Concept, Characteristics and Forms of

Stratification Systems
Specific Learning Objectives:
1. explain the meaning and nature of social stratification
2. distinguish social stratification and social differentiation
3. identify the indicators of social stratification
4. differentiate the characteristics of the systems of social stratification
5. analyze the claims and explanations of the structural-functionalists,
conflict theorists, and symbolic-interactionists on social stratification
Before going on, answer the activities below to check on what you
know about the topic. Have fun and good luck!

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Social stratification is an inherent character of all societies. It is historical
as we find it in all societies, ancient and modern; and it is universal as it exists in
simple or complex societies. The social differentiation on the basis of high and low
is the historical heritage of all societies.
Meaning and Nature of Social Stratification
Sociologists use the term social stratification to describe the system of
social standing. There are various meanings of social stratification and is defined
as follows:
 It refers to what sociologists call it as “ institutionalized inequality” of
individual or “social injustice” due to social categories (Ariola, 2012).
 It is an institutionalized pattern of inequality in which social categories
are ranked on the basis of their access to scarce resources Brinkerhoff
& White, 1988).
 It is the way people are ranked and ordered in society (Cole, 2019).
 It is a system whereby people rank and evaluate each other as superior
or inferior and, on the basis of such evaluation, unequally reward one
another with wealth, authority, power, and prestige. One result of each
differentiation is the creation of a number of levels within the society.
(Hebding & Glick, 1992)
 It is the hierarchical arrangement and establishment of social
categories that evolve into a social group together with statuses and
their corresponding roles. (Panopio el al., 1994)
 It is the differentiation of a given population into hierarchically
superposed classes. It is manifested in the existence of upper and lower
social layers. Its basis and very essence consist in an unequal
distribution of rights and privileges, duties and responsibilities, social
values and privations, social power and influences among the members
of a society (Sorokin, 1927).
Social Stratification is Distinguished from Social Differentiation
Social differentiation refers to how people can be distinguished from one
another. People in a group may differ in skin color, hair color, race, mental and
physical ability, and the like.
Social stratification refers to the ranking of people in a society. In closed
stratification, people cannot change their ranks while those in open social
stratification, people can change their ranks. In short social stratification is the
separation of people into social categories and these categories are ranked as higer
or lower.

Indicators of Social Stratification

There are some people that are treated in another way because of the social
status, power, income, prestige and among others that they hold in their society
(Arcinas, 2016).
The individual’s position in the social structure is called status. The higher
or lower positions that come about through social stratifications are called
statuses. Statuses are not the same. One may get different statuses in different
ways. They can be ascribed or achived. Ascribed statuses are assigned or given by
the society or group on the basis of some fixed category, without regard to a
person’s abilities or performance. These include sex, family background, race, and
ethnic heritage. You did nothing to earn these statuses; you have no control over
these characteristics and no opportunity or chance to choose your family, your sex,
and your race. In the Philippines, the children of Ayala’s and the Zobel’s have
ascrived statuses (Zulueta, 2006). Whereas, achieved statuses are earned by the
individual because of his or her talent, skills, occupation and persevernace. These
include, degree or educational attainment, promotion, position, earned wealth and
the like. For example, Nora Aunor has moved up in the social ladder because of her
beautiful voice and singing talent. Prestige refers to the evaluation of status. You
have prestige according to your status. For example, being the president of the
Supreme Student Government of your school, you have the prestige of a president
whether or not you perform and carry out well the duties and responsibilities of
SSG president (Baleña et.al., 2016).
According to Max Weber, most societies would favor those with power,
prestige, status, wealth or class. According to Weber’s Component Theory on Social
Stratification, these three would determine a person’s standindig in his/her
community:
1. Power refers to the ability to influence other people. It is getting what
they want despite the unwillingness of others to give in to their desires.
2. Prestige refers to the person’s position in the society. This refers to
having a certain status that enables someone to have resources or
opportunities.
3. Wealth refers to the amount of resources that a person has (Arcinas,
2016).
As mentioned by Ariola (2012) in his book, one may be viewed as belonging
to the upper social strata or lower social strata depending on the following
dimensions:
1. Sources of Income. There are different sources of income. These are
the inhereted wealth, earned wealth, profits, professional fees, salaries,
wages, private relief, among others. Wealth is everything that is owned
by a person. Inherited wealth is acquired since birth and without effort.

