Social Stratification - Three Characteristics of Stratified Systems

Three Characteristics of Stratified Systems

1. The rankings apply to social categories of people who share a common characteristic without necessarily interacting or identifying with each other. The process of being ranked can be changed by the person being ranked.

• Example: The way we rank people differently by race, gender, and social class

2. People's life experiences and opportunities depend on their social category. This characteristic can be changed by the amount of work a person can put into their interests.

• Example: The greater advantage had by the son or daughter of a king to have a successful life than the son or daughter of a minimum-wage factory worker, because the king has a greater amount of resources than the factory worker. The use of resources can influence others.

3. The ranks of different social categories change slowly over time. This has occurred frequently in the United States ever since the American revolution. The U.S. constitution has been altered several times to specify rights for everyone.

• Examples:
  • The Declaration of Independence: abolished the monarchy
  • Article I, Section 9 of U.S. Constitution - "No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States" - abolished aristocracy
  • Thirteenth Amendment: ended public slavery in the United States
  • Fourteenth Amendment: granted African-Americans citizenship in the United States
  • Fifteenth Amendment: ended the public denial of suffrage based on race or prior condition of servitude
  • Nineteenth Amendment: the United States government's recognition of women's suffrage
  • The Civil Rights Act of 1964: ended racial segregation in public places in the United States; also extended the right to vote