Notes: Dimensions of Stratification | Sociology Mains Optional for UPSC 2024 PDF Download

 Page 1


 
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5. Stratification and Mobility: 
 
c. Dimensions – Social stratification of class, status groups, gender, ethnicity and race. 
  
Page 2


 
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Sleepy Classes 
5. Stratification and Mobility: 
 
c. Dimensions – Social stratification of class, status groups, gender, ethnicity and race. 
  
 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
https://testseries.sleepyclasses.com/ 
Sleepy Classes 
Dimensions 
 
Dimensions – Social stratification of class, status groups, gender, ethnicity and race. 
 
 
 
 
Social Stratification of class: 
What is class? 
 
Among, scholars, there is a difference of opinion on what constitutes class 
• Class is largely considered an industrial phenomenon as expansion of production 
forces beyond needs of subsistence, created stark distinctions between people, both 
economically and politically. 
• But class is a pre-Marxian idea. Aristotle divided society into 3 classes- upper, middle 
and poor but this term was first used by St. Simon as a synonym for estates. 
 
There are particular characteristics of class: 
 
Classes are arranged in a vertical order; There is an idea of permanent class interest among the 
members of classes; Idea of class consciousness and solidarity is present among the members. 
 
• Thus class, endorses to the idea of social distance and class distinctions get expressed in 
form of social inequalities and social boundaries. 
 
• Marx defines it as ‘a social group sharing same relationship with the means of production’. 
Hence, he historically identified different     antagonistic     classes     across modes     of 
production.  
 
• Weber also sees class, as Marx, an economic interest group and as a function of market 
place but defying Marx, he sees class as a group lacking in self-consciousness 
 
• Like Marx, Weber also talks of classes- propertied and property less. But there were more 
classes in property-less category and differentiated on the basis of their skills, capacity and 
talent which are identified in terms of their economic relationship in a market situation. 
These classes are: 
o Propertied upper class 
 
o Property less white collar workers 
o Petty bourgeois 
 
o Manual working class 
 
• Ralf Dahrendorf, unlike Marx, argues that classes will become more and more 
heterogeneous with time and working class will get further divided into –unskilled, semi-
skilled and skilled. 
 
• Similarly, Anthony Giddens suggests that there are 3 classes- upper- who hold means of 
production; middle- who hold technical means and lower- who hold manual labour.  
 
• Frank Parkin was another scholar who classified Social Stratification on similar lines.  
(He said Middle class doesn’t aspire for either upper or lower class and acts as a buffer 
against polarization as envisaged by Marx) 
 
Page 3


 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
https://testseries.sleepyclasses.com/ 
Sleepy Classes 
5. Stratification and Mobility: 
 
c. Dimensions – Social stratification of class, status groups, gender, ethnicity and race. 
  
 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
https://testseries.sleepyclasses.com/ 
Sleepy Classes 
Dimensions 
 
Dimensions – Social stratification of class, status groups, gender, ethnicity and race. 
 
 
 
 
Social Stratification of class: 
What is class? 
 
Among, scholars, there is a difference of opinion on what constitutes class 
• Class is largely considered an industrial phenomenon as expansion of production 
forces beyond needs of subsistence, created stark distinctions between people, both 
economically and politically. 
• But class is a pre-Marxian idea. Aristotle divided society into 3 classes- upper, middle 
and poor but this term was first used by St. Simon as a synonym for estates. 
 
There are particular characteristics of class: 
 
Classes are arranged in a vertical order; There is an idea of permanent class interest among the 
members of classes; Idea of class consciousness and solidarity is present among the members. 
 
• Thus class, endorses to the idea of social distance and class distinctions get expressed in 
form of social inequalities and social boundaries. 
 
• Marx defines it as ‘a social group sharing same relationship with the means of production’. 
Hence, he historically identified different     antagonistic     classes     across modes     of 
production.  
 
