affect the action of others, even when others resists. Power may be exercised in the individuals,  group or the societal level. On the societal level, power means the ability to make the decision in which whole societies are affected. Power can be defined as the ability to get people to behave as we want to behave them.

The economic Dimension:

The economic dimension of stratification concern the money and the things it can buy. It includes the two key variable income and the wealth, which are related but not the same. Income refers to the amount of money that the person or the family receives over some defined period of the time, usually a calendar year. Wealth refers to the total value of everything that a person or the family owns; minus any debts owed. 

The social prestige Dimension:

The third dimension of the stratification is social prestige, sometimes referred to as status, this dimension has to do with what people think of you. If people think highly of you and you are well known, you have the high level of status. If the people think poorly of you, you have the low level of the prestige. Prestige is the scare resources. Being well regarded is always the relative or comparative matter. It would be meaningless to be well regarded if everyone were equally well regarded. Everyone would be the same and nobody would stand out. There are numerous ways to gain the prestige or status. Accomplishments', title and the public exposure can all be sources of status or prestige.The best measure is to ask.

References

Bhandari, Laxman p.Fundamental of sociology. kathmandu: budddha publication, 2015.

Sabin , E (1987)’ Hidden jobs:Good News for sociologists,The american sociologists.

Pinker,R The idea of the welfare. London :heinemann Educational Books, 1979

Social Class,values and behaviour in schools in craft ,1970