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Dave Serpas

Professor Lookholder

SOC1

April 2, 2017

Social Stratification Definitions

Social Stratification

Social stratification can interpreted in many different ways however, it usually used to define a certain part of

society. For example, your nationality, where you grew up, where you born, who your parents are, what school

you went to, where you work and etc. It is almost based on biases and prejudices. Most important thing to

consider is that social stratification is not based on the individual but a group of people. There are four

systems: your occupation, education, income and wealth. Occupation can vary from a medical doctor or a

cashier. Education can be based on what degree you earned or what kind of special training you received.

Income is how much you earn and lastly your wealth is based on savings or inheritances. The open

stratification system would be the occupation and education. Based on American Ideals of working hard to

get what you desire, anyone can attain education and move up through the occupational pyramid. The other

two, income and health, is more on the restricted side due to social inequalities. It also reflects social status

since it is the most common social conflict we see today. For example, religion, gender, sexual orientation and

race.

Means of Production
Karl Marxs means of production has to do with peoples association to production and its usually divided

between two groups: those who the production and those who work for the production. The bourgeoisie would

be the owners of such productions like factory owners. The Proletariats would be the employees who do

manual work to produce the goods. According Marx, class-consciousness has to do with an individual knowing

where they reside in society along with others in society. Dominant ideology defines itself within the name

meaning it is the ideals that most of the society believes in. False consciousness is ideals that have been

misinterpreted or altered then later preached to society with someone of power.

Weber's Definitions of Class, Status Group & Party

Weber believed that class was just one whole entire entity, which Marx only believed there was class division.

An example of class division would be the poor and the rich. Marx had a theory of the bourgeoisie and the

proletariats being the two status groups in class. However, Weber defined more like a one community that

based each other off social honor. One example is being entrepreneur due to the fact it gives jobs to people

who are in need of them. Parties are more in the topic of power. Politics is a perfect example of the struggle for

power. The climb for power through legal system from something little as a town counsels to president of the

country.

Cultural Capital

Cultural capital has to do with more with things you own that places you in society. For example,

cultural capital would be someone wearing Louis Vuitton versus someone wearing Old Navy.

Class differences are more like someone of a higher class versus someone of a lower class.

Those who are high up in power differences like to display their superiority through the things

they own. For example, a bigger house, a nicer car and expensive taste of fashion. On the

contrary, those who are part of relative poverty only want the minimum in order to live the life
they want and those who are part of absolute poverty is those that even have the minimum. An

example of absolute poverty is people who dont have the bare essentials such as food and

clothing.
Bibliography

Witt, Jon. Soc 2010. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. Print.

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