Concept,

Characteristics and
Forms of
Stratification
Systems
• According to socially approved criteria.
Society is divided based on economic, social,
religious and other aspects. Heterogeneity in
society is called social stratification.
• Social stratification is an inherent
character of all societies. It is historical as
we find it in all societies, ancient and
modern; and it is universal as it exists in
simple or complex societies. The social
differentiation on the basis of high and low
is the historical heritage of all societies.
“Meaning and Nature of Social
Stratification”
• It refers to what sociologists call it as “
institutionalized inequality” of individual or
“social injustice” due to social categories
(Ariola, 2012).

• It is an institutionalized pattern of inequality

in which social categories are ranked on the
basis of their access to scarce resources
Brinkerhoff & White, 1988).
• It is the way people are ranked and ordered in
society (Cole, 2019).

• It is a system whereby people rank and

evaluate each other as superior inferior and,
on the basis of such evaluation, unequally
reward one another with wealth, authority,
power, and prestige. One result of each
differentiation is the creation of a number of
levels within the society. (Hebding & Glick,
1992).
• It is the hierarchical arrangement and
establishment of social categories that evolve into a
social group together with statuses and their
corresponding roles. (Panopio el al., 1994).
• It is the differentiation of a given population into
hierarchically superposed classes. It is manifested
in the existence of upper and lower social layers.
Its basis and very essence consist in an unequal
distribution of rights and privileges, duties and
responsibilities, social values and privations,
social power and influences among the members
of a society (Sorokin, 1927).
“Social Stratification is Distinguished
from Social Differentiation”
• Social differentiation refers to how people can be
distinguished from one another. People in a group
may differ in skin color, hair color, race, mental and
physical ability, and the like.
• Social stratification refers to the ranking of people in
a society. In closed stratification, people cannot
change their ranks while those in open social
stratification, people can change their ranks. In short
social stratification is the separation of people into
social categories and these categories are ranked as
 Indicators of Social Stratification
- The individual’s position in the social structure is called status.
The higher or lower positions that come about through social
stratifications are called statuses. Statuses are not the same. One
may get different statuses in different ways. They can be ascribed
or achived. Ascribed status are assigned or given by the society or
group on the basis of some fixed category, without regard to a
person’s abilities or performance. These include sex, family
background, race, and ethnic heritage. You did nothing to earn
these statuses; you have no control over these characteristics and
no opportunity or chance to choose your family, your sex, and your
race. In the Philippines, the children of Ayala’s and the Zobel’s
have ascrived statuses (Zulueta, 2006).
- Achieved statuses are earned by the individual
because of his or her talent, skills, occupation and
persevernace. These include, degree or educational
attainment, promotion, position, earned wealth and the
like. For example, Nora Aunor has moved up in the social
ladder because of her beautiful voice and singing talent.
Prestige refers to the evaluation of status. You have
prestige according to your status. For example, being
the president of the Supreme Student Government of
your school, you have the prestige of a president
whether or not you perform and carry out well the duties
and responsibilities of SSG president (Baleña et.al.,
2016).
According to Max Weber, most societies would favor those
with power, prestige, status, wealth or class. According to
Weber’s Component Theory on Social Stratification, these
three would determine a person’s standindig in his/her
community:

1. Power refers to the ability to influence other people. It is

getting what they want despite the unwillingness of
others to give in to their desires.
2. 2. Prestige refers to the person’s position in the society.
This refers to having a certain status that enables
someone to have resources or opportunities.
3. 3. Wealth refers to the amount of resources that a person
has (Arcinas, 2016).
As mentioned by Ariola (2012) in his book, one may be
viewed as belonging to the upper social strata or lower
social strata depending on the following dimensions:
1. Sources of Income. There are different sources of income. These are the
inhereted wealth, earned wealth, profits, professional fees, salaries, wages,
private relief, among others. Wealth is everything that is owned by a person.
Inherited wealth is acquired since birth and without effort. Acquired wealth is
achieved through ones effort either by talent, income or by marriage. Income
refers to the amount of money a person receives.

2. Occupation. What people do for a living determines, to a large extent,

the social position of the person. Occupation may be classified into
professionals, non-professionals (clerks, drivers, etc) proprietors of small
business, skilled workers, semi skilled workers, and unskilled
workers.Examination of the mentioned occupations indicates disparities in
prestige, income and power.
3. Education. Educational attainment of a person may be
categorized as masteral or doctoral degree holder, college
graduate, high school graduate, elemetary school drop-out,
among others. Possession of the person of any of these
educational backgrounds may characterize the person’s status
in the community.