Acquired wealth is achieved through ones effort either by talent, income

or by marriage. Income refers to the amount of money a person
receives.
2. Occupation. What people do for a living determines, to a large extent,
the social position of the person. Occupation may be classified into
professionals, non-professionals (clerks, drivers, etc) proprietors of
small business, skilled workers, semi skilled workers, and unskilled
workers.
Examination of the mentioned occupations indicates disparities in
prestige, income and power.
3. Education. Educational attainment of a person may be categorized as
masteral or doctoral degree holder, college graduate, high school
graduate, elemetary school drop-out, among others. Possession of the
person of any of these educational backgrounds may characterize the
person’s status in the community.
4. Types of house dwellings. Dwellings can be categorized as permanent
house (concrete and excellent in appearance), semi-permanent house
(semi-concrete and very good in appearance and construction),
temporary house (wood and fair in appearance and construction), and
poorly constructed house (houses found in squatter areas, or those
considered below-the-bridge houses).
5. Location of residence. Power, prestige and wealth are also attached to
the location of residence. There is disparity of social status when one
residence is located in Forbes Park, White Plains, squatter area,
mountainous-rugged area, in subdivision and non-subdivision area.
6. Kinship or family. In the Philippines, when a person belongs to the
Ayala’s, Soriano’s, Zobel’s, Villar’s, that person is regarded as belonging
to the upper class (rich) status. Children of sultans and datus are
hgihly regarded as rich. If a person is from a family whose house is
situated in the squatter’s area, that person is regarded as poor or
belonging to lower class status.
Types of Social Stratification and their Characteristics
Generally, there are three (3) known types of social stratification: open
systems, closed systems and ethnic systems ( Ariola, 2012).
Sociologists distinguish between two types of systems of stratification –
open system and closed system. For the anthropologists, they include ethnic system
as another type of social stratification.

A. Open System
General
Characteristics
Categories
The class structure
is an open system. It
encourages people to
strive and achieve
something. People
belonging to one
social class have
similar opportunities,
similar lyfestyles,
attitudes, behavior
and possibly similar
socio-economic
positions.
It is based on
aachievement, allow
movement and
interaction between
layers and classes.
One person can move
up or down to class
through
intermarriages,
opportunities, or
achievement. People
have equal chance to
succeed. Whether
people do something
to improve their lives
or not this greatly
depends on them.
1. Upper Class – The people in this class have great
wealth and sources of income. They constitute the
elite wealthy group in the society. They have high
reputation in terms of power and prestige. They live in
exclusive residential area, belong to exclusive private
clubs, and may have strong political influence in the
system of government. They own several cars and
properties and their children may study in exclusive
schools.
2. Middle Class – The people in this class may belong to
the upper-middle class which is often made up of
highly educated business and professional people
with high incomes, such as doctors, lawyers,
stockbrokers, and CEOs or to the lower-middle class
often made up of people with lower incomes, such as
managers, small business owners, teachers, and
secretaries. Aside from generally command of high
income, people belonging to the upper-middle class
often have college education, live in comfortable
homes, own properties, have some money savings,
and active in community activities. People in the
lower-middle class have not achieved the same
lifestyle of the upper –middle class but somehow have
modest income and live in simple life.
3. Lower Class –The lower class is typified by poverty,
homelessness, and unemployment. The people in this
class belong to the bottom of socio-economic ladder.
They may be categorized into two: upper-lower class
and lower-lower class. In the upper-lower class,
people are considered as the working class or
laborers. They have acquired little education, little
time to be involved in civic and community activities.
Some of them are underemployed, have many socioeconomic
problems, with lttle or no luxuries at all.
The people in the lower-lower class are unemployed,
or no source of income except by begging or
dependent from private and government relief. Many
of them live in squatter areas, under the bridge, in
street corridors, or with no house at all. Many of them
are liabilities of society because they may be involved
in drug addiction and criminaliities.

B. Closed Systems
General
Characteristics
Categories
Closed system
accommodates little
change in social
position. They do not
allow people to shift
levels and do not
permit social
relationships between
levels.
1. Caste System – It is regarded as closed stratification
system in which people can do little or nothing to
change their social standing. Social contact is rigid
and clearly defined. People are born and die in their
caste. Contact between and among the caste is
minimal and governed by a set of rules – especially
those who belong to the lower degree, as this will tend
to bring them down.
We do not practice caste sytem in the
Philippines. It existed for centuries in India and this
includes the Brahmans who are associated with the
priesthood, the Kahatryias (the warriors), the
Vaishyus (the businessmen and traders), and the
Shudrus (the servants).
2. Estate System – It is somewhat a closed system in
which the person’s social standing is based on
ownership of land, birth, or military strength.
Individuals who were born into one of the estates
remained there throughout life but in extreme cases
there is social mobility, that is people could change
their status. In the middle ages there are three (3)
major estates in Europe – nobility, clergy, and the
peasants.
C. Ethnic System
General Characteristics
This type of social stratification is based on national origin, laguage and
religion. Ethinicity sets segments of society apart and each group has a sense of
identity. People interact more freely with those people belonging to the same
ethnic category. During the Spanish and American colonial systems in the
Philippines, the colonizers perceived themselves to be occupying the upper social
class than the Filipinos or the natives whom they called as Indios.
Immigrants usually belong to a lower status than the inhabitants. The
Gaddangs, Itawis, Ituweraw, Ilonngots, and other ethnic minority groups are
considered inferior than the others.
Social Stratification and Social Mobility
Social mobility refers to the movement within the social structure, from one
social position to another. It means a change in social status. All societies provide
some opportunity for social mobility. But the societies differ from each other to
extent in which individuals can move from one class or status level to another.

