The Social Stratification in the U.S - Coursework Example

Social Stratification in the U.S Social stratification is a concept applied to define society’s categorization of individuals into various socioeconomic strata, with the basis of occupation, income wealth as well as social status. Stratification is generally perceived to ensure division among people basing on three concepts that touches on power, property as well as prestige. The stratification therefore ensures the basis of divisions within a society while also ensuring categorization of the individuals within a particular society (Kingsley and Moore 246). Upon development of the stratification, individuals tend to contend with the categorizations they fall under with changing to the next stratum becoming challenging to achieve or applying significant effort to achieve such. Under normal situations, the three concepts of power, property and prestige tend to occur together although in some situations changes may result owing too societal setup and value recognition in a particular society. For example, in the U.S society, professionalism draws prestige irrespective of failure to acquire properties. That signifies that a technician who may possess significant wealth in terms of property may fail to fit in the prestigious class as he lacks professorship. The paper examines the four major social stratification theoretical perspectives to enhance in examining the multidimensional aspects through presenting the social stratification perspective of the researcher’s family. A brief understanding of the four main theoretical perspectives of social stratification is essential at it serves in developing a basis of examination of the social class and social mobility the researcher’s family have experienced over time. The first social stratification concept under focus relates to structural-functionalist or simply the functionalist view to stratification. The functionalist theory presents an assumption that the variety of structures as well as processes found within societies result as a matter of their importance in functioning of the society to enhance the society to achieve stability and continuity. In line with the concept of functionalist theory, functionalist theorists therefore provide an assumption that stratification is essential while in existence as it plays significant roles within the society (Tumin 380). These theorists therefore provide a conclusion to their believe that stratification is equally necessary and inevitable. The next stratification theoretical concept is referred to symbolic interactionism that presents a concept that derives an understanding between individuals and the society. Symbolic interactionists therefore believe that understanding the human action as well as interaction only results from ensuring an exchange of meaningful communication or exchange of meaningful symbols. From such concept, the symbolic interactionists present people as acting rather than being acted upon. Through symbolic interactionists therefore attributes various issues like power as one that possesses meaning to human beings indicating that power results from the capacity of an individual to ensure realization of the will at hand irrespective of resistance from others. The theory derives its basis on three main principles that individuals act towards issues relating to the basis of the meanings found in them. Again, that social interactions act as the source as these meanings with social action resulting from a fitting together a person lines of action. The next theory of social stratification relates to feminist sociology that lines more to the concept of conflict theory through presenting how inequalities within societies result from the basis of gender. Feminist sociology makes an observation of gender in relation to the main concepts of stratification of with power a central focus (Ridgeway 226). Other issues also fall in the context of feminist sociology with face-to-face interaction as well as reflexivity of power within a social structure helping in exploring issues related to sexual orientation, economic status, racism as well as nationality (Reich 43). The feminist sociologists rely on a core concept that is based on the idea relating to systematic oppression of the female gender as well as the historical dominance of men across various societies. While the U.S is among the civilized societies in the world, feminist sociologists focus on historical dominance of men in various societal roles together with current male dominance in public places leading to social inequalities. It is important to note that the history of feminist sociology is rich history with the current referred to as the third wave focusing on more present issues that lead to social stratification among societies. The last stratification theory is referred as the conflict theory emanating from social conflict theorists with Karl Max a major contributor to the concept. Social conflict theorists fail to agree that social stratification occurs as a society’s function with their arguments attributing social stratification to serve in benefitting some individuals within the society at the expense of others. Max Weber as well as Karl Max serves as the two primary contributors of the theory with notable works from Karl Max through basing the society on two classes of persons. These groups are referred to as the bourgeoisie as well as proletariats with the bourgeoisie serving as the owners while the others serving as workers with Max presenting an argument that the owners of resources provides the workers with basic resources to ensure survival while in the end the workers remain exploited. Max foresaw social stratification to eventually lead to revolution resulting from exploitation with the working majority joining together to overthrow the capitalism dominated by the minority few. In a