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Chapter 9 –

Global

Stratifi

catio

n

Charlie Ann Osborn Osborn-Chapter 9 Sociology

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“A system of relative privilege based on power, property, and prestige.”

*** The division of large numbers of people into layers according to their relative power, property, and prestige; applies to both nations and to people within a nation, society, or another group.

Every society stratifies its membersIn every society of the world, gender is a

basis for stratifying people

What is Social Stratification?

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SlaveryA form of social stratification in which some people own other peopleCauses – was usually based on 1

of 3 factors1. Debt (some would enslave those

who could not repay their debt)2. Crime (ex. A murderer might be

enslaved by the victim’s family)3. War (when one group raided

another, they killed the men, kept the women)

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SlaveryConditions of slavery

In some places slavery was temporaryNot necessarily inheritable

In some places a child of a slave might be adopted by the rich family who owned the slave

Slaves were not necessarily powerless and poor Although rare, some slaves became wealthy

and even owned slaves themselves and loaned money to their masters

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Slavery in the New WorldBonded labor and Indentured ServantsThis is a gray area between a contract and

slavery.The book defines as – a contractual system

in which someone sells his or her body (services)for a specified period of time in an arrangement very close to slaver, except that it is voluntarily entered into.

Ideology – beliefs about the way things ought to be that justify social arrangements.Slave owners developed an ideology that

slaves were inferior, some even said slaves were inhuman.

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Slavery in the New World

Look at page 238 at the similar advertisement for slaves.

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Slavery TodayThere is still slavery in parts of the world today

Page 239 talks about slavery of the Dinka tribe in rural Sudan

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CasteCaste System – a form of social

stratification in which one’s status is determined by birth and is lifelong

Endogamy – the practice of marrying within one’s own group

Page 240

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EstateEstate Stratification– the stratification system of medieval Europe, consisting of three groups or estates: the nobility, clergy, and the commoners.

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Class***Class System- a

form of social stratification based primarily on the possession of money or material possessions.

Social Mobility – movement up or down the social class ladder

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Karl MarxThe means of production (the tools,

factories, land, and investment capital used to create wealth)

***Bourgeoisie – his term for the capitalists, those who had the means of production

***Proletariat – his term for the exploited class; the mass of workers who did not own the means of production

Class consciousness – awareness of a common identity based on one’s position in the means of production

False class consciousness - workers identifying with the interests of capitalists

What determines Social Class?

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Max Weber (page 245)A critic of MarxArgued there were 3

components of social class (the 3 Ps)1. Property2. Prestige3. Power

What Determines Social Class?

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The Functionalist view: Motivating Qualified PeopleDavis & Moore (1945, 1953) concluded stratification is inevitable because:

1. Society must make sure certain positions are filled

2. Some positions are more important than others3. The more important positions must be filled by

the most qualified people4. To motivate the more qualified people to fill

these positions, society must offer them greater rewards

Why is Social Stratification Universal?

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Tumin’s (1953) Critique of Davis and Moore

First, who is to say which positions are more important to society? Doctors Vs. Trash Collectors – each save lives

in different ways…Second, if stratification worked like D and M

suggest, it would be a system of ***Meritocracy – a form of stratification in which all positions are awarded on the basis of merit – which it is not.

Third, if SS is functional it should benefit everyone, yet it is dysfunctional for many.

Why is Social Stratification Universal?

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***Colonialism – the process by which one nation takes over another nation, usually for the purpose of exploiting its labor and natural resourcesKind of like the survival of the fittest

World system theory – economic and political connections that tie the world’s countries togetherGlobalization of capitalism – capitalism becoming the

globe’s dominant economic system Culture of Poverty Theory – the assumption that the

values and the behaviors of the poor are different from other people, that these factors are largely responsible for their poverty, and that parents perpetuate poverty across generations by passing these characteristics on to their kids

How did the world’s Nations Become Stratified?

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Neocolonialism - The economic and political dominance of the Least Industrialized Nations by the Most Industrialized Nations.

Multinational Corporations – companies that operate across national boundaries; also called transnational corporations….ex. McDonalds!!!

Maintainng Global Stratification