1. Social Stratification

2. social stratification the unequal distribution of goods and services, rights and obligations, power and prestige all attributes of positions in society, not attributes of individuals universality of stratification

3. STRATIFICATION & STATUS status - ascribed & achieved ascribed status - social positions that people hold by virtue of birth achieved status - social positions attained as a result of individual action shift from kin based societies to modern society involves growth in importance of achieved status

4. Roles, Stereotypes, Stratification Roles -- tasks & activities that a culture assigns to people Stereotypes -- oversimplified strongly held ideas about the characteristics of people Stratification -- unequal distribution of rewards (socially valued resources, power, prestige, personal freedom) between people reflecting their position in the social hierarchy

5. Stratified Society stratification means –there are significant breaks in the distribution of goods services, rights, obligations, power prestige –as a result of which are formed collectivities or groups we call strata

6. class societies Unequal access to all 3 advantages, economic resources, power, prestige Open & closed class systems –the extent to which mobility occurs allowing people to pass through inequalities Closed system –No mobility –tend to persist across generations Open system –ease of social mobility permitted

7. caste, slavery, and class systems caste systems –closed, hereditary systems of stratification often dictated by religion –hierarchical social status is ascribed at birth, people locked into their parents social position – legal & religious sanctions, occupation, commensality applied against people who seek to cross them apartheid - caste like system, legally maintained hierarchy based on skin color (the color bar)

8. caste, slavery, and class systems slavery – closed class system –people treated as property –the most extreme & coercive form of legalized inequality

9. Open Class System facilitates mobility individual achievement & personal merit determining social rank hierarchical social status is achieved on the basis of people's efforts ascribed status (family background, ethnicity, gender, religion, skin color) less important blurred class lines & wide range of status positions