social division. What is the social stratification of society

Introduction

The history of all sociology as a science, as well as the history of its most important private discipline, the sociology of inequality, spans a century and a half.

In all ages, many scientists have thought about the nature of relations between people, about the plight of most people, about the problem of the oppressed and the oppressors, about the justice or injustice of inequality.

A variety of relations of roles, positions lead to differences between people in each particular society. The problem comes down to somehow streamlining these relations between categories of people that differ in many aspects.

Even the ancient philosopher Plato reflected on the stratification of people into rich and poor. He believed that the state is, as it were, two states. One is the poor, the other is the rich, and they all live together, plotting each other all sorts of intrigues. Plato was "the first political ideologue who thought in terms of classes," according to Karl Popper. In such a society, people are haunted by fear and uncertainty. A healthy society must be different.

What is inequality? In the very general view inequality means that people live in conditions in which they have unequal access to limited resources of material and spiritual consumption. To describe the system of inequality between groups of people in sociology, the concept of " social stratification".

social stratification- (from lat. stratum - layer and facere - to do) in bourgeois sociology - a concept denoting the main social differences and inequality (social differentiation) in modern society. Opposes the Marxist theory of classes and class struggle.

Bourgeois sociologists ignore property relations as main feature class division of society. Instead of the main features of classes opposing each other, they single out derivative, secondary characteristics; while adjacent layers differ little from each other. Three directions prevail in the study of social stratification. The first puts forward social prestige as the leading criterion for distinguishing layers, embodied in a certain collective opinion about the "higher - lower" position of individuals and groups. The second considers people's self-assessments regarding their social position to be the main one. Thirdly, when describing the stratification, he uses such objective criteria as profession, income, education, etc. In essence, non-Marxist sociology does not distinguish between the main features by which classes and strata are divided, and additional ones.

The latter do not explain the essence, causal relationships of social differentiation, but only describe its consequences in different spheres of life. If at the empirical level bourgeois scientists simply fix social inequality, approaching the problem of social stratification purely descriptively, then when they go on to explain the phenomenon of social stratification, they violate the principle of correspondence of levels of generalization, since a person’s position in society is explained through individual behavior, i.e. the social dissolves into the individual. Social stratification - central theme sociology. It explains social stratification into the poor, the wealthy and the rich. Considering the subject of sociology, one can find a close connection between the three fundamental concepts of sociology - social structure, social composition and social stratification. In domestic sociology, even P. Sorokin, during his life in Russia and for the first time during his stay abroad (20s), systematized and deepened whole line concepts that later acquired a key role in the theory of stratification ( social mobility, “one-dimensional” and “multi-dimensional” stratification, etc. Social stratification, Sorokin notes, is the differentiation of a given set of people (population) into classes in a hierarchical rank.

It finds expression in the existence of higher and lower strata. The structure can be expressed through a set of statuses and likened to empty cells of a honeycomb.

It is located, as it were, in a horizontal plane, but is created by the social division of labor. In a primitive society there are few statuses and a low level of division of labor, in a modern society there are many statuses and, consequently, a high level of organization of the division of labor. But no matter how many statuses there were, in social structure they are equal and related to each other functionally.

But now we have filled the empty cells with people, each status has turned into a large social group. The totality of statuses gave us a new concept - the social composition of the population. And here the groups are equal to each other, they are also located horizontally. Indeed, in terms of social composition, all Russians, women, engineers, non-party people and housewives are equal. However, we know that in real life human inequality plays a huge role. Inequality is the criterion by which we can place some groups above or below others. The social composition turns into social stratification - a set of social strata located in a vertical order, in particular, the poor, the wealthy, the rich. If we resort to a physical analogy, then the social composition is a disorderly collection of "iron filings". But then they put a magnet, and they all lined up in a clear order. Stratification is a certain "oriented" composition of the population. What "orients" large social groups? It turns out that society's unequal assessment of the meaning and role of each status or group. A plumber or a janitor is valued lower than a lawyer and a minister. Consequently, high statuses and people occupying them are better rewarded, they have more power, the prestige of their occupation is higher, the level of education should also be higher. So we got the four main dimensions of stratification - income, power, education, prestige. And that's all, there are no others. Why? But because they exhaust the range of social benefits that people aspire to, more precisely, not the benefits themselves (there may be many of them), but the channels of access to them: a house abroad, a luxury car, a yacht, a vacation in the Canary Islands, etc. - social goods that are always in short supply but inaccessible to the majority and are acquired through access to money and power, which in turn are achieved through high education and personal qualities. Thus, social structure arises from the social division of labor, and social stratification - about the social distribution of results. To understand the essence of social stratification and its features, it is necessary to overall score RF problems.

social stratification

The sociological concept of stratification (from Latin stratum - layer, layer) reflects the stratification of society, differences in the social status of its members.

social stratification - it is a system of social inequality, consisting of hierarchically arranged social strata (strata). A stratum is understood as a set of people united by common status features.