4. Types of house dwellings. Dwellings can be categorized as

permanent house (concrete and excellent in appearance),
semi-permanent house (semi-concrete and very good in
appearance and construction), temporary house (wood and
fair in appearance and construction), and poorly constructed
house (houses found in squatter areas, or those considered
below-the-bridge houses).
5. Location of residence. Power, prestige and wealth are also
attached to the location of residence. There is disparity of
social status when one residence is located in Forbes Park,
White Plains, squatter area, mountainous-rugged area, in
subdivision and non-subdivision area.

6. Kinship or family. In the Philippines, when a person

belongs to the Ayala’s, Soriano’s, Zobel’s, Villar’s, that
person is regarded as belonging to the upper class (rich)
status. Children of sultans and datus are hgihly regarded as
rich. If a person is from a family whose house is situated in
the squatter’s area, that person is regarded as poor or
belonging to lower class status.
Types of Social Stratification and their Characteristics:

Generally, there are three (3) known types of social stratification: open systems, closed
systems and ethnic systems ( Ariola, 2012).Sociologists distinguish between two types of
systems of stratification – open system and closed system. For the anthropologists, they
include ethnic system as another type of social stratification.

A.OPEN SYSTEM
General Characteristics:

The class structure is an open system. It encourages people to strive and

achieve something.People belonging to
One social class have similar opportunities, similar lyfestyles, attitudes,
behavior and possibly similar socio-economic positions. It is based on
achievement, allow movement and interaction between layers and classes.
One person can move up or down to class through intermarriages,
opportunities,or achievement. People have equal chance to succeed.
Whether people do something to improve their lives or not this greatly
depends on them.
Categories
1. Upper Class – The people in this class have great wealth and sources of
income. They constitute the elite wealthy group in the society. They have
high reputation in terms of power and prestige. They live in exclusive
residential area, belong to exclusive private clubs, and may have strong
political influence in the system of government. They own several cars and
properties and their children may study in exclusive schools.
2. Middle Class – The people in this class may belong to the upper-middle class
which is often made up of highly educated business and professional people with
high incomes, such as doctors, lawyers, stockbrokers, and CEOs or to the lower-
middle class often made up of people with lower incomes, such as managers,
small business owners, teachers, and secretaries. Aside from generally command
of high income, people belonging to the upper-middle class often have college
education, live in comfortable homes, own properties, have some money savings,
and active in community activities. People in the lower-middle class have not
achieved the same lifestyle of the upper –middle class but somehow have
modest income and live in simple life.
3. Lower Class –The lower class is typified by poverty,
homelessness, and unemployment. The people in this class
belong to the bottom of socio-economic ladder. They may be
categorized into two: upper-lower class and lower-lower class. In
the upper-lower class, people are considered as the working
class or laborers. They have acquired little education, little time
to be involved in civic and community activities. Some of them
are underemployed, have many socio- economic problems, with
lttle or no luxuries at all. The people in the lower-lower class are
unemployed, or no source of income except by begging or
dependent from private and government relief. Many of them
live in squatter areas, under the bridge, in street corridors, or
with no house at all. Many of them are liabilities of society
because they may be involved in drug addiction and
criminaliities.
B. Closed Systems
General Characteristics
Closed system accomodateds little change in social position.
They do not allow people to shift levels and do not permit
social relationships between levels.
Categories
1. Caste System – It is regarded as closed stratification system
in which people can do little or nothing to change their social
standing. Social contact is rigid and clearly defined. People are
born and die in their caste. Contact between and among the
caste is minimal and governed by a set of rules – especially
those who belong to the lower degree, as this will tend to bring
them down.
We do not practice caste sytem in the Philippines. It existed
for centuries in India and this includes the Brahmans who are
associated with the priesthood, the Kahatryias (the warriors),
the Vaishyus (the businessmen and traders), and the Shudrus
(the servants).

