Differentiate between wealth, power, and prestige and explain how individual access to each change with varying social complexity.

Differentiate between wealth, power, and prestige and explain how individual access to each change with varying social complexity.

Wealth, power, and prestige form part of the basic principles that are employed in social stratification in society. People are categorized into different classes and groups depending on their wealth, power, and prestige. The three determinants of stratification are often used concurrently but have different meaning and impact to the social classification. Wealth is often associated with property ownership and the capability to generate wealth in an economic set-up. The extent to which a person can create wealth or employ other factors of production in wealth creation determines the class in which one can be put. For examples, a capitalist who owns means of production and offers employment to peoples belongs to a capitalist class. Also, a person who owns means of production but cannot employ others such as a doctor belongs to the small capitalist class. Last, an individual who does not own property but sells his labour for income belongs to the workers class. On the other hand, power refers to the capacity to influence events and people to a specific goal or motive. Power is directly correlated to wealth. A person can use authority to obtain wealth. Also, wealthy people are more likely to become the most powerful and actively involved in the political process to protect their property and create more wealth. Last, prestige is a subjective principle and depends on how other people’s attitude and perceptions towards a person. Even though prestige is intangible, most people would strive to seek wealth and power to live a prestigious lifestyle.

The individual access to wealth, power, and prestige are diverse and take different forms depending on the varying social complexity. For instance, a child from a capitalist family can access wealth through inheritance rights and later use his wealth to acquire influence and control. The authority will enable him to have the power to gain the respect and admiration of his or her peers. Whereas, a poor man’s son will have to work hard to obtain property and wealth or acquire an education that will earn him respect in the society. The poor man’s son does not have any privilege for automatic acquisition of wealth, power, and prestige as compared to a child from a wealthy family. Hence the methods of acquisition of wealth, power and prestige changes with the varying social complexity.

What is social stratification? Are all societies stratified? Provide an overview of the diverse ways in which societies become stratified.

Social stratification involves the division of people in a particular society into permanent categories in relation to superiority and subordination depending on the level of wealth, power, race, gender, education, and prestige each group possesses. Social stratification allows the existence of social inequalities in the form of hierarchical layers which divides the society into higher and lower social units. All societies have one way or another of societal classification to create the distinction between different groups of people living in the community. Societies perform stratification depending on wealth, power, and prestige distribution or any other resources that a particular culture believes is valuable. Different societies have adopted diverse ways of social stratification such as slavery, caste, social class and status. The social division can be based on the economy, politics, and rulership. A slavery system is a form of stratification which classifies people between the free and slaves. The slaveowners have full authority over their slaves. Slavery was considered an undesired group. Another way society becomes stratified was by using the estate systems. The estates represented broad labour division and definite roles. There were the noble, political and estate burghers. Also, the caste stratification is associated with divinity and family linage. A person’s status is determined by his or her parents’ social caste category upon birth regardless of wealth, education, or power. Every caste has unique characteristics such as occupation, social, and religious life. For instance, if a child is born of the political class, it remains of the political class regardless of education wealth, and other factors. Last, societies become stratified using the class systems, where the primary basis is on economic gains. A person can change form one class to another, depending on economic achievements. The hierarchical system ranked people based on their occupations, income, and financial status.

Review the differences between race, ethnicity, class, and nationality and provide examples from the readings of how these categories become blurred in everyday life

Race, ethnicity, class, and nationality are sometimes used interchangeably to refer to a particular group of people in society. Even though the terms are used to distinguish the unique differences that form the basis of identification and social stratification in society, they are distinct and represent a different concept in social division. First, race categorizes people into separate groups based on their physical attributes such as skin colour, eye shape, hair texture, dental formulation, and facial features. For instance, someone with blue eyes and white skin will be considered an Israelites, or someone with a coloured skin can be regarded as Mexican or an African. On the other hand, ethnicity, which is often confused with race, is a person’s regional cultural heritage. Ethnicity comprises of invisible attributes such as native language, religious practices, cultural celebrations, and norms. For instance, a Caucasian race contains different ethnic groups such as European, Hispanic, Latino, and Middle Eastern. The difference between race and ethnicity, is that unlike race, ethnicity is not visible and one can only learn about a person’s ethnicity through interaction. Also, while race and ethnicity are entangled and sometimes challenging to understand, nationality is simple and straight forward. Nationality refers to the legal association of a person with a particular country or state. For example, an American is a citizen of the United States, and an Italian identifies with Italy. However, citizenship does nor relate with race or ethnicity. Any races and ethnicities can become a citizen of any country through registration or birth. Last, class is the basis of classification of any society or nationality that comprises of different race and ethnicity. People can be classified into the various social status such as middle class, working-class, or elite class regardless of race or ethnicity. A person is born into a race, ethnicity, and nationality but can change is nationality and class. However, race and ethnicity will remain the whole mark identity of a person.

Explain how gender inequalities are reinforced in societies in cultural and structural ways

Gender forms a primary tool of social and economic stratification in society. Gender inequality is a characteristic of most societies which is reinforced in cultural and structural approaches. Cultural ways that attribute specific roles and expectation to men or women have are the primary cause of gender inequality in society. For instances, cultural practices such as the relation of household chores and child-rearing to women have denied women equal opportunity for education and economic development. Also, in societies such as India, cultural norms do not allow a woman to own property. They have to live under the mercy of a man has exposed them to different injustices such as intimate partner violence and exploitation, which serve to reinforce the gender inequality in society. Also, society structural ways have made it impossible for women to take up similar roles as their male counterparts in the community. Corporate and government policies function to disfavour women in their careers in many ways. For example, in the United States military, the armour is made according to the male body description ignoring the fact that women are also serving in the army. Another structural way society promotes inequality is through job remuneration and categorizations. The community believe that women cannot earn equally as their male counterparts. Hence employers usually pay men more salary as compared to their female counterparts in the same job profession. Fundamental norms in society have made people believe that women are not competent to perform specific tasks because they do not have the desired physical strength and body physic. The inequality does not only hurt women but societal progress because of minimal growth contribution from the women.

Describe the function(s) of marriage and explain the diversity of marriage practices cross-culturally. Be sure to provide examples from lectures and readings.

Marriage is a crucial practice in many social ethnicities in the world. Functions of marriage are biological, economical, sociological, and educational. First people get married to validate the process of sexual intercourse for the primary purpose of procreation to enhance the continuity of life. Second, marriage allows the man and woman to combine their resources and labour to generate income to uplift and raise their families. Third, marriage unions function in uniting people of different races, religions, and backgrounds to live in peace and become one big family. The groom and the bride acquire new kinship and friends from either side. Also, marriage allows parents the opportunity to act as the first social gent to a child, impacting cultural morals in them. The institution of marriage is entrusted with the responsibility of educating the family, which is a basic unit in society. The parents inform their children to be responsible people in society and embarrass the cultural norms and practices of the community. Marriage has a different meaning for different cultures all over the world. What other organizations consider a perfect marriage ritual other think of it us unimaginable. Some cultures value romantic marriage, which is the individual’s freedom to marry the partner of their choice based on mutual love. For instance, in western societies such as the United States, someone is free to marry the partner he or she wants. In other cultures, such as in the Indian society, people believe in pragmatic marriage where a person in position of authority arranges a marriage partner for their son or daughter. For example, a father can decide which man is perfect for his daughter and move to discuss the marriage plan with the man’s family. Marriage practices cross-culturally are different and have a different meaning.