Considering social stratification as a multidimensional, hierarchically organized social space, sociologists explain its nature and causes of origin in different ways. Thus, Marxist researchers believe that the social inequality that determines the stratification system of society is based on property relations, the nature and form of ownership of the means of production. According to the supporters of the functional approach (K. Davis and W. Moore), the distribution of individuals according to social strata occurs in accordance with their contribution to the achievement of the goals of society, depending on the importance of their professional activity. According to the theory of social exchange (J. Homans), inequality in society arises in the process of unequal exchange of the results of human activity.

To determine belonging to a particular social stratum, sociologists offer a variety of parameters and criteria.

One of the creators of the stratification theory, P. Sorokin, distinguished three types of stratification:

1) economic (according to the criteria of income and wealth);

2) political (according to the criteria of influence and power);

3) professional (according to the criteria of mastery, professional skills, successful performance of social roles).

In turn, the founder of structural functionalism T. Parsons identified three groups of signs of social stratification.

Different social groups occupy different positions in society. This position is determined by unequal rights and privileges, responsibilities and duties, property and income, attitudes towards power and influence among members of their community.

Social differentiation (from lat. differentia - difference) is the division of society into various social groups that occupy different positions in it.

Inequality is the uneven distribution of the scarce resources of society - money, power, education and prestige - between different strata and strata of the population.

Social inequality is an internal characteristic of any social group and society as a whole, otherwise their existence as a system would be impossible. The factor of inequality determines the development and dynamics of a social group.

In the early stages of social development, socially significant are such individual characteristics like gender, age, relationship. The objective inequality that really exists here is interpreted as the natural order of things, that is, as the absence of social inequality.

In a traditional society based on the division of labor, a class structure is emerging: peasants, artisans, nobility. However, in this society, objective inequality is recognized as a manifestation of the Divine order, and not as social inequality.

In modern society, objective inequality is already recognized as a manifestation of social inequality, that is, it is interpreted from the point of view of equality.

The difference between groups according to the principle of inequality is expressed in the formation of social strata.

A stratum (from Latin stratum - layer, flooring) in sociology is understood as a real, empirically fixed community, social stratum, a group of people united by some common social sign(property, professional, level of education, power, prestige, etc.). The reason for inequality is the heterogeneity of labor, which results in the appropriation of power and property by some people, the uneven distribution of rewards and incentives. The concentration of power, property and other resources in the elite contributes to the emergence of social conflicts.

Inequality can be represented as a scale, on one pole of which there will be those who own the largest (rich), and on the other - the smallest (poor) amount of goods. Money is a universal measure of inequality in modern society. To describe the inequality of different social groups there is the concept of "social stratification" x.

Social stratification (from Latin stratum - layer, flooring and facege - to do) is a system that includes many social formations, whose representatives differ from each other in an unequal amount of power and material wealth, rights and obligations, privileges and prestige.

The term "stratification" came to sociology from geology, where it refers to the vertical arrangement of the Earth's layers.

According to the theory of stratification, modern society is layered, multi-level, outwardly resembling geological layers. The following stratification criteria are distinguished: income; power; education; prestige.

Stratification has two essential characteristics that distinguish it from a simple bundle:

1. The upper strata are in a more privileged position (with respect to the possession of resources or opportunities to receive rewards) in relation to the lower strata.

2. The upper layers are much smaller than the lower ones in terms of the number of members of society included in them.

Social stratification in various theoretical systems is understood differently. There are three classical strands of stratification theories:

1. Marxism - the main type of stratification - class (from Latin classis - group, category) stratification, which is based on economic factors, primarily property relations. A person's attitude to property determines his position in society and his place on the stratification scale.

2. Functionalism - social stratification associated with the professional division of labor. Unequal remuneration is a necessary mechanism by which society ensures that the most important places in society are filled by the most qualified people.

This concept was introduced into scientific circulation by the Russian-American sociologist and culturologist P. A. Sorokin (1889-1968).

3. The theory based on the views of M. Weber - the basis of any stratification is the distribution of power and authority, which are not directly determined by property relations. The most important relatively independent hierarchical structures are economic, sociocultural, and political. Accordingly, the social groups that stand out in these structures are class, status, party.

Types of stratification systems:

1) Physical-genetic - based on the ranking of people according to natural characteristics: gender, age, the presence of certain physical qualities- strength, dexterity, beauty, etc.

2) Etatocratic (from French etat - state) - differentiation between groups is carried out according to their position in the power-state hierarchies (political, military, administrative and economic), according to the possibilities of mobilizing and distributing resources, as well as according to the privileges that these groups have depending on their rank in the power structures.

3) Socio-professional - groups are divided according to the content and working conditions; ranking here is carried out with the help of certificates (diplomas, grades, licenses, patents, etc.), fixing the level of qualification and ability to perform certain types- activities (discharge grid in public sector industry, the system of certificates and diplomas of education received, the system of awarding scientific degrees and titles, etc.).

