Sociology

Social stratification is the hierarchical order of how individuals are divided in a particular society according to either their power or their wealth it is usually accompanied by unequal distribution of valuable resources (Andersen  Taylor, 2005). Mainly it relates to classes and in some sectors they are referred to as castes. It could be in race, gender or even social class. It can be referred to as the fragments in which a society can be classified into such that people of a particular like behavior or characteristic are classified together. In most cases such people find themselves not wanting to associate with people in the other castes as there are barriers or boundaries setting them apart (Levine, 2006).

The stratification could be in terms of financial ability such that there is a leading group and the dependant group (Kendall, 2006). In the early European society there was the leading caste which was known as the House of Lords and below it was the lower castes that served as servants known as the slaves and these slaves owned nothing and the land they lived on belonged to the king so they actually gave their services in return for land and food (Andersen  Taylor, 2005).

This is also common in the modern society where we find people are divided according to their social classes. Normally, there is a way of treating the haves and the have nots. For example,  one time I was the headmistress in a particular school and I noticed as I sent home the other students to go home and collect their fees but  I exempted one student who had not cleared his fees. I did this because the father was the chairman to the board of governors and he was an influential member in the district administration. Part of why I did not send him home was because of fear for I was actually employed by the board and I could risk losing my job and also the fear of sending the bosss son home. That was actually inequality as they were all meant to go home, and actually qualifies to be an issue that leads to social stratification as for the simple fact that the father was influential, he was not affected by what affected the children of less influential families.

Social stratification can also be witnessed within the employment industry. Some positions in the society are referred to be important compared to others. Usually, there is a perception that white collar jobs (office) are better than blue collar jobs (manual). In most instances, the people who are employed in the white collar areas see themselves as superior relative to blue collar employees whom are perceived semi literate or unskilled. This means that class or level is clearly defined even though the two types of employees work in the same industry or even building. For example, a manager may see a building caretaker as unimportant or somebody who is just there. This shows inequality in the employment industry.

In conclusion social stratification in many times and instances brings barriers to interaction especially the racial stratification and it also inhibits communication. These barriers should, to some extent, be pulled down to allow free global interaction. Social stratification causes a chain of negative perceptions, values and norms that affects the relationship between individuals in the society or community. Generally, social stratification restrictions should be removed to minimize barriers, and to ensure efficiency in the society.