Age, colour, physical strength and sex are natural bilogical differences. Similarly people are bound to be different in terms of income, wealth, education, and occupation also.

Social Inequalities

It is claimed that all societies make distinctions between people. There are some distinctions that always receive differential treatment-as between old and young, or male and female. There are other distinctions that may or may not receive differential treatment depending upon a given society’s values .In some societies males enjoy more respect than females whereas in other societies there is  equality of sexes. The usual result of a society treating people differently on the basis of their age, sex, race, religion, sexual orientation, or education, is social inequality.

Thus it can be said

"Differences are found in nature but society creates inequalities"

This inequality can result in an unfair distribution of wealth, prestige, or power.

Socially created inequalities become more important than biological inequalities (differences).  Members of society attach some meaning to the biological differences . For instance, age, sex, colors are not important from the social point of view but they become important due the importance and evaluation attached to them by the members of the society. Thus when values are attached by society on biological or social differences , they become social inqualities.

Social inequality is a universal phenomenon. In every society some people  have a greater share of valued resources like property, power etc. than others. Every Society attaches values to degree of such possessions. For example more wealth is considered good.

A fundamental task of sociology is the determination of why social inequalities are so prevent. Social Stratification is a concept/tool or a mental construct to represent the pattern of social inequalities in society. Some inequalities are such that they are present in the whole society and divides people into stratas on the basis of some criteria.

Social Stratification

Social stratification refers to the existence of social groups in the form of startas, which are ranked one above the other. The term stratification has been derived from the word ‘strata’ which means division.

Social stratification, thus, represents the structured inequality in the form of layers differential access to the rewards of society because of their relative position in the hierarchy.

Sociologists agree that societies are stratified, or arranged, along many levels. Where they begin to differ is on the question of what forms the basis for such arrangement. Other questions which are commonly answered by theorists are

1. Why it exists
2. Whether stratification is inevitable ?
3. What are the effects of social stratification?

It has been existing from the very beginning of human civilization. Though, the basis and nature of ranking and rating of different groups was not the same for all the times, it has existed even in the ancient society. It is universal in the sense that no known society exists without a system of stratification. It exists in all society in one form or the other. It has different forms e.g. some of its forms are ascribed such as age, sex, color, purity-pollution etc. Others may be achieved based on skills and achievements. The modern professions are essentially achieved types of stratification, for they require individual’s competence and expert knowledge.

Famous American sociologist P.A. Sorokin remarked that “An unstratified society with real equality among its members is a myth which has never been realized in the history of mankind.”

Social stratification has remained despite the revolutionary ideas of radicalism, equality, democracy socialism and communism. A classless society is only an ideal. If you cast your look on the society around you find that it is heterogeneous in nature. Everywhere society is divided into various classes, economic, political, religious and social.

Social Inequality, Social differentiation, Social stratification

Social stratification - Process

Social stratification comes into existence due to a complex operation of certain processes producing different systems, which varies from society to society. These processes contribute to different characteristics to social stratification

Differentiation: It involves differentiation of different social status on the basis of assigned roles. In differentiation there is no assignment of values of high/low or good/bad.

Ranking: But these differences seldom remain value neutral, an element of comparison usually evolves. This result in some vague ranking of these statuses.

Evaluation: With time strong notions of values are attached to different ranks. It has two aspects

• Prestige - honor and esteem,
• Preferability, which is people’s preference of their social status.

Rewarding: On the basis of differentiation, ranking and evaluation different groups with high and low social positions come into existence. In this process highly placed groups enjoy some special privileges.

Different theorists have tried to define social stratification in different ways

• According to Raymond. W.Murray, ‘social stratification is a horizontal division of society into ‘higher’ and ‘lower’ social units.’
• In the words of P. Gisbert, “social stratification is the division of society into permanent groups or categories linked with each other by the relationship of superiority and subordination.”
• According to W.J. Goode, “stratification is a system through which resources and rewards are distributed and handed down from generation to generation.”
•  According to Sutherland and Maxwell, “Stratification is the process of interaction or differentiation which places some people higher than others.”
•  According to P.A.Sorokin, “Social stratification means the differentiation of a given population into hierarchically superposed classes. It is manifested in the existence of upper and lower social layer…..”
• In the words of G.A. Lundberg, “A stratified society is one marked by inequality,  by differences among people that are evaluated by them as being lower and higher.”
• According to MacIver and Page, “Social stratification implies three features; (1) a     hierarchy of status groups; (2)the recognition of the superior-inferior stratification;   and (3)some degree of permanence of the structure.”