4) Cultural-symbolic - arises from differences in access to socially significant information, unequal opportunities to select, store and interpret it [pre-industrial societies are characterized by theocratic (from gr. theos - god and kratos - power) manipulation of information, for industrial - partocratic (from lat. pars (partis) - part, group and gr. kratos - power), for post-industrial - technocratic (from gr. techno - skill, craft and kratos - power).

5) Cultural-normative - differentiation is built on differences in respect and prestige arising from a comparison of existing norms and lifestyles inherent in certain social groups (attitude towards physical and mental labor, consumer standards, tastes, ways of communicating, professional terminology, local dialect, etc.).

6) Socio-territorial - is formed due to the unequal distribution of resources between regions, differences in access to jobs, housing, quality goods and services, educational and cultural institutions, etc.

In reality, these stratification systems are closely intertwined and complement each other. For example, the socio-professional hierarchy in the form of an officially fixed division of labor not only performs important independent functions for maintaining the life of society, but also has a significant impact on the structure of any stratification system.

In modern sociology, the most common are two main approaches to the analysis of the social structure of society: stratification and class, which are based on the concepts of "stratum" and "class".

The stratum is distinguished by:
income level;
the main features of the lifestyle;
inclusion in power structures;
property relations;
social prestige;
self-assessment of one's position in society.

The class is distinguished by:
place in the system social production;
relation to the means of production;
roles in public organization labor;
methods and amounts of wealth.

The main difference between the stratification and class approaches is that within the framework of the latter, economic factors are dominant, all other criteria are their derivatives. The stratification approach proceeds from taking into account not only economic, but also political, actually social, as well as socio-psychological factors. This implies that there is not always a rigid connection between them: a high position in one position can be combined with a low position in another.

Stratification and class approaches to the analysis of the social structure of society

Stratification approach:

1) Accounting, first of all, for the value of one or another attribute (income, education, access to power).

2) The basis for the allocation of strata is a set of features, among which access to wealth plays an important role.

3) Taking into account not only the factor of conflict, but also solidarity, complementarity of various social strata.

Class approach in the Marxist sense:

1) Aligning groups on a scale of inequality, depending on the presence or absence of a leading feature.

2) The basis for the allocation of classes is the possession of private property, which makes it possible to appropriate profits.

3) The division of society into conflict groups.

Social stratification performs two functions - it is a method of identifying the social strata of a given society and gives an idea of ​​the social portrait of a given society.

Social stratification is distinguished by a certain stability within a particular historical stage.

social stratification

social role

social role- a model of behavior focused on this status. It can be defined differently - as a template type of behavior aimed at fulfilling the rights and obligations assigned to a specific status.

From a banker, others expect one kind of behavior, and from an unemployed person, a completely different one. Social norms - the prescribed rules of behavior - characterize the role, not the status. The role is also called dynamic side of the status. The words ʼʼdynamicʼʼ, ʼʼbehaviorʼʼ, ʼʼnormʼʼ indicate that we are not dealing with social relations, but with social interaction. Τᴀᴋᴎᴍ ᴏϬᴩᴀᴈᴏᴍ, we must learn:

· social roles and social norms refer to social interaction;

Social statuses, rights and obligations, functional relationship of statuses are related to social relations;

social interaction describes the dynamics of society, social relations- its statics.

The subjects expect from the king the behavior prescribed by custom or document. Τᴀᴋᴎᴍ ᴏϬᴩᴀᴈᴏᴍ, there is an intermediate link between status and role - expectations people (expectations).

Expectations can somehow be fixed, and then they become social norms. If, of course, they are considered as mandatory requirements(prescriptions). And they may not be fixed, but this does not stop them from being expectations.

social stratification - central theme of sociology. It describes social inequality in society, the division of social strata by income level and lifestyle, by the presence or absence of privileges. In primitive society, inequality was insignificant, in connection with this, stratification was almost absent there. In complex societies, inequality is very strong, it divided people by income, level of education, power. Castes arose, then estates, and later classes. In some societies, the transition from one social stratum (stratum) to another is prohibited; there are societies where such a transition is limited, and there are societies where it is completely allowed. Freedom of social movement (mobility) determines whether a society is closed or open.

The term ʼʼstratificationʼʼ comes from geology, where it refers to the vertical arrangement of the Earth's layers. Sociology has likened the structure of society to the structure of the Earth and placed the social strata (strata) also vertically. The basis is the income ladder: the poor are at the bottom, the wealthy are in the middle, and the rich are at the top.

Each stratum includes only those people who have approximately the same income, power, education and prestige. The inequality of distances between statuses is the main property of stratification. She has four measuring rulers, or coordinate axes. All of them are located vertically and next to each other:

· power;

· education;

prestige.

Income - the amount of cash receipts of an individual or family for a certain period of time (month, year). Income is the amount of money received in the form of wages, pensions, allowances, alimony, fees, deductions from profits. Income measured in rubles or dollars that an individual receives (individual income) or family (family income) within a certain period of time, say, one month or a year.