Thus, people in society continue to move up down the status scale. This movement
is called ‘social mobility’. For example, the poor people may become rich, the bank
peon may become bank officers, farmers may become ministers, a petty
businessman may become a big industrialist and so on. At the same time a big
businessman may become a bankrupt and ruling class may be turned out of office
and so on.
Kinds of Social Mobility
In a democratic state like the Philippines, a person can improve his social
status but the degree of mobility varies. In an open system, every individual is
provided equal opportunities to compete for the role and status derived regardless
of gender, race, religion, family background and political inclination. There are
three (3) types of social mobility: social mobility, geographical mobility, and role
mobility.
1. Social Mobility refers to the movement upward or downward among the
social positions in any given social stratification. It may be upward
(vertival) mobility and downward (horizontal) mobility. Vertical mobility
refers to the movement of people of groups from one status to another. It
involves change in class, occupation or power. For example, the
movement of people from the poor class to the middle class. Horizontal
mobility is a change in position without the change in status. It indicates
a change in position, within the rage of the status. A change in status
may come about through one’s occupation, marrying into a certain
family and others. For example, an engineer working in a factory may
resign from his job and join another factory.
2. Geographical Mobility is otherwise known as physical mobility. It may
be a vluntary movement of people from one geographical area to another
due to change in residence, communiting fro home to office, making
business trips, and voluntary migration from one country to another. It
may be also a forced migration which include forced relocation or
residence, eviction, dispossession of unwanted people, and
transportation of slaves.
3. Role Mobility is the individual’s shifting from role to role. Every member
of a society has roles to play. Different situations call for enactment of
various roles. For example, the father is the bread earner of the family
but may be a teacher in school, or the leader at home or a follower in the
school or office. A daughter may be submissive at home but very active
and active as a campus student leader. A teacher may have varied roles
such as being a mother, a wife, a guidance counselor, a community
leader and many more (Ariola, 2012).

Theoritical Perspective and Analysis of Social Stratification

Social stratification can be examined from different sociological
perspectives—structural-functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolicinteractionism.
Theoretical Perspective Major Assumptions/Analysis
Structural - Functionalism
Stratification is necessary to induce people with
special intelligence, knowledge, and skills to enter
the most important occupations. For this reason,
stratification is necessary and inevitable.
Conflict
Stratification results from lack of opportunity and
from discrimination and prejudice against the
poor, women, and people of color. It is neither
necessary nor inevitable.
Symbolic - Interactionism
Stratification affects people’s beliefs, lifestyles,
daily interaction, and conceptions of themselves.
In sociology, the functionalist perspective examines how society’s parts
operate. It is a macroanalytical view that focuses on the way that all aspects of
society are integral to the continued health and viability of the whole. Structural-
Functionalism recognizes that all societies maintain some form of social
stratification, and therefore, social stratification must have important functional
consequences. According to Davis & Moore (1945), different aspects of society exist
because they serve a needed purpose. They argued that the greater the functional
importance of a social role, the greater must be the reward. The theory posits that
social stratification represents the inherently unequal value of different work.
Certain tasks in society are more valuable than others. Qualified people who fill
those positions must be rewarded more than others.
Conflict theory focuses on the creation and reproduction of inequality.
Conflict theorists are deeply critical of social stratification, asserting that it benefits
only some people, not all of society. Conflict theory’s explanation of stratification
draws on Karl Marx’s view of class societies and incorporates the critique of the
functionalist view mentioned above. Many different explanations grounded in
conflict theory exist, but they all assume that stratification stems from a
fundamental conflict between the needs and interests of the powerful, or “haves,”
in
society and those of the weak, or “have-nots” (Kerbo, 2009). The former take
advantage of their position at the top of society to stay at the top, even if it means
oppressing those at the bottom. At a minimum, they can heavily influence the law,
the media, and other institutions in a way that maintains society’s class structure.
Symbolic-interactionism is a theory that uses everyday interactions of
individuals to explain society as a whole. Symbolic interactionism examines
stratification from a micro-level perspective. This analysis strives to explain how
people’s social standing affects their everyday interactions. Consistent with its
micro orientation, symbolic interactionism tries to understand stratification by

looking at people’s interaction and understandings in their daily lives. Unlike the
functionalist and conflict views, it does not try to explain why we have stratification
in the first place. Rather, it examines the differences that stratification makes for
people’s lifestyles and their interaction with other people. In most communities,
people interact primarily with others who share the same social standing. It is
precisely because of social stratification that people tend to live, work, and
associate with others like themselves, people who share their same income level,
educational background, or racial background, and even tastes in food, music, and
clothing. The built-in system of social stratification groups people together. This is
one of the reasons why it was rare for a royal prince like England’s Prince William
to marry a commoner. Symbolic interactionists also note that people’s appearance
reflects their perceived social standing. Housing, clothing, and transportation
indicate social status, as do hairstyles, taste in accessories, and personal style.