• Weber also sees class, as Marx, an economic interest group and as a function of market 
place but defying Marx, he sees class as a group lacking in self-consciousness 
 
• Like Marx, Weber also talks of classes- propertied and property less. But there were more 
classes in property-less category and differentiated on the basis of their skills, capacity and 
talent which are identified in terms of their economic relationship in a market situation. 
These classes are: 
o Propertied upper class 
 
o Property less white collar workers 
o Petty bourgeois 
 
o Manual working class 
 
• Ralf Dahrendorf, unlike Marx, argues that classes will become more and more 
heterogeneous with time and working class will get further divided into –unskilled, semi-
skilled and skilled. 
 
• Similarly, Anthony Giddens suggests that there are 3 classes- upper- who hold means of 
production; middle- who hold technical means and lower- who hold manual labour.  
 
• Frank Parkin was another scholar who classified Social Stratification on similar lines.  
(He said Middle class doesn’t aspire for either upper or lower class and acts as a buffer 
against polarization as envisaged by Marx) 
 
 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
https://testseries.sleepyclasses.com/ 
Sleepy Classes 
• Pierre Bourdieu suggests horizontal stratification in form of different capitals in society. 
Those who hold economic capital are industrial capitalists, those who hold cultural capital 
are knowledge capitalists and those who hold symbolic capital are power capitalists. 
 
• W.L WARNER ‘reputational approach’ 
In his book ‘Yankee City’, Warner used reputational approach to understand about nature of 
class in America. This approach has a third person, called informant, judging one’s class based on 
judgement of lifestyle.  
 
Warner delineated six class on basis of lifestyle. He says that presence of classes give stability to 
society as each class has a distinct culture reducing the chances of inter-strata conflict. 
 
• Classes vary in consistency, depending on weightage given to ascription or achievement. In 
tradition societies, societies were more consistent but less mobile because of high ascriptive 
associations whereas modern societies (market orientation) provide more fluidity in classes 
owing to achievement orientation.  
 
• Class and social mobility- in next section 
 
Conclusion:  
 
Hence, classes stratify societies and answer to certain kind of sociological questions on poverty, 
exclusion, deviance, social inequalities, social mobility, social change, status, power, life chances and 
life styles.  
 
Criteria of identifying classes may differ among different scholars but a sense of class is ingrained in 
the minds of members of the class and hence influence on every aspect of society.  
 
With increasing economic development, there is a persistent effort to re-distribute wealth, income 
through progressive taxation, estate duties and taxes on capital gains. Therefore, there is equality of 
living standard, growth of middle class. But, to Marx’s disappointment, it seems classes are here to 
stay for a long time to come in one form or the other. 
 
 
  
Page 4


 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
https://testseries.sleepyclasses.com/ 
Sleepy Classes 
5. Stratification and Mobility: 
 
c. Dimensions – Social stratification of class, status groups, gender, ethnicity and race. 
  
 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
https://testseries.sleepyclasses.com/ 
Sleepy Classes 
Dimensions 
 
Dimensions – Social stratification of class, status groups, gender, ethnicity and race. 
 
 
 
 
Social Stratification of class: 
What is class? 
 
Among, scholars, there is a difference of opinion on what constitutes class 
• Class is largely considered an industrial phenomenon as expansion of production 
forces beyond needs of subsistence, created stark distinctions between people, both 
economically and politically. 
• But class is a pre-Marxian idea. Aristotle divided society into 3 classes- upper, middle 
and poor but this term was first used by St. Simon as a synonym for estates. 
 
There are particular characteristics of class: 
 
Classes are arranged in a vertical order; There is an idea of permanent class interest among the 
members of classes; Idea of class consciousness and solidarity is present among the members. 
 
• Thus class, endorses to the idea of social distance and class distinctions get expressed in 
form of social inequalities and social boundaries. 
 
• Marx defines it as ‘a social group sharing same relationship with the means of production’. 
Hence, he historically identified different     antagonistic     classes     across modes     of 
production.  
 
