Soc-510 topic 8 paper Discrimination based on Gender

RUNNING HEAD: SOCIAL STRATIFICATION

RUNNING HEAD: SOCIAL STRATIFICATION

Social Stratification

Arisleidy Green

Dr. Claerbaut

GCU-Soc-510

Functions and consequences of stratification in the American social stratification system

For the society to function properly there must be some mechanism that makes people engage in various occupations to receive different recognition. Thus, the importance of stratification concerns the functions it performs for society and individuals. For the individuals, it causes competition so that those with better attributes get greater recognition such as in sports. Recognition of talent is also possible since those with more skills and experience or education get better recognition (Grusky, 2019). Besides, it increases motivation, job satisfaction, and mobility (upward or downward). In the society, social stratification serves the function of occupational hierarchy depending on the importance of the occupation, causes division according to intelligence, and ensures work efficiency. It also makes the society focus on training the younger generation so that they get to higher social prestige, and ensures development through competition that creates innovations and other new methods of working to ensure greater efficiency.

However, social stratification may have some consequences in society. Social stratification results in disparity and many other problems, as it is an unfair system having a monopoly of wealth and power in a certain class. It affects lifestyles, prestige, and life chances of Americans. It has created depression and stress emotionally for the American in lower social classes since they have unequal access to power, prestige, and wealth (Anderson, & Brown, 2010). Moreover, it has created a wide gap between individuals in terms of income and various measures associated with health, social position, psychological welfare, and education. Therefore, it causes chaos in society and is an obstacle to progress and development in the US.

Describe the American social stratification system in regards to social classes.

American society is classified into social classes depending on income, wealth, social networks, occupation, and educational attainment. A group of sociologists has recently classified social classes into six groups in the US. Using this model, there is an upper class, comprising lower-upper and upper-upper classes. Then there is the middle class with the upper-middle and lower-middle, and then the working class and finally the lower class divided into the working poor and the underclass.

First, the American upper class is the highest socioeconomic group in the social hierarchy and is determined by the highest wealth and power of its members. They acquire wealth from capital gains and investments instead of employee salaries. Their households have a net worth of more than $1 million and they are considered rich but are divided into super-rich and the rich. The upper-middle-class refer to individuals within the middle class but have higher educational attainment, high-status jobs, and high salaries (Rothman, 2015). The American upper-middle-class consists of mostly those of white-collar jobs with a higher power in their place of work with many of them conceptualizing instruction and consulting. They are more likely to have more power and are influential in shaping public opinion and setting trends. The lower middle class are those with enough salaries and some education just below the upper-middle class. This comprises one-third of US households and grows every day. Next is the working class that comprises households and individuals with low occupational status, below-average incomes, and low educational attainment (Wodtke, 2016). Usually have a high school diploma or some college education and work in low skilled jobs like manual labor. Lastly, the lower class comprises individuals at the lowest level of the socioeconomic hierarchy with low income, education, and low-status jobs.

Social problems related to inequality in the U.S. class system, and how it has progressed over time.

The United States is considered a country with high levels of income inequality with a huge gap between the bottom and the top bracket of earners. This social problem is caused by social stratification, has been increasing dramatically since the 1970s, and is still growing significantly (Wodtke, 2016). The different social groups receive different compensation for the same work they do. According to Timothy Noah, he has referred to the trend of income inequality as “Great Divergence.” Although income from investment and capital is the most evident cause of income inequality, there is also an increase in income segregation resulting from the occupation. Since 1970, the highest part of the income of high-income individuals comes majorly from compensation and employment, about 60 percent of those earning in the top 0.1% are managers, executives, financial professionals, supervisors.

At the same time, the five most common professions among 1% of earners are managers, lawyers, physicians, financial specialists, and administrators. However, many of the richest Americans have accumulated wealth through real estate and stock. Moreover, America has for the past 20-30 years, experiences the greatest increase in income inequality among the rich countries in the world. The government is then taking measures to curb this issue such as through expansion of earned income tax, investing in education, especially for the lower class, ending residential segregation, and increasing the minimum wage for the lowest earners.

References

Anderson, C., & Brown, C. E. (2010). The functions and dysfunctions of hierarchy. Research in organizational behavior, 30, 55-89.

Grusky, D. (2019). Social Stratification, Class, Race, and Gender in Sociological Perspective. Routledge.

Rothman, R. A. (2015). Inequality and stratification: Race, class, and gender. Routledge.

Wodtke, G. T. (2016). Social class and income inequality in the United States: Ownership, authority, and personal income distribution from 1980 to 2010. American journal of sociology, 121(5), 1375-1415.