Social Stratification, Inequality and Slavery

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Introduction and Background:
Social stratification is the structured ranking of entire groups of people that perpetuates unequal economic rewards and powers in a society it includes slavery, castes, the estate system, and social classes. Social stratification can been seen necessary through a functionalist eyes due to the fact that it motivates people to accept all jobs required for the society to survive. Conflict theorists see stratification as a major source of societal tension and conflict, different social levels with opposing interests can clash with one another over goals and resources. Interactionists stress the importance of social class in determining a person's lifestyle.
The most extreme form of legalized social inequality for individuals and racial groups is slavery. What distinguishes this oppressive system of stratification is that enslaved individuals are owned by other people, who treat these human beings as property, just as if they were household pets or appliances this was the case in the United States and Latin America, where slavery was an ascribed status, racial and legal barriers prevented the freeing of slaves. Slavery is a major reason why there is still a social stratification between racial groups in society today.
Race and ethnic relations discusses inequality between majority and minority races which is shaped by stratification and adds to class struggle. The social definitions of race and ethnicity still affect people's place and status in a stratification system, not only in the United States, but throughout the world. Castes are hereditary ranks that are usually religiously dictated and that tend to be fixed and immobile. The caste system is generally associated with Hinduism in India and other ...

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...oint that our class isn’t where we should be when it comes to diversity but we are making the right steps. Our class might be able to deal with racial issues but we still lack social diversity. The class is socially interactive but we also must consider that our survey is based off of a small group, and also that 30% of this group didn’t participate. This survey isn’t accurate when referring to society as a whole, but it is one close look at who you are sitting next to. This survey makes it easier to understand that the way you grew up is not like others obviously, but it also helps you understand why people react to certain people of different races the way they do when dealing with certain situations.

Works Cited

Schaefer, Richard T. "Stratification And Social Mobility In The United States." Sociology. 13th ed. New York, N.Y: McGraw-Hill, 2013. N. pag. Print.

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