Sociologists have many theoretical approaches about social stratification. Giddens (1992) distinguishes four systems of stratification: Slavery, caste, estates and class.
We can find two kinds of slavery in societies:
In one way slaves were considered as chattels and were property of their masters; in other form slaves were used as workers and servants. In the Castes systems, hard segregation between groups exists. One group is in the highest degree and has most purity; and other groups are located in lowest degrees. Estates can be found in societies that some differences are established by law among people.
Social classes have some differences from other systems of stratifications. The base of difference in the class is economic situation. The most theories of social stratification belong to Karl Marx and Max Weber.
For Marx a class is a group of people who stand in a common relationship to the means of production. (Giddens1992). Marx believes that the base of inequality among individuals in modern societies is economy. Weber argues that status is more influential than economic condition.
According to Stuart Hall today in societies class isn't only determiner and some other respect like (gender, nation, religion, age) can also be considered important In America
American certain values, specifically private property, free market and more profitability cause different economic conditions in the society. In America and in any historical era there were not clear social classes. Nowadays most of people are middle classes.
In America despite this concept that "anybody works hard can achieve more reward", minorities and some groups can't move up of opportunities ladder. Many people in America live under poverty-line. At 1993 one-fifth of richest people got 44 percent of incomes, versus three-fifth of poorest persons got 30 percent of all incomes. (census.gov)
A person, who is born in a rich and powerful family, has a fixed condition in hierarchical system. This person is born in social class of his or her parents.
We can say that despite of American Dream in America, merely those people who are born in high classes inherit the class of their parents.
In "Schooling and Capitalist America" Bowels and Gintis stress that educational system in America trains people their conditions and legitimize the existing inequality: Schools categorize students in educational and academic ways and this categorizing, finally distribute them in jobs and economic systems.
The media in America ignores equality and social justice and supports existing inequality and lack of social justice by magnifying institutions and American certain values.
In 1995, 10 percent of richest population in the US possessed of 68 percent of whole wealth. In fact, in 1986, one percent of the richer populations were possessor of 42 percent of whole wealth.
These statistics show that a great deal of the whole wealth in the United States is transporting from hands to hands of the rich people. It seems that there exits a trend that increases differences of wealth; for instance in 20 years between 1963 and 1983, the average wealth of 10 percent of the richest increased 147 percent. (American congress, 1986)
Reference:
Charon, Joel , M. (1997). Ten Questions: A Sociological Perspective, Wadsworth company
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