• Weber also sees class, as Marx, an economic interest group and as a function of market 
place but defying Marx, he sees class as a group lacking in self-consciousness 
 
• Like Marx, Weber also talks of classes- propertied and property less. But there were more 
classes in property-less category and differentiated on the basis of their skills, capacity and 
talent which are identified in terms of their economic relationship in a market situation. 
These classes are: 
o Propertied upper class 
 
o Property less white collar workers 
o Petty bourgeois 
 
o Manual working class 
 
• Ralf Dahrendorf, unlike Marx, argues that classes will become more and more 
heterogeneous with time and working class will get further divided into –unskilled, semi-
skilled and skilled. 
 
• Similarly, Anthony Giddens suggests that there are 3 classes- upper- who hold means of 
production; middle- who hold technical means and lower- who hold manual labour.  
 
• Frank Parkin was another scholar who classified Social Stratification on similar lines.  
(He said Middle class doesn’t aspire for either upper or lower class and acts as a buffer 
against polarization as envisaged by Marx) 
 
 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
https://testseries.sleepyclasses.com/ 
Sleepy Classes 
• Pierre Bourdieu suggests horizontal stratification in form of different capitals in society. 
Those who hold economic capital are industrial capitalists, those who hold cultural capital 
are knowledge capitalists and those who hold symbolic capital are power capitalists. 
 
• W.L WARNER ‘reputational approach’ 
In his book ‘Yankee City’, Warner used reputational approach to understand about nature of 
class in America. This approach has a third person, called informant, judging one’s class based on 
judgement of lifestyle.  
 
Warner delineated six class on basis of lifestyle. He says that presence of classes give stability to 
society as each class has a distinct culture reducing the chances of inter-strata conflict. 
 
• Classes vary in consistency, depending on weightage given to ascription or achievement. In 
tradition societies, societies were more consistent but less mobile because of high ascriptive 
associations whereas modern societies (market orientation) provide more fluidity in classes 
owing to achievement orientation.  
 
• Class and social mobility- in next section 
 
Conclusion:  
 
Hence, classes stratify societies and answer to certain kind of sociological questions on poverty, 
exclusion, deviance, social inequalities, social mobility, social change, status, power, life chances and 
life styles.  
 
Criteria of identifying classes may differ among different scholars but a sense of class is ingrained in 
the minds of members of the class and hence influence on every aspect of society.  
 
With increasing economic development, there is a persistent effort to re-distribute wealth, income 
through progressive taxation, estate duties and taxes on capital gains. Therefore, there is equality of 
living standard, growth of middle class. But, to Marx’s disappointment, it seems classes are here to 
stay for a long time to come in one form or the other. 
 
 
  
 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
https://testseries.sleepyclasses.com/ 
Sleepy Classes 
Social Stratification of Status groups: 
 
While class is dependent particularly on economic variables, status groups are founded on the 
differences in honour and prestige. 
 
• Status is one of the most ancient system of social stratification where ranking is done 
on the relative position in terms of honour and respect. In traditional societies it was 
attached to birth, hence was ascriptive, but in modern societies it is more 
achievement oriented. 
 
• Status group, is a Weberian concept which he defined, as a social group which is 
awarded a similar amount of social honour and therefore share the same status 
situation. 
 
• Unlike class members who are more disunited, status groups share same lifestyle, 
identify with their social group and place restrictions in the ways outsiders interact 
with them. 
 
• Status groups are more closed and try to influence their idea of superiority or 
difference by maintaining status boundaries and imposing certain qualifiers on other 
people, which Weber called Social Closure. For example, Caste system is most 
prominent form of status group classification, where social honour, lifestyles and 
prestige were sharply differentiated. 
 
• In many societies class and status groups are closely linked to each other but that is 
not always the case. For example fire fighters and doctors for the highest status 
groups in US, despite there being richer businessmen economically above them. 
Similarly, nouveaux riches may not get the kind of equal status treatment as compared 
to other elites. 
 
• Hence, status groups may not necessarily be linked to economic or political status of a 
person. 
 
• Today, it is also a question of legitimacy that is accorded to a p er so n ’s status by the 
way of his deeds. With rise of civil society, status is getting attached with nobility, 
transparency of deeds. More philanthropic one are respected more. It is a different 
matter that philanthropy maybe again linked to the economic and political milieu of a 
person. Thus status group, today is a dynamic system of social stratification which 
needs to be continuously proven by deeds and is less ascriptive as it was in the past. 
 
