NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote
Social stratification is the division of society into different layers whose members have unequal access to social opportunities and rewards. The theory that I think best explains social stratification is Max Weber s theory of wealth, power and prestige. I think it best describes why some people have more access to opportunities and rewards than others because for one the more economic resources someone has obviously they have more access to things that average people don t like better educations, safer neighborhoods, larger homes, more material things etc. If someone has access to certain things like a college education at an Ivy League school they will have more chances to be in a social circle with others that could help them get a more prominent job then someone who attends a small state college or doesn t attend college at all because they can t afford to go. Secondly, economics is not the only reason some have access to things that others don t. Power plays a major role in where someone is in the social strata; someone doesn t have to be wealthy to have power.
A politician has power and influence over certain others but it doesn t necessarily make him or her wealthy but they still have access to things that other people do not, like influence on others. Police officers have power over certain individuals without being wealthy. Power can also derive from qualities such as intelligence and the ability to motivate and organize others. A religious leader, like Martin Luther King, is a good example of someone who wasn t necessarily wealthy but had a great deal of influence over others and therefore had access to social opportunities that most people did not have. Thirdly, someone doesn t have to be wealthy or powerful to hold a prestigious social standing. Someone s job can be a major source of prestige.
A clergyman is an example of someone who is not usually wealthy but holds a higher social standing because of the respect they get from others. Also, I believe that Caucasian people, especially white males, usually have a higher social standing because than other groups of people like African Americans, Latinos, women and other minority groups for example. I think that wealth plays the major role in why some people have access to opportunities and others don t because those who control the companies and banks use those who do not for there own benefits. Although wealth, power and prestige usually coincide they don t always. People can have power and prestige without having wealth and can have wealth without any power or prestige. I think Weber s theory of wealth, power and prestige best explains social stratification because it shows that you need to be either wealthy, powerful or hold a prestigious standing in order to have a chance to be in the upper strata of society.
If there are no chances, for example, to go to school because you had to quit school to help support your family of course you are going to have limited and unequal access to social chances and rewards and will be in a lower strata of society than someone who is a physician or a politician.
Free research essays on topics related to: power and prestige, wealth power, social standing, doesn t, social stratification
Research essay sample on Power And Prestige Social Stratification
