W 12.2 May 24 (Fri) eunsong kwon

 1. Summary

Social stratification is a concept that describes the relative social positions of people in a particular group, category, region, or other unit in social science. Originating from the Latin hierarchy, the concept classifies people into socioeconomic classes based on factors such as wealth, income, social status, occupation, and power. In modern Western society, it is largely divided into upper, middle, and lower classes, and each class is divided into smaller subclasses such as upper, middle, and lower classes.

Social stratification is interpreted differently in various sociological theories. Behavioral theory sees hierarchies as necessary for social order and stability. Conflict theory, on the other hand, criticizes the lack of access to resources and social mobility. Many theorists point out that the wealthy exploit the working class by using political power. American sociologist Talcott Parsons has argued that universal values contribute to maintaining social order, but it is often also a cause of social conflict.

In modern Western society, theorists like Ralph Darendorf point out that the middle class increases due to the need for an educated workforce. The theory of globalization sees a change in the status of workers in the Third World as the cause of this phenomenon.

There are four basic principles of social stratification. First, social stratification is an attribute of society, not an individual. Second, social stratification is reproduced from generation to generation. Third, social stratification is found in all societies, but it depends on time and place. Fourth, social stratification includes qualitative beliefs and attitudes as well as quantitative inequality.

All complex societies are characterized by stratification, with unequal distribution of goods. The most privileged individuals and families enjoy disproportionately social resources, such as income and power. The stratification system represents the social relationships and structures that generate this inequality, and its important factors are as follows: (a) the social institutional process that defines valuable goods, (b) the rules for distributing goods to different positions in the division of labor, and (c) the social mobility process that connects individuals to positions.

Social mobility refers to the movement of individuals, groups, or categories between classes or within a stratification system. It can be intra-generational or intergenerational, and is used to classify social stratification systems. Open stratification systems value individual achievement and have high intra-generational mobility. On the other hand, closed stratification systems without intergenerational mobility last a lifetime of social position at birth. A typical example is caste systems.

In conclusion, social stratification is an important concept for understanding social structure and order, and its complexity is explained through various theories and systems. The relationship between social mobility and stratification is an important indicator of the openness and closure of society.


2. Interesting point

According to Marx, the social class is determined by the individual's relationship to the means of production. There are at least two classes in a class-based society: the owners of the means of production and the people who sell their labor to the owners of the means of production. Sometimes Marx almost suggests that the ruling class seems to own the working class itself because it only has its own labor ("wage labor") to provide to the more powerful to survive. -> When I first read this, I didn't understand it well. But after reading it many times, this part was interesting. The reason for this was that it was interesting that the ruling class was inextricably linked in that it had to give the working class a job and give them something to work to make a living, and the working class had to receive the job to make a living.


3. Question

Does it become difficult for the ruling class to make a living if the working class, who wants to provide labor under the ruling class, disappears?

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