Discuss the Extent to Which Social Stratification Is Usefull and Inevitable in Society.

We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal.With these familiar words of the Declaration of Independence, the founders of America established social equality as a guiding principle.Yet for almost a century after the document was signed, slavery was common in much of the United States, and legal infringement of the rights of women and black Americans continued for almost two centuries.Today,the “Inalienable right” to “life,liberty,and pursuit of happiness” is still not equally awarded.For generations now there has been the American Dream of unlimited opportunities for all.The reality, however, has been closer to the underlying principle of the barnyard society in George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’: “All animals are equal,but some animals are more equal than others.” Therefore the essence of this paper is to critically discuss the extent to which social stratification is useful and inevitable in society.It will start off by providing definitions of technical terms.In order to arrive at a clear understanding of the subject under discussion,the concept of social stratification shall also be explained.In addition,the main systems involved in social stratification will be highlighted.Afterwards,the main subject matter will be discussed and in line with this,examples and theories that apply shall be given in support.Finally,a conclusion will be given.

According to Harris and Scott (1997),social status is the position or positions occupied by individuals or groups of individuals in relationship to other groups or individuals in society.Each person occupies a great number of statuses and at the same time are continually changing.For example,one person may occupy the status of a husband,father,skilled worker and so on.However,the bottom line is that status can either be ascribed or achieved.

Social mobility refers to the movement of individuals or groups from one status in society to another .Since there are several dimensions to social standing

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