On the coordinate axis, we plot equal intervals, for example, up to $5,000, from $5,001 to $10,000, from $10,001 to $15,000, and so on up to $75,000 and beyond.

Incomes are most often spent on maintaining life, but if they are very high, they accumulate and turn into wealth.

Wealth - accumulated income, i.e., the amount of cash or embodied money. In the second case, they are called movable (car, yacht͵ securities etc.) and immovable (house, works of art, treasures) property. Usually wealth is inherited. Inheritance can be received by both working and non-working, and only working people can receive income. In addition to them, pensioners and the unemployed have income, but the poor do not. The rich may or may not work. In both cases, they are owners because they have wealth. The main wealth of the upper class is not income, but accumulated property. The salary share is small. For the middle and lower classes, income is the main source of subsistence, since the first, if there is wealth, is insignificant, and the second does not have it at all. Wealth allows you not to work, and its absence forces you to work for the sake of wages.

Wealth and income are unevenly distributed and mean economic inequality. Sociologists interpret it as an indicator that different groups of the population have unequal life chances. Οʜᴎ buy different quantities and different quality food, clothing, housing, etc. People with more money, eat better, live in more comfortable houses, prefer a private car to public transport, can afford expensive vacations, etc. But in addition to obvious economic advantages, the wealthy have hidden privileges. The poor have shorter lives (even if they enjoy all the benefits of medicine), less educated children (even if they go to the same public schools), etc.

Education measured by the number of years of education in a public or private school or university. Let's say elementary School means 4 years, incomplete secondary - 9 years, complete secondary - 11, college - 4 years, university - 5 years, graduate school - 3 years, doctoral studies - 3 years. Τᴀᴋᴎᴍ ᴏϬᴩᴀᴈᴏᴍ, a professor has over 20 years of formal education behind him, while a plumber may not have even eight.

Power measured by the number of people affected by the decision you make (power - the ability to impose one's will or decisions on other people, regardless of their desire). The decisions of the President of Russia apply to 148 million people (whether they are implemented is another question, although it also concerns the issue of power), and the decisions of the foreman - to 7-10 people.

essence authorities - in the ability to impose one's will against the wishes of other people. V complex society power institutionalized, i.e. protected by laws and tradition, surrounded by privileges and wide access to social benefits, allows you to make decisions that are vital for society, incl. laws, as a rule, advantageous to the upper class. In all societies, people who have some type of power - political, economic or religious - constitute an institutionalized elite. It determines the domestic and foreign policy of the state, directing it in a direction that is beneficial to itself, which other classes are deprived of.

Three scales of stratification - income, education and power - have completely objective units of measurement: dollars, years, people. Prestige is outside this range, as it is a subjective indicator.

Prestige - respect, which in public opinion is enjoyed by this or that profession, position, occupation. The profession of a lawyer is more prestigious than the profession of a steelworker or a plumber. Office of the President commercial bank more prestigious than the post of cashier. All professions, occupations and positions that exist in a given society can be placed from top to bottom on the ladder of professional prestige. As a rule, professional prestige is determined by us intuitively, approximately. But in some countries, primarily in the United States, sociologists measure it using special methods. Οʜᴎ study public opinion, compare various professions, analyze the statistics and eventually get an accurate scale of prestige.

Historical types of stratification

Income, power, prestige and education determine the total socio-economic status, that is, the position and place of a person in society. In this case status acts as a generalizing indicator of stratification. Earlier we noted its key role in the social structure. Now it turned out that he plays a crucial role in sociology as a whole.

The assigned status characterizes a rigidly fixed system of stratification, i.e. closed society, in which the transition from one stratum to another is practically prohibited. Such systems include slavery, caste and estate systems. The achieved status characterizes a mobile system of stratification, or open society, where people are allowed to move freely up and down the social ladder. Such a system includes classes (capitalist society). These are historical types of stratification.

a closed society is a society where the movement of individuals or information from one country to another is excluded or substantially restricted. Slavery - historically the first system of social stratification. Slavery arose in ancient times in Egypt, Babylon, China, Greece, Rome and has survived in a number of regions almost to the present day. Like slavery, the caste system characterizes a closed society and rigid stratification. Castoy called a social group (stratum), membership in which a person owes solely to birth. He cannot move from one caste to another during his lifetime. To do this, he needs to be born again. estate - a social group that has fixed custom or legal law and inherited rights and obligations. It is important to note that the estate system, which includes several strata, is characterized by a hierarchy, expressed in the inequality of their position and privileges. class society the case is different: none legal documents do not regulate the place of the individual in the social structure. Every person is free to move, with ability, education or income, from one class to another.

