Stratification is a form of differentiation.

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Stratification is a form of differentiation. This is the unequal distribution of wealth, status and power on the basis of what each society perceives as being important, for example, class, ethnicity or gender.

Stratification is socially constructed and each society has its own system, according to its needs. In addition, systems change over time, for example, in the UK, the church was once at the top of the hierarchy. This illustrates how stratification is socially constructed.

        The different social groups in society are divided up into layers, or strata. This is a hierarchy. Those at the top are worth more than those at the bottom. Those at the top have more wealth, status and power. Your life chances are also better the higher up the stratification system you are. For example, upper class people have better health, education and more money. These factors determine where you are in the stratification system.

        Moving between social classes, up and down the stratification system depends on whether the society is open. Closed societies, like slavery, have no social mobility. If you are female, you can gain status and power if you marry or become a mother. In the case of the UK, there is actually very little social mobility, but the ideological belief, imposed by those with power, is that there is.        

        These beliefs are imposed upon people so that when they fail, they blame themselves, and not society. This stops people from rebelling against society and maintains order and the stratification system. This is known as formal social control.

        Other forms of social control are transmitted through the media as idealogical beliefs and values. It is also transmitted through social institutions, such as education, religion and laws, which teach us our roles. We play roles according to our class, gender and age etc, or according to our position in the stratification system. For example Christianity teaches that if the poor are good and accept their position in life and do not rebel, they will go to heaven. Religion distances you from the reality of your exploitations. Religion also has a stratification system. Hinduism has a caste system. Priests are at the top of the hierarchy, followed by warriors and teachers etc. The people at the bottom are known as sweepers. Society believes that if they go near some one of a lower caste, they will be polluted. This means there is no social mobility. They also believe that if they abide by the caste rules, they will be reincarnated after death into a higher caste.

        There also exists a gender stratification system. In the UK, males are dominant. They earn more money and have more status and power. Gender differences must also be socially constructed as they have changed over time. The balance of power now, in the UK, is changing in favour of women. In addition, some cultures in the past, women were seen as sacred, due to their fertility.

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        For example, In the Aztec community, gold was sacred because of its colour. It was believed to represent mother earth’s menstruation, which displays that women were also sacred because of their ability to menstruate.  

        The gender stratification system is kept in place by a variety of forms of social control such as gender role socialisation. This trains people to conform to social expectations about their gender. Parents use gender- based terms when they talk about their children. They dress boys and girls differently and give them different toys etc. This all happens during primary socialisation.

        Oakley identified two processes ...

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