The Origin of Social Stratification
INTRODUCTION
Social stratification is rigid subdivision of society into a hierarchy of layers, differentiated on the basis of power, prestige and wealth. It is the hierarchical arrangement of people in a society.
Stratification is common in the animal kingdom on the basis of power and gender and some form of stratification has probably always existed among humans. With the development of food and other surpluses resulting from technological advances in agriculture and manufacturing, some people began to accumulate more recourses or wealth than others.
Social stratification can happen on the basis of caste, income, wealth, education, religion, power, age, gender, occupation, race, region, language, party and politics. There could be many other factors influencing social stratification.
For the greater part of history, the existing stratification order was regarded as an immutable feature of society and the implicit objective of commentators was to explain or justify that order in terms of religious or quasi-religious doctrines.
ORIGINS OF SOCIAL STRATIFICATION
In early societies, people shared a common social standing. As societies evolved and became more complex, they began to elevate some members. Today, stratification, a system by which society ranks its members in a hierarchy, is the norm throughout the world. All societies stratify their members. A stratified society is one in which there is an unequal distribution of society’s rewards and in which people are arranged hierarchically into layers according to how much of society’s rewards they possess. To understand stratification, we must first understand its origins.
HUNTING AND GATHERING SOCIETIES
[pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic]
Hunting and gathering societies had little stratification. Men hunted for meat while women gathered edible plants, and the general welfare of the society depended on all its members sharing what it had. The society as a whole undertook the rearing and socialization of
Social stratification is rigid subdivision of society into a hierarchy of layers, differentiated on the basis of power, prestige and wealth. It is the hierarchical arrangement of people in a society.
Stratification is common in the animal kingdom on the basis of power and gender and some form of stratification has probably always existed among humans. With the development of food and other surpluses resulting from technological advances in agriculture and manufacturing, some people began to accumulate more recourses or wealth than others.
Social stratification can happen on the basis of caste, income, wealth, education, religion, power, age, gender, occupation, race, region, language, party and politics. There could be many other factors influencing social stratification.
For the greater part of history, the existing stratification order was regarded as an immutable feature of society and the implicit objective of commentators was to explain or justify that order in terms of religious or quasi-religious doctrines.
ORIGINS OF SOCIAL STRATIFICATION
In early societies, people shared a common social standing. As societies evolved and became more complex, they began to elevate some members. Today, stratification, a system by which society ranks its members in a hierarchy, is the norm throughout the world. All societies stratify their members. A stratified society is one in which there is an unequal distribution of society’s rewards and in which people are arranged hierarchically into layers according to how much of society’s rewards they possess. To understand stratification, we must first understand its origins.
HUNTING AND GATHERING SOCIETIES
[pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic]
Hunting and gathering societies had little stratification. Men hunted for meat while women gathered edible plants, and the general welfare of the society depended on all its members sharing what it had. The society as a whole undertook the rearing and socialization of