Social stratification - concept and types. Classification and features of the category "Social stratification" 2017, 2018.

a term that in sociology means: 1) a multidimensional hierarchically organized structure of social inequality that exists in any society; 2) a process in which groups of people hierarchically line up according to some scale of inequality. S.'s system with. represents a certain differentiation of social statuses and roles. A social stratum is a rank layer within the hierarchical system of social status, social status positions, and roles. Different societies are characterized by special forms and foundations of social inequality and methods of social ranking, various types of stratification systems. Thus, there are fundamental differences between the caste and class “closed” systems of social stratification. and modern class "open" society; between social characteristics, which determine the inequality in these stratification systems, the ways in which this inequality is affirmed and maintained (see Caste, Estate, Class). S. s. is understood differently in various theoretical fig-themes. There are three classical strands of stratification theories: Marxism, Functionalism, and Weberianism. Marxism reduces the problem of socialism to s. to differences between classes (see Class). The main type of stratification, according to Marxism, is class stratification, which is based on economic factors, primarily property relations. Therefore, the Marxist theory of stratification has been criticized primarily for economic reductionism and one-dimensionality. Functionalist theories link C, p. with the professional division of labor, with the need to motivate individuals to fill important professional positions. Unequal remuneration, including income and status, is considered a necessary mechanism by which society ensures that the most qualified people occupy the most important places in society. Therefore, the system of social inequality is considered as objectively necessary in any society, and not the conflicting, but the integrating value of S. s is emphasized. for society. The whole functionalist stratification scheme looks like a long continuous status scale, which is made up of many occupational groups. There are no gaps on this scale, no clear division into classes, no class struggle, just as there are no prerequisites for it. "Classes" in this concept are groups of status and prestige. The functionalist theory of stratification has been criticized for different directions. Its main shortcomings are the lack of attention to power, wealth and property as the basis of stratification; exaggeration of the individual-achieving nature of inequality and underestimation of the factor of inheritance of a status position; ignoring the struggle waged among themselves by various classes and strata for power, prestige and material values . In fact, the functionalist theory of stratification, which dominated in the 50-60s. The 20th century reflected the specific situation in the United States, where neither the ideology of the working class, nor its political movement has ever existed and does not exist, and the social hierarchy is understood by most Americans as a system of freely organized status groups, membership in which depends on individual abilities. Most American sociologists also believe that American society cannot be viewed in terms of the class type of stratification characteristic of other industrialized countries. An alternative to both Marxism and functionalism, S.'s model of socialism, which has become widespread since the 1970s, is called Weberian, since it is based on the ideas of M. Weber. Weber offered a pluralistic approach to S.'s analysis of page. According to Weber, many relatively independent hierarchical structures are possible, irreducible to a class or professional structure. As the most important, Weber identifies three such structures: economic, socio-cultural and political; accordingly, he defines the social groups that stand out in these hierarchical structures by the concepts of "class", "status" and "party". Sometimes they can converge closely, but in principle they always remain relatively independent. At the same time, any stratification is based on the distribution of power and authority, which are not directly determined by property relations. Thus, Weber and his followers, in contrast to the economic class stratification of Marxism and the long continuous scale of socio-professional positions of functionalism, have a set of relatively independent hierarchies. And each social group occupies combined (multidimensional) class and status positions. In modern sociology, stratification analysis becomes even more multidimensional. It also takes into account such factors as gender, age, ethnicity, etc., the inequality associated with which cannot be reduced to other types of social inequality, for example, class inequality. Specific approaches to S.'s studying of page. developed by empirical sociology. Along with an objective approach that takes into account such criteria as the level of education, income level, etc., she uses a subjective approach - the “reputation method”, based on subjective assessments of the position of various social groups, and the “class identification method”, when the respondent has themselves on a conditional status scale. Usually in empirical sociology a class stratification scale (5-7 points) is used. Here the class is used as a descriptive category denoting the various ranking positions occupied by certain people (groups) on hierarchical scales. Each of these methods gives certain "shifts" of the overall picture, but in the aggregate they make it possible to accurately describe the system of S. s. S.'s research with. self-assessment method in 17 countries of Europe and North America and in Russia allows us to compare the "arithmetic mean" structure of these countries and our country: the lower class - 10.1% (18.0% in Russia), the lower middle class - 23.5 (30. 4), average - 58.9 (48.8), highest average - 7.5 (2.8). It is obvious that Russia differs markedly from other countries in the dominance of low-status stratification layers, where 60% or more falls to the share of the middle class (see Middle class). According to objective criteria, the middle class in Russia accounts for 10-15%.

Great Definition

Incomplete definition ↓

social stratification

social stratification(from lat. stratum− layer and facio- do) - one of the basic concepts of sociology, denoting a system of signs and criteria of social stratification, position in society; the social structure of society; branch of sociology. The term "stratification" entered sociology from geology, where it refers to the location of the layers of the earth. But people initially likened the social distances and partitions existing between them to layers of the earth, floors of located buildings, objects, tiers of plants, etc.

Stratification- this is the division of society into special layers (strata) by combining various social positions with approximately the same social status, reflecting the prevailing idea of ​​​​social inequality in it, built horizontally (social hierarchy), along its axis according to one or more stratification criteria (indicators social status). The division of society into strata is carried out on the basis of the inequality of social distances between them - the main property of stratification. Social strata line up vertically and in strict sequence according to indicators of wealth, power, education, leisure, and consumption.

