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Social Stratification In The United States

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Social stratification is the system of inequality based on ranking people or groups based on power, prestige, and wealth (www.sociologydictionary.org, 2017). This term is often seen as a cultural trait of the society and not a reflection of individual differences and involves inequality as well as beliefs that encourage the inequality. Social stratification can be either closed (ascribed) or open (achieved) and characterized by social mobility. There are two types of social mobility: vertical and horizontal. People who lives in open type societies often work harder to move up but in closed type system the social status determine by birth, like caste system and suppresses any desire for achievement.

All societies have some system of stratification and may be categorized as an open or closed social system. What defines the social system of the …show more content…

In other words, it is change in individual’s social status. It can be achieved through Intergenerational mobility (social movement experienced by family members from one generation to the next) or Intragenerational mobility (social movement of individuals within their own lifetime). The open system society encourages the mobility and one’s social position is assigned based on merit and achievements. The American culture is the example of this type of society to some extent. The American Dream reflects the equality of opportunity regardless the conditions into which one born and equal chance to achieve success. Many sports and TV stars are the example of horizontal mobility and rise to fame in spite of their origin and social status. Open system society is also characterized by level of “life chances” are the extent to which individuals have access to important societal resources such as food, clothing, shelter, education and health

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