Hey i just want to find out what different forms of social stratification do you have in your societies?

Question

this is sociology your help will be highly appreciated

Answer 1

According to Paul Fussell, professor emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania, there are nine (9) levels of social class in the United States.  They are:

1. Top-out-of-sight

2. Upper class

3. Upper-middle class

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4. Middle class

5. High-proletarian

6. Mid-proletarian

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7. Low-proletarian

8. Destitute

9. Bottom-out-of-sight

Answer 2

Here are some random facts about stratification that you would likely learn in a classroom setting.  I think in our (the US) society we have a tendency to overlook the fact that the gap between the rich and poor is widening.  The previous post with Paul Fussell's (1983?) levels of social class was good, but he too has drawn from others in order to form his list.  Perhaps these two theories from Marx and Weber will help to clarify a little more as to WHO would be in each of the social classes listed by Fussell.  I am also including at the bottom a more recent classification on social class.  Hope this helps.

Stratification systems are classified as open or closed.   Open system: Boundaries between levels in hierarchies are flexible and positions are influenced by achieved statuses.  Closed system: Boundaries between levels in hierarchies are rigid, and positions are set by ascribed status.  No system is completely open or closed.

Social Mobility

The movement of individuals or groups from one level in a stratification system to another.

Intergenerational mobility is the social movement experienced by family members from one generation to the next.  Intragenerational mobility is the social movement of individuals within their own lifetime.

MARX:

Capitalist Class - those who have inherited fortunes, own corporations, are corporate executives who control company investments.  Managerial Class - upper-level managers and lower-level managers who may have control over employment practices.  

Small-Business Class - small business owners, craftspeople, and professionals who hire a few employees and do their own work.  Working Class - blue-collar workers and white-collar workers who do not own the means of production.

Marxian Criteria for Class Structure:  Ownership of the means of production.  Employing others.  Supervising others on the job.  Being employed by someone else.

WEBER:

Weber’s Dimensions :  Wealth  - the value of all of a person’s or family’s economic assets, including income, personal property, and income-producing property.   Prestige - the respect or regard with which a person or status position is regarded by others.  Power - the ability of people or groups to achieve their goals despite opposition from others.

Weberian Model of the Class Structure

Upper Class  - comprised of people who own substantial income-producing assets.  

Upper-Middle Class - based on university degrees, authority on the job, and high income.  

Middle Class  - a minimum of a high school diploma or a community college degree.  

Working Class  - semiskilled workers, in routine, mechanized jobs, and workers in pink collar occupations.  

Working Poor  - live just above to just below the poverty line.  Underclass  - people who are poor, seldom employed, and caught in long-term deprivation.

More recent:

THOMPSON & HICKEY:

Upper class 1% Top-level executives, celebrities, heirs; income of $500,000+ common. Ivy league education common.

Upper middle class1 (15%) Highly educated (often with graduate degrees) professionals & managers with household incomes varying from the high 5-figure range to commonly above $100,000

Lower middle class (32%) Semi-professionals and craftsman with some work autonomy; household incomes commonly range from $35,000 to $75,000. Typically, some college education.

Working class (32%) Clerical, pink and blue collar workers with often low job security; common household incomes range from $16,000 to $30,000. High school education.

Lower class (ca. 14% - 20%) Those who occupy poorly-paid positions or rely on government transfers. Some high school education.