V social stratification a certain social distance is established between people (social positions) and a hierarchy is built from social strata. Thus, the unequal access of members of society to certain socially significant scarce resources is fixed by establishing social filters on the borders separating social strata. For example, the allocation of social strata can be carried out according to the levels of income, education, power, consumption, the nature of work, spending free time. The social strata identified in society are evaluated in it according to the criterion of social prestige, which expresses the social attractiveness of certain positions.

The simplest stratification model is a dichotomous one - the division of society into elites and masses. In some of the earliest, archaic social systems the structuring of society into clans is carried out simultaneously with the implementation of social inequality between them and within them. This is how the "initiates" appear, i.e. those who are initiated into certain social practices (priests, elders, leaders) and the uninitiated are "profane" (profane - from lat. pro fano- deprived of holiness, uninitiated; profane - all other members of society, ordinary members of the community, fellow tribesmen). Within them, society can further stratify if necessary.

The most important dynamic characteristic of society is social mobility. According to the definition of P. Sorokin, "social mobility is understood as any transition of an individual, or a social object, or a value created or modified through activity, from one social position to another." However, social agents do not always move from one position to another, it is possible to move the social positions themselves in the social hierarchy, such a movement is called "positional mobility" ( vertical mobility) or within the same social stratum ( horizontal mobility). Along with social filters that establish barriers to social movement, there are also "social lifts" in society that significantly accelerate this process (in a crisis society - revolutions, wars, conquests, etc.; in a normal, stable society - family, marriage, education , property, etc.). The degree of freedom of social movement from one social stratum to another largely determines whether a society is closed or open.

• social structure
• social class
• creative class
• Social inequality
• Religious stratification
• Racism
• castes
• Class struggle
• social behavior

Links

• Ilyin V.I. Theory of social inequality (structuralist-constructivist paradigm). M., 2000.
• social stratification
• Sushkova-Irina Ya. I. Dynamics of social stratification and its representation in the pictures of the world // Electronic journal"Knowledge. Understanding. Skill". - 2010. - № 4 - Culturology.
• IA REX experts on social stratification

Notes

1. Sorokin P. Man. Civilization. Society. M., 1992. C. 373

Categories:

• Sociology
• social hierarchy

Social stratification

Social stratification (from Latin stratum - layer and facio - I do) - one of the basic concepts of sociology, denoting a system of signs and criteria of social stratification, position in society; the social structure of society; branch of sociology. The term "stratification" entered sociology from geology, where it refers to the location of the layers of the earth. But people initially likened the social distances and partitions existing between them to layers of the earth, floors of located buildings, objects, tiers of plants, etc.

Stratification is the division of society into special layers (strata) by combining various social positions with approximately the same social status, reflecting the prevailing idea of ​​social inequality in it, built horizontally (social hierarchy), along its axis according to one or more stratification criteria (indicators social status). The division of society into strata is carried out on the basis of the inequality of social distances between them - the main property of stratification. Social strata line up vertically and in strict sequence according to indicators of wealth, power, education, leisure, and consumption.

In social stratification, a certain social distance is established between people (social positions) and a hierarchy is built from social strata. Thus, the unequal access of members of society to certain socially significant scarce resources is fixed by establishing social filters on the boundaries separating social strata. For example, the allocation of social strata can be carried out according to the levels of income, education, power, consumption, the nature of work, spending free time. The social strata identified in society are evaluated in it according to the criterion of social prestige, which expresses the social attractiveness of certain positions.

The simplest stratification model is a dichotomous one - the division of society into elites and masses. In some of the earliest, archaic social systems, the structuring of society into clans is carried out simultaneously with the implementation of social inequality between them and within them. This is how the "initiates" appear, i.e. those who are initiated into certain social practices (priests, elders, leaders) and the uninitiated are "profane" (profane - from Latin pro fano - deprived of holiness, uninitiated; profane - all other members of society, ordinary members of the community, fellow tribesmen). Within them, society can further stratify if necessary.

As society becomes more complex (structuring), a parallel process occurs - the embedding of social positions into a certain social hierarchy. This is how castes, estates, classes, etc. appear.

Modern ideas about the stratification model that has developed in society are quite complex - multi-layered (polychotomous), multidimensional (carried out along several axes) and variable (sometimes allow the existence of many stratification models): qualifications, quotas, attestation, status determination, ranks, benefits, privileges, other preferences.

32.THE CLASS STRUCTURE OF SOCIETY

Exists special kind stratification of modern society, which is called class stratification .

public classes , according to Lenin's definition "... large groups of people, differing in their place in a historically defined system of social production, in their relationship (for the most part fixed and formalized in laws) to the means of production, in their role in the social organization of labor, and, consequently , according to the methods of obtaining and the size of the share of social wealth that they have. Classes are such groups of people from which one can appropriate the labor of another, due to the difference in their place in a certain way of social economy. "

For the first time, the expanded concept of social class was formulated by K. Marx through the use of the concept class-forming feature . According to Marx, such a sign is the attitude of people to property. Some classes in society own property, can dispose of property, while other classes are deprived of this property. Such a division can lead to interclass conflicts, which are primarily aimed at the redistribution, redistribution of property. The presence of this sign of the class division of society continues to be used by many modern scientists.