nut shell, functionalism approach to social stratification assumes the necessity of stratification as it ensures inducing individuals with special characteristics like intelligence or skills occupy the most important roles presenting the necessity and inevitability of stratification (Lareau 762). Symbolic interactionism on the other hand, presents an assumption that stratification affects individual’s beliefs, interactions on daily issues, lifestyles as well as conceptions of the different individuals. The conflict perspective however, assumes that lack of opportunity as well as discrimination together with prejudice lead to stratification. There opportunities are denied to women, low income earners as well as people as a result of color indicating that stratification is neither necessary nor inevitable. The feminist approach derives from the conflict perspective with the major focus on gender with male dominance and color attributed to cause social stratification while it is unnecessary and avoidable. Borrowing from the four main theoretical concepts of social stratification, focusing on my family is essential in deriving an understanding of social stratification in the current American society today. Understanding of the changes the family has undergone or its last known social class is important to assess whether the family has climbed of went down the ladder of social class. First it is important to note that my family social mobility has taken a social economic status method to get up in the social class. The process indicates that my family has achieved a form of vertical mobility to enhance in changing the social economic status between where my grandparents were when young to where I stand today. The achievement of the goal depending on the family history is attributed to education that as a result has ensured achievement of economic gains that in return has played a significant role in bettering the economic status of the family. It is important to note that the social class of Americans in respect to economic status takes about six divisions with those with affluent riches occupying the higher upper classes, followed by higher class, upper middle class, middle class and the lower middle class while the lower class characterizes the last group (Moffit 451). Basing on the economic average value and average neighbors together with the averaged population’s income, I place my family at the middle lower income level. Attributing such indicates that the family has moved a step further considering where it stood in over half a decade ago. Factors signifying shifts to another social level relates to a number of changes evidenced within the family. With the family living in Texas City, the family owns a home while the situation was different half a decade ago. Although Texas is not among the affluent cities in the U.S, owning a home and rental properties in the city is a great achievement for a family that owned nothing fifty years ago. The change of economic social class however did not result from luck but rather from investment in education that led to securing better jobs for my grandparents and my parents and eventually earning resources for investment. With my grandparents growing up in families where the parents highest achievements was the fourth grade, income of their parents was limited to cater for bills without savings. That made them stick to the poverty level but with both achieving a first degree, the situation changed as they acquired well paying jobs than their parents. My grandparents having come from poor backgrounds, their education made them know each other and went ahead and became married. Consequently, education helped them secure employment that as a result provided them with income to invest. The process has been continuous since then with our parents seeking second degrees as they keep on demanding us to do better. From the family’s social structure understanding and the resultant rise from one social class to another, it is right to say that social stratification is not a permanent situation. The family progress from one social class to the next falls under the functionalism theoretical perspective of social stratification owing to a variety of reasons. First, the resultant change within the family is realized as a result of acquiring skills that are essential in the society. Utilization of these skills has as a result ensure reaping economic benefits that help in changing the social economic status of the family. The society benefits from the skills provided by the family members in various fields, those possessing the skills benefit from salaries and wages. Taking the functionalism approach, the society would have missed the skills offered while failure to acquire those skills would have made the family remain in the poverty level (Shammas 428). For such reasons, the functionalism theoretical perspective clearly fits in the family’s perspective. Works Cited Kingsley Davis and Wilbert E. Moore. Some Principles of Stratification. American Sociological Review, 1995. 10(2):242-249. Lareau, Annette. Invisible Inequality: Social Class and Childbearing in Black and Whtie Families. American Sociological Review, 2002, 67(5): 747-776. Reich, Robert. Secession of the Successful. New York Times Magazine: 16-17, 1991, 42-45. Ridgeway, Cecilia L. Interaction and the Conservation of Gender Inequality: Considering Employment. American Sociological Review, 1997, 62(6):218-235. Moffit, K. "Social Conflict Theory in Sociology: Definition, Lesson & Quiz - Video & Lesson Transcript." Study.com. N.p., 2 July 2003. Web. 17 Apr. 2015. Tumin, Melvin M. Some Principles of Stratification: A Critical Analysis. American Sociological Review, . 1953, 18(4): 387-394. Shammas, Carol, A New Look at Long-Term Trends in Wealth Inequality in the United States American Historical Review, . 1993, 98: 412-431. Read More