Social Stratification: A Social Stratification System

Social Stratification, also known as stratification, is an organization system for a society, in which individuals are placed and ranked, also called their social position within society. In action, social stratification “places a grid over a society” (Larkin). In definition, “Social stratification is a social system of inequality that takes into account the differences among individual members of the society and ranks individuals, thus creating a social hierarchy” (Larkin). The functioning aspect of stratification is to fill jobs that a society finds necessary and beneficial to its existence. The four main stratification systems are slavery, caste, estate, and class. Max Weber, who is recognized by many sociologists around the world for his

In education, “On average, a male with a bachelor’s degree will earn $25,000 more than a female with a similar degree. Women with a master’s degree earn $32,500 less than men possessing a similar degree” (Larkin). When comparing men to women in the United States, shows that men have a better chance of earning a higher degree in education. Within the stratification principle, these statistics have proven that gender has an effect. In class, “Women are shown to have looser attachments to the labour market, we do not find more intergenerational mobility among women than among men” (Erikson). Women in comparison to men on the stratification principle tend to have lower class ranks because of their involvement in the labor market. Tied into education, if women have a lower chance of earning a degree, this will affect their class level as well. In the comparison of race between men and women, women tend to fall off the boundaries to being successfully educated, as well. This analysis allows society to understand the effect of gender within our culture. Stratification shows that gender plays a huge role in the ranking and placing of an individual in society. Due to the size, race, and gender, the white male with a high degree has the most power in our society. Women find themselves to be restricted to