Social stratification is the main theme of sociology. She describes how the layers of society are divided according to their lifestyle, income level, whether they have any privileges or not. Sociologists “borrowed” this term from geologists. There it denotes how the layers of the Earth are located in a vertical section. Sociologists, too, like the structure of the Earth, arranged strata - social strata - vertically. The criteria for social stratification in a simplified form are limited to one scale - the level of income. At the bottom level, there is a poor population, at the middle stage - well-off, and at the top - the richest. Each stratum includes people whose incomes, prestige, power and education are approximately the same.
There are the following criteria for social stratification, according to which the population is divided into strata: power, education, income and prestige. They are located on the coordinate axis vertically and are inextricably linked with each other. Also, all the listed criteria for social stratification have their own distinctive dimension.
Income is the amount of money that a family or an individual receives for a specific time period. This amount of money can be obtained in the form of pensions, salaries, benefits, fees, alimony, interest on profits. Measured income in national currency or in dollars.
When incomes exceed spending on life, they gradually accumulate and turn into wealth. As a rule, it remains to the heirs. The difference between income and inheritance is that it is received only by working people, while non-working people can also receive an inheritance. Accumulated movable or immovable property is the main attribute of the upper class. The rich may not work, while the lower and middle classes, on the contrary, will not be able to live without a salary. The uneven distribution of income and wealth and causes economic inequality in society.
The next criterion for social stratification is education. It is measured in years spent in school and university.
The third criterion is power. The fact whether a person possesses it can be judged by the number of people to whom the decision he makes applies. The essence of power is the ability to impose their will on others, not taking into account their desire. And whether this will be fulfilled is the second question. For example, the president’s decision extends to several million people, and the decision of the director of a small school - to several hundred. In modern society, power is protected by tradition and law. Many social benefits and privileges are available to her.
People with power (economic, political, religious) make up the elite of society. It determines the policy within the state, its relations with other countries so that it is beneficial to it. Other classes are deprived of this opportunity.
These criteria of social stratification have quite tangible units: people, years, dollars. But prestige is a subjective indicator. It depends on what profession or occupation is respected in society. If the country does not conduct research on this topic by special methods, then the prestige of the position is determined approximately.
The criteria for social stratification in the complex determine the socio-economic status of a person, that is, his social position. And status, in turn, determines membership in a closed society or in an open one. In the first case, the transition from stratum to stratum is impossible. These include castes and estates. In an open society, moving up the social ladder is not prohibited (anyway, up or down). Classes belong to this system. These are the historical forms of social stratification.