Introduction
- Social stratification is the social process through which rewards and resources are distributed systematically or unequally within or among societies.
- Stratification differs from simple inequality in that it is systematic.
- It is also based on identifiable social processes through which people are sorted into categories such as class, caste, race, and gender.
- Max Weber identified major components of inequality in society. They were: inequality of wealth; inequality of social status and inequality of political power
Characteristics of social stratification
- Social stratification is universal process
- It is social
- It has different forms in different time and place
- It is governed by social norms and values
- It is a social indicator of inequality