SOCIAL STRATIFICATION

• Social stratification refers to a system by which a society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy. In Pakistan, it is perfectly clear that some groups have greater status, power, and wealth than other groups

Principles of stratification

• Social stratification is a trait of society, not simply a reflection of individual differences.
• Social stratification persists over generations.
• Social stratification is universal (it happens everywhere) but variable (it takes different forms across different societies).

Class

• Marx defines it as A social group sharing same relationship with the means of production

Characteristics of Class

• Arranged in a vertical order
• Permanent interests among class members
• Idea of class consciousness is present among members of class
• Class endorses the idea of social distance

Anthony Giddens three classes

• Upper class: hold means of production
• Middle class: hold technical means
• Lower class: hold manual labor

Pierre Bourdieu three capitalists

• Economic capital: industrial capitalist
• Cultural capital: knowledge capitalists
• Symbolic capital: power capitalists

Status

• According to Max Weber it is a social group awarded with similar amount of social honor therefore share same status situation

Characteristics of status

• Social closure
• Sense of superiority and maintaining status boundaries
• Impose certain qualifiers
• In many societies class and status are closely linked but that is not always the case
• Nouveaux riches are not treated alike by older elites
• Status is now mostly associated with transparency of deeds

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Caste

• It is a social category to which a person belongs involuntarily

Characteristics of caste system

• Ascribed, not achieved
• Endogamy
• Hereditary transmission
• Barrier to social mobility

Characteristics of feudal class in Pakistan

• Land based
• Prefer a regional role
• Transregional matrimonial alliances
• Conservative in cultural sense
• Non-ideological

• Averse to economic diversification of resources
• Current electoral system helps to perpetuate feudal monopoly over politics
• Tribalism permeates Pakistani feudal tradition: vendetta (badla)
• Need of cohesive middle-class consciousness to overcome feudalism in Pakistan

• Social mobility

Definition

• Movement of groups and individuals across the social structure or change in position of individual or group in social hierarchy

• Types of social mobility

On the basis of direction

• Horizontal mobility: change of position in social structure without changing their position in social hierarchy. For example, agricultural workers migrate to city to become Wage laborers

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• Vertical mobility: change in position in social structure along with social hierarchy and can be upward or downward. It has more social implications

On the basis of speed

• Intergenerational

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• Intragenerational: within lifespan of a person

Absolute versus relative

• Absolute mobility: change in actual position of a person in actual terms is absolute mobility. For example drastic increase in income

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• Relative mobility: it is judged in comparison to others

Sponsored versus contested

• Sponsored: mobility due to outside support. For example, quota system

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• Contested: through open competition

Avenues of mobility

• Modern education system
• Democracy
• Welfare state
• Technology
• New occupation
• Patronage
• Acquiring expertise

Barriers to mobility

• Culture of poverty: subjective factors like aspirations and motivations are lacking
• Unequal access to resources
• Caste system
• Corruption
• Absence of meritocracy
• Formation of minority elites
• Geographical barriers