Unit 4

Forms of Social Stratification

 Caste as a form of Social
Stratification
• Caste is a system of social stratification. It lies at the
root of the Indian social structure.
• It involves ranking according to birth and determines
one’s occupation, marriage, and social relationships.
• There is a prescribed set of norms, values, and
sanctions that govern social behaviour within the caste.
• Sociologists have defined caste (locally referred to as
“Jati”) as a hereditary, endogamous group, which is
usually localised.
• It has a traditional association with an occupation and a
particular position in the local hierarchy of castes.
• Relations between castes are governed, among other
things, by the concepts of pollution and purity, and
general maximum commensality within the caste”
(Srinivas 1962).
• This is the definition of the ideal form of caste system
• Theoretically, caste stratification of the Indian society
has its origin in the Varna system.
• This system literally means colour which was prevalent
during the Vedic period.
• According to this doctrine of colour, the Hindu society
was divided into four main Varnas : Brahmins,
Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras. A fifth category of
untouchables lie outside the fold of the varna scheme
 Class System
• It was in the nineteenth century that class as a category
came to be recognized as a relevant concept in
explaining social theories, ideologies, social
movements, social structure, and social change.
• class was identified as one of the most significant bases
of stratification in society.
• Several sociologists have proposed theories of class
structure and explained the phenomena of mobility
between class positions
• Classes constitute the most comprehensive groups in
the social structure.
• While classes are differentiated groups in society, they
are not independent of each other.
• It is not possible to speak of one class without
reference to other classes
• Division of people into classes concerns social status
connected with a system of privileges and
discriminations not determined by biological criteria.
• This implies that each class is accorded certain
privileges and discriminations that have a bearing on its
social status.
 Race and Ethnicity
• In a common parlance race is understood as the external
physical features of various human beings whose
categorization depends upon such features like the skin
colour, facial features, height, etc.
• Race is thus a category of human beings due to some of
the physical features including skin colour and other
facial features.
• If we see people from various continents and countries,
we will see that most of the people of Europe are largely
having fair skin where as people of Africa are often having
black skin.
• Apart from the skin colour, some people have curly hair,
some have straight hair, some people are short and
some are relatively taller.
• Similarly, we can see differences in shape and size of
nose, lips, etc.
• Depending upon these differences people are clubbed in
various groups popularly known as race, such as,
Caucasian, Mongoloid, Negroid, etc
• These categories are considered as biological i.e. they
are inherited, hence widely race is regarded as a
biological category.
• Thus, a racial group is described as a group having
similar physical traits.
• It is a condition where a group sees similar
characteristics between themselves and sees others as
different
 Understanding Gender
• What is sex?
• What is Gender?
• How to differentiate between these two concepts?
• Sex is all about Biological differences at the basic level of
the opposite sex
• Human beings are either born as male or female
• Gender is sociocultural constructions of norms and values
• Social structures such as family, society, and other socio-
cultural practices determine differences based on the sex
of the child.
• The differences include clothing, behaviour, social role,
position, identity, and responsibility.
• In this way, gender is constructed and practiced.
• Gender is also constructed in different societies in
different ways.
• They mainly focus on the expected roles to be played by
the female and male.
• For imposing these roles on male and female child, the
socialization process plays a significant role.
• The differences include productive and reproductive
roles, paid and unpaid work, power relations, and politics.
• We will discuss different roles (Gender roles) and power
relations.
 Gender Roles
• Biological differences between sexes do not normally
change unless there is a medical intervention.
• However, women and men perceive their
characteristics, roles, and responsibilities in a particular
way which does not flow out of sexual difference
• It is assigned to them based on the perceived
differences that is, it is a social construction.
• These roles differ in different societies based on the
prevailing cultural system, e.g., patriarchy.
• Gender roles demand that activities assigned to men
and women are based on these differential perceptions.
• The role differences similarly lead to selecting
occupations.
• Therefore, gender roles are purely based on culture and
not based on their skills.