 
  
Page 5


 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
https://testseries.sleepyclasses.com/ 
Sleepy Classes 
5. Stratification and Mobility: 
 
c. Dimensions – Social stratification of class, status groups, gender, ethnicity and race. 
  
 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
https://testseries.sleepyclasses.com/ 
Sleepy Classes 
Dimensions 
 
Dimensions – Social stratification of class, status groups, gender, ethnicity and race. 
 
 
 
 
Social Stratification of class: 
What is class? 
 
Among, scholars, there is a difference of opinion on what constitutes class 
• Class is largely considered an industrial phenomenon as expansion of production 
forces beyond needs of subsistence, created stark distinctions between people, both 
economically and politically. 
• But class is a pre-Marxian idea. Aristotle divided society into 3 classes- upper, middle 
and poor but this term was first used by St. Simon as a synonym for estates. 
 
There are particular characteristics of class: 
 
Classes are arranged in a vertical order; There is an idea of permanent class interest among the 
members of classes; Idea of class consciousness and solidarity is present among the members. 
 
• Thus class, endorses to the idea of social distance and class distinctions get expressed in 
form of social inequalities and social boundaries. 
 
• Marx defines it as ‘a social group sharing same relationship with the means of production’. 
Hence, he historically identified different     antagonistic     classes     across modes     of 
production.  
 
• Weber also sees class, as Marx, an economic interest group and as a function of market 
place but defying Marx, he sees class as a group lacking in self-consciousness 
 
• Like Marx, Weber also talks of classes- propertied and property less. But there were more 
classes in property-less category and differentiated on the basis of their skills, capacity and 
talent which are identified in terms of their economic relationship in a market situation. 
These classes are: 
o Propertied upper class 
 
o Property less white collar workers 
o Petty bourgeois 
 
o Manual working class 
 
• Ralf Dahrendorf, unlike Marx, argues that classes will become more and more 
heterogeneous with time and working class will get further divided into –unskilled, semi-
skilled and skilled. 
 
• Similarly, Anthony Giddens suggests that there are 3 classes- upper- who hold means of 
production; middle- who hold technical means and lower- who hold manual labour.  
 
• Frank Parkin was another scholar who classified Social Stratification on similar lines.  
(He said Middle class doesn’t aspire for either upper or lower class and acts as a buffer 
against polarization as envisaged by Marx) 
 
 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
https://testseries.sleepyclasses.com/ 
Sleepy Classes 
• Pierre Bourdieu suggests horizontal stratification in form of different capitals in society. 
Those who hold economic capital are industrial capitalists, those who hold cultural capital 
are knowledge capitalists and those who hold symbolic capital are power capitalists. 
 
• W.L WARNER ‘reputational approach’ 
In his book ‘Yankee City’, Warner used reputational approach to understand about nature of 
class in America. This approach has a third person, called informant, judging one’s class based on 
judgement of lifestyle.  
 
Warner delineated six class on basis of lifestyle. He says that presence of classes give stability to 
society as each class has a distinct culture reducing the chances of inter-strata conflict. 
 
• Classes vary in consistency, depending on weightage given to ascription or achievement. In 
tradition societies, societies were more consistent but less mobile because of high ascriptive 
associations whereas modern societies (market orientation) provide more fluidity in classes 
owing to achievement orientation.  
 
• Class and social mobility- in next section 
 
Conclusion:  
 
Hence, classes stratify societies and answer to certain kind of sociological questions on poverty, 
exclusion, deviance, social inequalities, social mobility, social change, status, power, life chances and 
life styles.  
 
Criteria of identifying classes may differ among different scholars but a sense of class is ingrained in 
the minds of members of the class and hence influence on every aspect of society.  
 
With increasing economic development, there is a persistent effort to re-distribute wealth, income 
through progressive taxation, estate duties and taxes on capital gains. Therefore, there is equality of 
living standard, growth of middle class. But, to Marx’s disappointment, it seems classes are here to 
stay for a long time to come in one form or the other. 
 