Unlike Marx, the German sociologist Max Weber identifies several signs of the class division of society. In particular, he considers prestige as one of the most important features of social class. In addition to prestige, Weber considers such signs wealth and power, as well as attitudes towards property . In this regard, Weber singles out a much larger number of classes in society than Marx. Each of the social classes has its own subculture, which includes specific behaviors, an accepted value system and a set of social norms. Despite the influence of the dominant culture, each of the social classes cultivates its own values, behaviors and ideals. These subcultures have fairly clear boundaries, within which individuals feel their own: belonging to a social class, identify themselves with it.

Currently, there are quite a few models of the class structure of society. However, the most common model is W. Watson model . According to this model, modern society is divided into six main classes. The upper and middle classes of society are especially clearly distinguished.

The experience of using this model has shown that it has limitations in relation to pre-market Russia. However, with the development of market relations, the class structure Russian society more and more reminiscent of the class structures of Western countries. That is why Watson's model of class structure can be of great importance in the analysis of social processes taking place in modern Russia.

social stratification

Social stratification - this is the definition of the vertical sequence of the position of social strata, layers in society, their hierarchy. In various authors, the concept of a stratum is often replaced by others. keywords: class, caste, estate. Using these terms further, we will invest in them a single content and understand a stratum as a large group of people who differ in their position in the social hierarchy of society.

Sociologists agree that the basis of the stratification structure is the natural and social inequality of people. However, the way inequality was organized could be different. It was necessary to isolate those foundations that would determine the appearance of the vertical structure of society.

K. Marx introduced the only basis for the vertical stratification of society - the possession of property. The narrowness of this approach became apparent already at the end 19th century. That's why M. Weber increases the number of criteria that determine belonging to a particular stratum. In addition to the economic - attitude to property and income level - he introduces such criteria as social prestige and belonging to certain political circles (parties)

Under prestige was understood as the acquisition by an individual from birth or due to personal qualities of such a social status that allowed him to take a certain place in the social hierarchy.

The role of status in the hierarchical structure of society is determined by such an important feature social life as its normative value regulation. Thanks to the latter, only those whose status corresponds to the ideas rooted in the mass consciousness about the significance of their title, profession, as well as the norms and laws functioning in society, always rise to the "upper rungs" of the social ladder.

M. Weber's selection of political criteria for stratification still looks insufficiently substantiated. Says it more clearly P. Sorokin. He unequivocally points to the impossibility of giving a single set of criteria for belonging to any stratum and notes the presence in society three stratification structures: economic, professional and political. An owner with a large fortune, significant economic power, could not formally be included in the highest echelons of political power, not be engaged in professionally prestigious activities. And, on the contrary, a politician who made a dizzying career might not be the owner of capital, which nevertheless did not prevent him from moving in the circles of high society.

Subsequently, repeated attempts were made by sociologists to expand the number of stratification criteria by including, for example, educational level. One can accept or reject additional stratification criteria, but apparently one cannot but agree with the recognition of the multidimensionality of this phenomenon. The stratification picture of society is multifaceted, it consists of several layers that do not completely coincide with each other.

V 30-40s in American sociology an attempt was made to overcome the multidimensionality of stratification by asking individuals to determine their own place in the social structure.) In studies conducted W.L. Warner in a number of American cities, the stratification structure was reproduced on the basis of the principle of self-identification of respondents with one of the six classes based on the methodology developed by the author. This methodology could not but cause a critical attitude due to the debatability of the proposed stratification criteria, the subjectivity of the respondents, and, finally, the possibility of presenting empirical data for several cities as a stratification cross-section of the entire society. But this kind of research gave a different result: they showed that consciously or intuitively people feel, realize the hierarchy of society, feel the main parameters, principles that determine the position of a person in society.

However, research W. L. Warner did not refute the statement about the multidimensionality of the stratification structure. It only showed that different types hierarchies, refracting through a person's value system, create in him a complete picture of the perception of this social phenomenon.

So, society reproduces, organizes inequality according to several criteria: according to the level of wealth and income, according to the level of social prestige, according to the level of political power, and also according to some other criteria. It can be argued that all these types of hierarchy are significant for society, as they allow regulating both the reproduction of social ties and directing personal aspirations and ambitions of people towards acquiring socially significant statuses. After determining the grounds for stratification, let's move on to considering its vertical cut. And here researchers face the problem of divisions on the scale of social hierarchy. In other words, how many social strata should be singled out in order for the stratification analysis of society to be as complete as possible. The introduction of such a criterion as the level of wealth or income led to the fact that, in accordance with it, it was possible to single out a formally infinite number of strata of the population with different levels of well-being. And the appeal to the problem of socio-professional prestige gave grounds to make the stratification structure very similar to the socio-professional one.

