Social Stratification, Social Mobility, and Social Classes - Essay Sample

Introduction

Social stratification is a process by which a group of people is classified according to their level of incomes, education, power, and wealth ownership.

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What is social mobility?

Social mobility is a situation whereby individuals in the society makes some changes in their lives, for instance, shifting from a low level of income to a better wage which can sustain their needs.

Are there social classes? How are these categorized? How are they defined?

There are different types of social classes in society. These social classes are; lower, middle, and the upper class. Lower class refers to those people who mainly characterized by obstacles such as lack of job opportunities, homelessness, and the manifestation of poverty. The middle class of people has been categorized into two groups of individuals based on the criteria educational level, prestige, and wealth ownership. These individuals are; lower and the upper-middle class. Lower middle-class group of people are those who have gained minimal knowledge, but they are characterized by a low level of income for, and this includes people like secretaries and teachers (Guo, 2016). For the case of an upper-middle-class group of individuals, it consists of people with advantageous characteristics such those with a higher level of education and also higher wages based on their profession, for example, lawyers and doctors. Upper-class group of people is further classified into two groups: the lower-upper and the upper-upper. Lower-upper class individuals are people who get their money through their investment while upper-upper class individuals are people who acquire their wealth through inheritance from their parents.

How are stratification systems maintained in this society?

Stratification can be maintained in society through the use of individuals such as elites. These elites will help to improve stratification through controlling of information in order to avoid being withdrawn from their powers.

What are the two ways in which poverty is defined?

Poverty is defined in two ways: absolute and relative poverty. Absolute poverty is the inability of an individual to gather for her basics needs such as clothing, shelter, and food in his/her daily life whereas relative poverty is the inability of a person to attain the required standards due to economic growth.

Theory

How do Wright's model of social class and Gilbert and Kahl's model of the social class fit within this ideal society?

The innovation that was conducted by Gilbert and Kahl's based on the idea of Wright's model of social class have been depicted in American society. Gilbert and Kahl's Wright's model of social class states that individuals can fit in a given society based on the level where it has been grouped. They also exploited this idea of model structure through use comparison of people with higher education and those with little education and concluded that there exists a gap between them since their level of income will vary depending on their level of education. This has fit into the ideal society since it has helped to differentiate the various level of income of the people.

Does society require different social classes? Why or why not?

My opinion is that society requires different social classes so as to classify people according to their ability, and this will help the grouped people to share common characteristics such as the same lifestyle in within their environment.

People

Are people able to advance their social class within this society?

People the society have the ability to make prosperity in their social class through the adoption of new techniques such as getting access to higher education, and this will help them to eliminate poverty by getting more job opportunities.

How can people advance their social class within this society?

People in the society can make advancement in their social class through abstaining themselves from the obsession, such as being born poor; they will also die poor and substituting it with focusing on achieving their set goals.

Do prejudice and discrimination fit within this society?

According to my opinion, prejudice and discrimination do not fit into society since it creates conflicts among the people by looking negatively looking upon another group of people. This is applicable in a situation where some people are denied to get access to job opportunities as they are viewed to be underserving it.

How can people from one social class connect with people in a different social class?

People from one social class may link with one another, especially from different social class through increase engagement so as to enhance more interaction amongst themselves on the gap that exists between them.

How do people within a minority relate to others?

Also, minority people in the society do relate with others through being united in the level in which they are being categorized and accepting their current situations such as being poor.

How does poverty play a role in society?

In the region where there is dominancy of poverty, economic activities such as infrastructures will be seen to be rendered.For this case, poverty plays a major role in society since it reflects the economic prosperity of certain people.

Do poverty impact the behaviors and interactions of those within the community?

As a result of exposure to poverty in the society, it has impacted not only the behaviors of the people but also how they interact amongst themselves. This can be drawn in an event from the children who have undergone poverty in their academic progress. Due to extreme poverty, it will absolutely impact their behaviors in their learning process due to poor learning conditions. By doing so, they will view themselves out of control in their lives, and they definitely blame their parents for living in such situations and why they have not struggled in order to provide them with better living standards and thereafter creating conflict among them and their parents.

References

Guo, Y. (2016). Handbook on class and social stratification in China.

Birkelund, G. E. (2013). Class and stratification analysis. Bingley, U.K: Emerald.