2. Estate System – It is somewhat a closed system in

which the person’s social standing is based on
ownership of land, birth, or military strength. Individuals
who were born into one of the estates remained there
throughout life but in extreme cases there is social
mobility, that is people could change their status. In the
middle ages there are three (3) major estates in Europe
– nobility, clergy, and the peasants.
C. Ethnic System

General Characteristics

This type of social stratification is based on national origin,

laguage and religion. Ethinicity sets segments of society
apart and each group has a sense of identity. People interact
more freely with those people belonging to the same ethnic
category. During the Spanish and American colonial systems
in the Philippines, the colonizers perceived themselves to be
occupying the upper social class than the Filipinos or the
natives whom they called as Indios.Immigrants usually
belong to a lower status than the inhabitants. The
Gaddangs, Itawis, Ituweraw, Ilonngots, and other ethnic
minority groups are considered inferior than the others.
Social Stratification and Social Mobility

Social mobility refers to the movement within the social

structure, from one social position to another. It means a change
in social status. All societies provide some opportunity for social
mobility. But the societies differ from each other to extent in
which individuals can move from one class or status level to
another.
Thus, people in society continue to move up down the status scale.
This movement is called ‘social mobility’. For example, the poor
people may become rich, the bank peon may become bank
officers, farmers may become ministers, a petty businessman may
become a big industrialist and so on. At the same time a big
businessman may become a bankrupt and ruling class may be
turned out of office and so on.
Kinds of Social Mobility
In a democratic state like the Philippines, a person can improve his social
status but the degree of mobility varies. In an open system, every individual
is provided equal opportunities to compete for the role and status derived
regardless of gender, race, religion, family background and political
inclination. There are three (3) types of social mobility: social mobility,
geographical mobility, and role mobility

1. Social Mobility refers to the movement upward or downward among the

social positions in any given social stratification. It may be upward (vertival)
mobility and downward (horizontal) mobility. Vertical mobility refers to the
movement of people of groups from one status to another. It involves change
in class, occupation or power. For example, the movement of people from the
poor class to the middle class. Horizontal mobility is a change in position
without the change in status. It indicates a change in position, within the rage
of the status. A change in status may come about through one’s occupation,
marrying into a certain family and others. For example, an engineer working
in a factory may resign from his job and join another factory.
2. Geographical Mobility is otherwise known as physical mobility. It
may be a vluntary movement of people from one geographical area
to another due to change in residence, communiting fro home to
office, making business trips, and voluntary migration from one
country to another. It may be also a forced migration which include
forced relocation or residence, eviction, dispossession of unwanted
people, and transportation of slaves.

3. Role Mobility is the individual’s shifting from role to role. Every

member of a society has roles to play. Different situations call for
enactment of various roles. For example, the father is the bread
earner of the family but may be a teacher in school, or the leader at
home or a follower in the school or office. A daughter may be
submissive at home but very active and active as a campus student
leader. A teacher may have varied roles such as being a mother, a
wife, a guidance counselor, a community leader and many more
1.Which of the following defines social
stratification?
A.Social isolation of people from each other
B.System in which everyone is equal but perform very
different tasks
C.System by which a person’s place in society is defined by
birth
D.None of these
2. Which of the following best describes how social class is
related to social stratification?
A.Each layer has many layers of social stratification
B.Each layer of social stratification constitutes a social class
C.The terms social stratification and social class mean the same
thing
D. Social stratification exists in caste systems, whereas social
classes onlyexist in noncaste systems
3. What is the key distinction between a caste system and a
class system?.
A.a marriage within a specific group
B.occupational prestige
C.educational opportunity
D.social mobility

4. What is Social Stratification?

A.The division of society into categories, ranks, or classes.
B.The unequal sharing of scarce resources and social
rewards
C.A social structure in which classes are determined by
ascribed status.
D.A social structure in which classes are determined by
achieved status.
5. The unequal sharing of scarce resources and social rewards is
known as _____.
A.Social Inequality
B.Social Mobility
C.Social Sharing
D.Social Stratification

6. The most distinguishing characteristic of a caste system

(where class is based on birth) is that _______
A. People can only move intergenerationally
B. People can move vertically, but not horizontally
C. Social status is inherited and cannot be changed
D.Social status can be changed by education and hard
work
7. A factory worker's son earns his way through college and
eventually becomes a physics engineer. This is an example of
_______
A.Horizontal mobility
B.Intergenerational mobility
C. Role mobility
D.Vertical mobility

8. Isidra moves from a job as a computer programmer to a

job as a Web page designer. This is an example of
_________
A.Horizontal mobility
B.Intergenerational mobility
C.Role mobility
9. Which describes a society where people frequently can, by
acquiring skills and working hard, move from one level of social
stratification to a higher level of social stratification.
A.closed system
B.open system
C.ethnic system
D.estate system

10. The child of an office clerk becomes a physician. This is

an example of _______.
A.Geographical mobility
B.Intergenerational mobility
C.Social mobility
D.Role mobility