Social Stratification

As systems of stratification in social organization, slavery, caste systems, feudal estates, and class structure are all concepts by which society orients itself in such a way as to allow for a particular social configuration that enables society to function. Each system of stratification is unique and functions in its own particular manner; however, the common theme of individuals being socialized to accept the structural inequalities in their own particular system is one that is seen in all methods of social organization. Slavery, when contrasted against the other systems, stands alone as the only system of stratification in which humans are seen as legally and morally completely subservient to non-slaves; slaves become the complete property of free people. The caste system, with its origins in the political structure of early India, stresses a system of a social organization centered around the various “tiers” of racial hierarchy that predetermine one's place in society. Feudal estates, found in medieval Europe in its purest form, offers a system in which society is stratified based on birth into a particular class. Lastly, the class is the more contemporary method of social stratification, offering merit-based transitions to higher economic status based on financial success. Though social mobility is limited in all the systems with the exception of class, individuals are taught to accept their place in society—authors such as De Beauvoir argue that individuals are taught, not born, into passively agreeing to their status in life. Thus, while social mobility is limited in all cases, economic success and individual self-actualization are methods by which individuals can achieve change, and this class idea is clearly seen in the contemporary United States. 

Slavery is one of the oldest and most common methods of social stratification. Operating from the basis of denying the status of “person” to an individual and often a condition that results from wartime defeat and therefore enslavement by the conquering party, slaves are either brought into the system by outside means or, as seen in the American system of slavery, in particular, born into slavery. The American system, moreover, had a distinct and unique legal method of ensuring the continuation of slaver by codifying into law that a child would follow the legal status of his mother. Thus, while “human slavery as a barbaric, savage practice” would be common for most of human history, it is a system that ensures inequality between individuals on the basis on non-personhood and the unwilling subjugation of people based on a legal institution (Huzzey 50). Though slavery was often a lifetime condition, some means for escape and therefore mobility were offered. In some slave systems, emancipation upon the death of one's owner was expected and legal, and occasionally slave owners would free their slaves upon the death of the owner as a matter of principle. Moreover, there are cases of slaves, particularly in the American South, saving enough money over the course of their lives to buy their freedom, though the slave codes of the South would move to reduce the capacity for slaves to achieve their own freedom. Thus, while some methods for mobility exist, slavery is one of the most difficult systems alive in which to achieve true social change. 

The caste system, contrary to slavery, is a tiered system in which society is stratified along lines of social hierarchy. Members of each caste, born into their position, are forbidden from tradition and custom from marrying members of other castes or even interacting in some cases. The lowest caste, the “untouchables” are forbidden from even interacting with the higher castes. Thus, unlike slavery, which codifies the status of groups of people into human or non-human, the caste system instead offers a broader spectrum by which they judge the quality of a person. Though entire groups such, as the Jats of Punjab, were “not only rescued them from their low status but also turned into a powerful community”, social mobility is effectively null and arguably even less possible than in slavery (Sharma 29). Social mobility is not allowed, meaning that an individual cannot change his caste, thus drawing a parallel between the caste system and the feudal estates of Europe, though for the latter the status of nobility can theoretically be granted by a powerful lord. 

Lastly, the two concepts of feudal estates and class stratify society by birth into a particular class for the former, and the capacity to move up or downwards in the social hierarchy for the latter. In feudalism, a local noble owns the land that his peasants then farm and toil on and are granted a portion of their crops to keep as payment. This system, while differentiating between noble and commoner, has more social mobility than would be expected, like the tiny but growing merchant and tradesmen middle class would prove to be a powerful force in European economies starting at the end of the medieval period. Likewise, modern class systems, while similar to feudalism in that individuals are stillborn into particular economic classes, nonetheless maintains fluid social barriers and social mobility is determined solely by economic success and not one's status at birth. Thus, social mobility in the class system is far more prevalent and, moreover, is commonly accepted as a valid and encouraging act, whereas in other systems individuals attempting to change their status were either forbidden or at the very least discouraged. 

In her famous book The Second Sex, De Beauvoir stresses her principal point regarding social stratification. By stating that “one is not born, but rather becomes, a woman”, De Beauvoir believes that individuals in society are taught to accept their place and that the lack of social mobility on behalf of women and other groups is a result of socialization by the dominant groups in society (271). From birth, women are taught to become only what society's view of womanhood permits them to be—mothers, caregivers, and other traditional views of the female role. 

The United States, therefore, is a society stratified along the lines of the class system. Social mobility is encouraged and is a fundamental value in American ideology, though the practical application of such ideals is questionable. It remains difficult to truly achieve massive social change on an individual level, and poverty remains a rampant problem in American society. Despite this, the United States is more akin to the contemporary idea of a class system than any of the other models of social stratification presented. Therefore, the principal element by which the United States can be said to follow the class system is that, since social mobility is stressed as a positive value, American culture is an effective embodiment of the idea of changing one's status in life. 

Societies can be stratified into various levels and methods of organizations, including slavery, caste systems, feudalism, and class. These are all concepts by which society organizes itself along predetermined and accepted lines and each method stresses the acceptance of the status quo to ensure social stability and prosperity. Only the class system, of which the United States is but one example, values social mobility and individual success as a principal value. Thus, while social mobility is limited in all the theories presented, economic success and individual property are the methods by which individuals can achieve social mobility, as clearly seen in the United States. 

Works Cited

Beauvoir, Simone De, Constance Borde, and Sheila Malovany-Chevallier. The Second Sex. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2010. Print. 

Huzzey, Richard. "When Is A Slave Not Really A Slave?." History Today 62.12 (2012): 48- 55. Academic Search Complete. Web. 18 May 2013. 

Sharma, Neeru. "Caste In Punjab: Political Marginalization And Cultural Assertion Of Scheduled Castes In Punjab." Journal Of Punjab Studies 19.1 (2012): 27-47. Academic Search Complete. Web. 18 May 2013.