Society - is a complex social organism, wherein certain characteristics and certain functions.It is both holistic, on the one hand and the ability to delaminate into separate groups - on the other.
One way of dividing the society defines the concept of social stratification.It can be summarized as follows: a system of criteria and indicators of social division and position in society.A stratum - a social class of people having the same or similar performance in one of the criteria.
What then could be the reason to refer to different groups of people?In social science Science is the so-called base of social stratification.Depending on different approaches, they can be very different.The most frequently cited reasons for the bundle:
- biological factors;
- gender (sex) characteristics;
- access to various privileges in the economic and political spheres;
- separately allocated access to limited resources (as the basis of social stratification in this case is the class division).
to biological factors include age, race, appearance and other features.Gender divide in the society of men and women.Access to certain privileges leads to the fact that among individuals there as the owners of the power of money, and people living below the poverty line, with the minimum number of features.
But according to Parsons foundation of social stratification are divided into the following three sections:
- Congenital attributes of individuals.This floor, belonging to a particular ethnic group, age, family ties, intellectual ability and physical activity, and more.
- social features that characterize the individual as part of a particular community of professional labor.These can be students, workers, pensioners or sellers, miners, businessmen and so on.
- For other foundation of social stratification is characterized by the possibility of "possession."This access to different values (both material and spiritual), resources and privileges.In addition, here is the existence of the right of ownership of certain objects.
select and highlight examples of social stratification is very easy - just look around.Imagine a solemn line, devoted to the September 1st.You can divide the crowd of people on a variety of grounds.At the same time, many groups stand out:
- children and adults;
- men and women (boys and girls);
- representatives of various professions;
- students and staff;
- the rich, the middle class and the poor;
- group uniting representatives of different nationalities;
- other.
Social stratification had the place to be at the very beginning of origin of society.At the beginning of human existence large groups living in a certain area, divided into small.There were clans, castes, tribes.This inequality is present both between social communities and within them.The same is true today.
