My Vision of Social Stratification
Since the beginning of humanity, people have had unequal access to resources based on their community roles. Later, with society’s development, its structure became more complicated, resulting in division into groups that possess different access to resources and benefits. According to “What is social stratification,” (n.d.), “in modern times, this phenomenon is defined as a system by which a society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy according to four principles and called social stratification” (para. 1). From my perspective, social stratification is a generally accepted method of awarding personal achievements, utilizing privileges and access to additional resources. The disadvantage of social stratification is the unfairness of transferring social positions in the community from generation to generation and biases regarding some groups of people. This pattern results in conflict, as the initial purpose of the phenomenon is to motivate, remunerate, and honor. Social stratification stimulates to rise of position in the hierarchy but raises the frequent discussion of its inequities.
An Instance of the Social Stratification in the United States
Comparatively unequal rights and opportunities are provided to different racial groups, people of various ages, and representatives of opposite genders because of social stratification. This phenomenon results in inequities, all forms of which are presented in the United States. As non-Hispanic white men are the largest demographic group, they are used as a benchmark for others’ earnings (Miller & Vagins, 2018). According to Miller and Vagins (2018), in the United States, in 2017, women were paid 80% of what men earned. It is explained by men’s and women’s predispositions to different industries and occupations, where men tend to have jobs with higher rates of pay (Miller & Vagins, 2018). A structural-functional theory is applicable to this evidence as it claims the reasonability of unequal rewards, which depend on personal talents and abilities (“Theories of social inequality,” n.d.). In this instance, men are inclined to occupy better-paid positions that require additional skills or imply difficult working conditions. From this point of view, social stratification fulfills its initial purpose to encourage people.
References
Miller, K. & Vagins, D. J. (2018). The simple truth about the gender pay gap. American Association of University Women.
Theories of social inequality. (n.d.). Pearson College. Web.
What is social stratification? (n.d.). Pearson College. Web.