 
  
 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
https://testseries.sleepyclasses.com/ 
Sleepy Classes 
Social Stratification of Status groups: 
 
While class is dependent particularly on economic variables, status groups are founded on the 
differences in honour and prestige. 
 
• Status is one of the most ancient system of social stratification where ranking is done 
on the relative position in terms of honour and respect. In traditional societies it was 
attached to birth, hence was ascriptive, but in modern societies it is more 
achievement oriented. 
 
• Status group, is a Weberian concept which he defined, as a social group which is 
awarded a similar amount of social honour and therefore share the same status 
situation. 
 
• Unlike class members who are more disunited, status groups share same lifestyle, 
identify with their social group and place restrictions in the ways outsiders interact 
with them. 
 
• Status groups are more closed and try to influence their idea of superiority or 
difference by maintaining status boundaries and imposing certain qualifiers on other 
people, which Weber called Social Closure. For example, Caste system is most 
prominent form of status group classification, where social honour, lifestyles and 
prestige were sharply differentiated. 
 
• In many societies class and status groups are closely linked to each other but that is 
not always the case. For example fire fighters and doctors for the highest status 
groups in US, despite there being richer businessmen economically above them. 
Similarly, nouveaux riches may not get the kind of equal status treatment as compared 
to other elites. 
 
• Hence, status groups may not necessarily be linked to economic or political status of a 
person. 
 
• Today, it is also a question of legitimacy that is accorded to a p er so n ’s status by the 
way of his deeds. With rise of civil society, status is getting attached with nobility, 
transparency of deeds. More philanthropic one are respected more. It is a different 
matter that philanthropy maybe again linked to the economic and political milieu of a 
person. Thus status group, today is a dynamic system of social stratification which 
needs to be continuously proven by deeds and is less ascriptive as it was in the past. 
 
 
  
 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
https://testseries.sleepyclasses.com/ 
Sleepy Classes 
Social Stratification of Gender 
 
 
• Gender is one of the most pervasive and prevalent social characteristics upon which 
social distinctions are made between individuals. Gender distinctions are found in 
economic-, kinship- and caste-based stratification systems. 
 
• The United Nations Report (1980) declares that Women constitute half the world's 
population, perform nearly two thirds of its work hours, receive one tenth of the 
world's income and own less than one hundredth of the world's property 
 
• Social role expectations are often formed along sex and gender lines. In patriarchal societies, 
such rights and privileges are granted to men over women; in matriarchal societies, the 
opposite holds true.  
 
• According to Naila Kabeer (1995:37) ‘biology is gendered as well as sexed’. Male and female 
are translated as man and woman based on mutually exclusive traits of masculinity and 
femininity. 
Sex- and gender-based division of labor is historically found in the annals of most societies and such 
divisions have increased with the advent of industrialization.  
Karuna Ahmad finds four trends in women’s employment:  
a. clustering of women in a few occupations (Pink Collarization) 
b. clustering either in low status occupation or in the lower rungs of the prestigious  
profession 
c. women receive lower salaries than men 
d. high proportion of highly educated and professionally trained unemployed women. 
 
• Gender, as a form of stratification, difference and inequalities found mention in the 
literature since 70s when feminism started taking shape. It was observed that gender 
differences were present in every sphere of society in terms of status, wealth and 
power.  
 
• Matrilineal societies like the Khasis are often cited to rebuff the idea that women in all 
societies are discriminated.  
Recent writings have shown how even among a matrilineal society like the Khasis, 
control of property and decision making within the family (the private domain) often 
resides with the male head-the brother instead of the husband. 
 
Rousseau argued that biological inequalities matter least in form of social stratification, but 
feminists argue that most ancient form of system of SS is based on gender. They aren’t 
incorrect as Plato placed reproductive role of women higher than their productive roles.  
 
Similarly, Aristotle was against citizenship for women. 
 
In modern societies, recognition of the fact that sex is biological and gender is cultural got a 
push as feminists studied gender. Their studies generally focussed on the exploitation, 
inequalities and stigmas that come attached to gender.