• Women are triply burdened in most of the developing
countries.
• They perform three types of roles i.e Reproductive,
Productive and domestic activities.
 Masculinity
• The word Masculinity derives from the Latin word
‘masculinus (male person/male) and masculus (male).
• The word was first used in the 14th century to denote
the ‘male sex’.
• The word is used more to refer to the characteristics of
men.
• The masculine characters are powerfulness, strength,
force, manhood, and manliness.
• The cultural norms and values acquired through
socialization process may influence the acquiring of
masculine characteristics like aggression, ambition,
analytical ability, and assertiveness.
• The social construction of bodies in the boys as that
they give importance to sports.
• They concentrate on the development of physique,
force, and strength.
• He further elaborated that the drive towards developing
masculine attributes among boys and men is an
important part of the socialization process.
 Femininity
• It is a culturally constructed collection of qualities,
behaviours, appearance, attributes, features,
characteristics, and postures associated with women.
• It is not natural but is constructed and socially
produced.
• The French philosopher Simone de Beauvoir (1949)
wrote that ‘one is not born, but rather becomes, a
woman’.
 Public-private dichotomy
• The public-private dichotomy forces women to be
confined at home and restricts their movements.
• It further enforces women to perform domestic roles as
caregivers and nurtures.
• Public and Private dichotomy determine women’s
material independence and access to education.
 Patriarchy
• Patriarchy is defined as rule of male/father. It is
considered as an institution.
• The patriarchal institutions perpetuate domination of
male and subordinates the female.
• The dominant power relations operate at different levels
in the society and discriminate against female and girls
at all levels.
• This discrimination not only leads to curtailing of
opportunities and undermining of women’s agency, it
may produce violence against women.
• Patriarchy further demarcates and insists that the
private sphere is for women and the public sphere is for
men.
• The public-private dichotomy forces women to be
confined at home and restricts their movements.
• It further enforces women to perform domestic roles as
mother and wife. It also restricts women’s entry to
politics and decision-making level.
• These restrictions have important consequences for
women’s material independence and access to
education.
• Patriarchal norms are prevalent in social structures like
family, society, politics, government, media and
religion.
• In the patriarchal society, the inheritance of wealth
passes to the son and it is called patrilineage.
• In the patriarchal tradition and patrilocal system,
women are supposed to come to husband’s house and
live there after marriage.
 Gender stereotyping
• Gender stereotyping is nothing but reinforcing feminine
and masculine qualities and attributes again and again.
• Gender stereotypes are beliefs which prescribe what
men and women should and what they can do. It can be
changed over period of time. But, changes are very
slow.
 GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE
• Gender Based Violence (GBV) is ‘the differential expressions of
violence according to own sex, race, class, religion, sexuality,
ability and other situating factors’. The ‘battered women’
movement of the 1970s which emerged as part of the second
wave feminism contributed much to the emergence of the
concept GBV. The United Nations (UN) decade for women and
feminists were instrumental in addressing the GBV issues at a
global and national level.
• The four international women’s conferences recognized
violence in private and public sphere and recommended a
broader policy outlook. This makes the national governments
to bring necessary policies to address GBV.
 SEXUAL HARASSMENT
• It is gender based discrimination at workplaces and also
at public and private domian. For instance intimidating
anyone through sexual advances and creating hostile
environment in the work place are also sexual
harassment.
• This includes showing sexually coloured objects,
touching, teasing, demand for sexual favour, showing
pornography and any other unwelcome physical, verbal
or non-verbal conduct of sexual nature. Sexual
harassment affects victims badly
 EMPOWERMENT
• Naila Kabeer defined “empowerment as the expansion in
people’s ability to make strategic life choices in a context
where this ability was previously denied to them”.
• She elaborates on three dimensions of empowerment: (1)
resources (conditions); (2) agency (process); and (3)
achievement.
• In the process of empowerment, both women and men take
control over their lives.
• They set their agendas. They gain skills.
• They build self-confidence.
• They solve their problems and develop self-reliance.