Social stratification and class systems in the United States

Relationships and Social Lives

This is the hierarchical way in which large social groups based on their control over basic resources. A key characteristic of stratification systems is the extent to which the structure is flexible. Slavery, a form of stratification in which people are owned by others, is an extreme type. In a caste system, people's status is determined at birth based on their parents' position in society

The class system, which exists in the United States, is a type of stratification based on ownership of resources and on the type of work people do. Functionalist perspectives on the U.S. class structure view classes as broad groupings of people who share similar levels of privilege based on their roles in the occupational structure. According to the Davis-Moore thesis, positions that are most important within society, requiring the most talent and training, must highly rewarded. Many people define classes as those that have been categorized based on income, level of education and probably the general occupation of the individual.

Class marker

1. Social status

It has been argued that it is impossible to understand someone's behavior without the looking closely on the social stratification Thomson 2005, says that the class position may have a great influence on almost everything that one does. The social status in most cases describes the number of members in a particular group, and in general terms the higher the ranking based on such scales as prestige and influence, the higher the skill and education level required to perform them

2. Dual income controversy

Income is one of the most commonly used attributes of a household to determine its class status. The relationship between incomes, which mostly arises from the scarcity of a certain skill, may however, proves to be more complex than initially perceived.[7] While the idea is that income reflects status, household income may just be the product of two or more incomes.

In 2005, 22% of American households had two income earners. The vast majority (97%) of households in the top quantile had two or more income earners. This means that the majority of household incomes in the top quintile are the result of two income earners pooling their resources, establishing a close link between perceived affluence and the number of income earners in a given household This raises the question of whether or not the combination of incomes results in higher social status. Of course, there is no definite answer as class is a vague sociological concept.

Kingsly 2006 says that the position that one occupies does not bring power and prestige to that individual because it draws a higher income, rather, it draws a high income because it is functionally important and the available personnel are for one reason or another scarce. It is therefore superficial and erroneous to regard high income as the cause of a man's power and prestige, just as it is erroneous to think that a man's fever is the cause of his disease... The economic source of power and prestige is not income primarily, but the ownership of capital goods (including patents, good will, and professional reputation). Such ownership should be distinguished from the possession of consumers' goods, which is an index rather than a cause of social standing.

Education depends on how the term middle class is to be defined. Tertiary education is rarely free, but the costs vary widely: tuition at elite private colleges often exceeds $200,000 for a four-year program. Also, scholarships offered by universities and government do exist, and low-interest loans are available. Still, the average cost of education, by all accounts, is increasing. The attainment of post-secondary and graduate degrees is the perhaps most important feature of a middle and upper middle class person with the university being regarded as the most essential institution and gatekeeper of the professional middle class.[5][13] Educational attainment is also directly linked to income.

In 2005, the vast majority of those with doctorate and professional degrees were among the nation's top 15% of income earners.[14] Those with bachelor degrees had incomes considerably above the national median while the median income for those with some college education remained near the national median. According to U.S. Census Bureau, 9% of persons aged 25 or older had a graduate degree, 27.9% had a Bachelor's degree or more with 53% having attended college.[14][15] With 85% of the population having graduated high school, it becomes apparent that the average American does not have a college degree, but is likely to have attended college for some time and has graduated high school. Overall, educational attainment serves as the perhaps most essential class feature of most Americans, being directly linked to income and occupation.[16]

Conflicts in social stratification

Conflict perspectives are based on the assumption that social stratification is created and maintained by one group in order to enhance and protect its own economic interests. The stratification of society into different social groups results in wide discrepancies in income, wealth, and access to available goods and services (including health, good nutrition, and education). Sociologists distinguish between absolute poverty, which exists when do not have the means to secure the basic necessities of life, and relative poverty, which exists when people may be able to afford basic necessities but are still unable to maintain an average standard of living. There are both economic and structural sources of poverty. Low wages are a key problem, as are unemployment and underemployment. As the gap between rich and poor, employed and unemployed widens, social inequality will increase in the twenty-first century if we do nothing. Given that the well being of all people is linked, it is incumbent that we ensure that everyone has a job, a living wage, and an equal life chance.

Global stratification

This refers to the unequal distribution of resources in the global level, The social and economic gaps between the developed nations and the developing nations of the world are much more pronounced than they are in the United States

Theoretical point-of-view of global stratification

Social scientists use three primary theoretical perspectives to examine global inequality:

(1) Development and modernization theory

(2) Dependency theory

(3) World systems theory.

The future prospects of global inequality range from more to less optimistic predictions. As we enter the future, we can enjoy global prosperity only ensuing that other people around the world have the opportunity to survive and thrive in their own surrounding

Global inequity in the future

Continued economic crisis and increasing levels of poverty index hampers the development and future possibilities of change, although new improved modern technology gives hope for a better future, these hopes are diminished by the rising poverty index. Education and health are some of the key pillars in an economy and in low income states these factors needs to be improved

Class system in the U.S.

Classes are divided based on the income, occupation and educational terms. Based on these categories there exist several classes under the academic model, this includes;

The corporate elite

Upper class

Upper middle

Middle class

Transitional middle

Lower middle

Working class