The hierarchical system of modern society devoid of rigidity, formally all citizens have equal rights, including the right to occupy any place in the social structure, to rise to the top rungs of the social ladder or to be "below". The sharply increased social mobility, however, did not lead to the "erosion" of the hierarchical system. Society still maintains and guards its own hierarchy.

Society stability associated with the profile of social stratification. Excessive "stretching" of the latter is fraught with serious social cataclysms, uprisings, riots, bringing chaos, violence, hindering the development of society, putting it on the verge of collapse. The thickening of the stratification profile, primarily due to the "truncation" of the top of the cone, is a recurring phenomenon in the history of all societies. And it is important that it be carried out not through uncontrolled spontaneous processes, but through a consciously pursued state policy.

Stability hierarchical structure society depends on the proportion and role of the middle stratum or class. Occupying an intermediate position, the middle class performs a kind of connecting role between the two poles of the social hierarchy, reducing their confrontation. The larger (in quantitative terms) the middle class, the more chances it has to influence the policy of the state, the process of formation of the fundamental values ​​of society, the worldview of citizens, while avoiding the extremes inherent in opposing forces.

The presence of a powerful middle layer in the social hierarchy of many modern countries allows them to maintain stability, despite the episodic increase in tension among the poorest strata. This tension is "quenched" not so much by the force of the repressive apparatus as by the neutral position of the majority, who are on the whole satisfied with their position, confident in the future, feeling their strength and authority.

The "erosion" of the middle stratum, which is possible during periods of economic crises, is fraught with serious shocks for society.

So, vertical slice of society mobile, its main layers can increase and decrease. This is due to many factors: production declines, economic restructuring, the nature of the political regime, technological renewal and the emergence of new prestigious professions etc. However, the stratification profile cannot "stretch out" indefinitely. The mechanism of redistribution of the national wealth of power automatically works in the form of spontaneous actions of the masses, demanding the restoration of justice, or, in order to avoid this, a conscious regulation of this process is required. The stability of society can only be ensured through the creation and expansion of the middle stratum. Caring for the middle stratum is the key to the stability of society.

What is social stratification?

Psyche

Stratification - the location of individuals and groups from top to bottom in horizontal layers (strata) on the basis of inequality in income, level of education, amount of power, professional prestige.
Stratification reflects social heterogeneity, stratification of society, heterogeneity social position its members and social groups, their social inequality.

Barcodaur

Socialization is one of the main themes in sociology. This is the division of society into social strata (strata) by combining various social positions with approximately the same social status, reflecting the prevailing idea of ​​social inequality, built vertically (social hierarchy), along its axis along one or more stratification criteria (indicators of social status ) . In social stratification, a certain social distance is established between people (social positions) and unequal access of members of society to certain socially significant scarce resources is fixed by establishing social filters on the boundaries separating them. For example, the allocation of social strata can be carried out according to the levels of income, education, power, consumption, the nature of work, spending free time. The social strata identified in society are evaluated in it according to the criterion of social prestige, which expresses the social attractiveness of certain positions. But in any case, social stratification is the result of a more or less conscious activity (policy) of the ruling elites, who are extremely interested in imposing on society and legitimizing in it their own social ideas about the unequal access of society members to social benefits and resources. The simplest stratification model is a dichotomous one - the division of society into elites and masses. In the earliest, archaic society, the structuring of society into clans is carried out simultaneously with the implementation of social inequality between them and within them. This is how those who are initiated into certain social practices (priests, elders, leaders) and the uninitiated - profane (all other members of society, ordinary members of the community, fellow tribesmen) appear. Within them, society can further stratify if necessary. As society becomes more complex (structuring), a parallel process occurs - the embedding of social positions into a certain social hierarchy. This is how castes, estates, classes, etc. appear. Modern ideas about the stratification model that has developed in society are quite complex - multi-layered, multidimensional (carried out along several axes) and variable (allow the existence of many sometimes stratification models). The degree of freedom of social movements (mobility) from one social stratum to another determines whether a society is closed or open.

The term "stratification" entered sociology from geology, where it refers to the location of the layers of the earth. But people initially likened the social distances and partitions existing between them to the layers of the earth.

The division of society into strata is carried out on the basis of the inequality of social distances between them - the main property of stratification. Social strata line up vertically and in strict sequence according to indicators of wealth, power, education, leisure, and consumption.
"Stratification" - the term is accepted in science, and the word "stratification" is more used in everyday language.

Social stratification (brief definition) - social stratification, i.e., the division of the whole society into groups of rich, prosperous, wealthy, poor and very poor, or beggars.

Stratification - the division of society into the poor and the rich, to-rye constitute the two poles of society.

The polarization of society is a process when the distance between the poor and the rich is greatly increased.

A class is a large social group that owns the means of production, occupies a certain place in the system of social division of labor and is characterized by a specific way of obtaining income.

Underclass - the lowest layer of stratification (beggars).