Social stratification

Social stratification is not simply a difference between two individuals. It describes a society-wide pattern in which people or groups are ranked and have unequal access to valued resources and opportunities. Sociologists use indicators such as wealth, income, education, occupation, family background, status and power; the mix and significance of these factors differ among societies. A person's socioeconomic position can be described using some of these measures, but stratification is broader than a single income bracket because social recognition, political influence and inherited resources can also shape life chances.

Sociology textbooks commonly distinguish more closed systems, where birth or assigned status strongly limits movement, from more open systems, where people can move between positions. Slavery, estate and caste arrangements are often discussed as comparatively closed forms; class systems are generally more open because education, work and other changes can alter a person's position. These are broad analytical categories rather than descriptions that fit every society perfectly. Movement between positions is called social mobility. Even where a society values achievement, family resources, cultural expectations and institutional arrangements can affect who has access to education, desirable occupations and other opportunities. A society based solely on merit is an ideal type, not an actually existing pure system.

Sociologists interpret stratification in different ways. Functionalist accounts examine how divisions of work and differences in rewards may organize social roles, while conflict approaches emphasize unequal control of resources and the interests of groups with different amounts of power. A separate line of analysis associated with Max Weber distinguishes economic class, social status and political organization, treating them as related but not identical sources of advantage. Symbolic-interactionist research looks at how status is communicated, recognized and reproduced through everyday encounters. These approaches ask different questions; none turns the study of a complex hierarchy into a single universal scale.

Researchers compare the distribution of resources and opportunities, examine how social positions are passed between generations, and study movement within and between groups. A ranking based on income alone, for example, may miss differences in wealth, occupational security, political influence or social esteem. Measures also depend on the question being asked and the society under study. For this reason, contemporary research treats stratification as multidimensional and investigates how factors such as class, race, gender and education may intersect, rather than assuming that one label explains every person's position or experience.