Social class stratification
According to (Ritzer & George, 5) social stratification refers to the classification or ranking of people in the in a given society. In the ranking of individuals a certain group has power, wealth and great status more than others. These differences among the society members are what results to social stratification. A society can be classified or stratified by social class, in this classification United States of America citizens are ranked according to their wealth status or power influence. However, as per Weber, Class is not a supreme factor in stratification. He noted that how Managers of corporations or industries control firms they do not own. For stratification to take place the members of the society have
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However the different social classes, in USA influences where one gets his/her education from. For instances upper class members take their kids or themselves to prestigious learning institutions while those of working poor level only have access to substandard schools which are not well equipped with facilities. ("Recent Trends And Current Problems In USA Higher Education.", 21) it is believed that education can lead to equality in the society but due to differences in the social class it seems to be a tall …show more content…
Different educational level give rise to courses like technical or profession, all these courses are of essence in life enhancement and therefore the value they add to the society should be credited . If this fails to happen the functionality of education will cease and students will be attracted to the courses that receive credit from the USA citizens. This will result to a “vacuum” in the society due to “flooding” of other courses given credit ("Recent Trends And Current Problems In USA Higher Education.", 18).
. The new generation will tend to enroll to prestigious courses, since for them having a prestigious academic qualification it will be a ladder to move them from one class to the other. This weakness in their thought makes it hard for them to be applicable with the new generation who prefer white collar courses (Ritzer, George, & Douglas, 78).
My personal experience and social
The way we view each other in terms of finance, education, and family aspects depends on a person’s social class. Students from lower backgrounds usually experience difficulty in the educational system. The educational standards of their family’s life differ from those in the higher classes because teachers teach according to the student. Meaning, not only does having a particular social class already separate you in terms of the educational system, but it also determines how and what you learn. From personal experience I’ve learned how to see from the perspective of a student who is of a lower social class than majority of his peers and teachers.
The schools that are located in higher socioeconomic areas obtain much greater funding due to the parents earning more and therefore being able to fund the school better. In today's society, the leading cause for not obtaining a higher education is the cost of education and therefore Americans who have better upbringings usually receive the best education there is to offer and often choose to seek higher education because they are able to. The effects that are reflected from these financial variations between people of higher socioeconomic backgrounds and ones of people who are not as financially well off inevitably build barriers for the individuals who endure lower education. Not growing up with financial freedom and therefore not being able to afford college has a large impact on the individual's life as an adult. These individuals who are not able to receive higher education are left with low-paying jobs and health issues caused by overworking their bodies and not having the
social class can be hard to define. There is low status consistency which means have important jobs, but make moderate income. Social class can change during a person’s lifetime. It will either go up or down, but most of the time it stays the same. Social class can have effects on health, political attitudes, and prison rates.
All Americans don’t have an equal opportunity to succeed; inheritance laws provide built in privileges to the offspring of the wealthy, which just adds to the likelihood of their success (Colombo 392). In Gregory Mantsios article “Class in America,” he states that the social class you are in affects how you will succeed in school, relating to test scores and the level of schooling that you receive; thus determining how the rest of your life will turn out. He highlights many other beliefs that are broadly held about social classes and rebuts them using statistical evidence. Mantsios believes that the class a person resides in will determine their future more than he or she is willing to admit. Mantsios communicates that social class is prevalent in America, however I believe that it doesn’t determine a person’s fate.
Class is a social system of hierarchy based on economic wealth. Joseph O. Jewell, author of Race, Social Reform, and the Making of a Middle Class: The American Missionary Association and Black Atlanta, 1870-1900, explains class as to “exist in large part as cultures-shared set of rules, ideologies, or
Since the beginning of time, African-Americans have been seen as inferior, incapable, and inhumane. After the Civil Rights Movement, the issue of racism was broadcasted internationally, and people globally saw how African-Americans were treated due to the color of their skin. Once the movement was over; African-Americans would have another issue to tackle; societal advancement. History books suggest that racism was finally over after the Civil Rights Movement, but racial bias is still embedded in white society. Racism may not be as harsh, or publically displayed, but African-Americans are not advancing at the same rates as whites.
In his essay, "College isn't for Everyone. Let's Stop Pretending It Is," Michael Petrilli uses the title of his article to clearly state the opinion that college is simply not for everyone. He supports this opinion on the statistically low college graduation rate of lower income students. He links this low rate of graduation to poor performance in high school, which leaves students unready for college upon completion of twelfth grade. On the job technical training is presented as a viable alternative to college, where a skill can be obtained to provide a career.
Going to college for many students is just a normal part of life. It is what will enable them to get an education that eventually will lead to get a well-paid job and the resources and the status to live a comfortable life. But for college professor, Andrew Delbanco, the American college has a higher purpose. In the article “College at Risk”, Delbanco states that colleges should be promoting critical thinking among students, through knowledge of the past and the interaction with each other; as well as, help them discover their talents and passions and figure out what they want to do in life. This type of education is called liberal arts and for Delbanco, it represents the ideal education.
In James W. Loewen’s “The Land of Opportunity,” he states that social class affects the way children are raised. He discusses the inequality in today’s society and how the textbooks in high school do not give any social class information. The students in today’s time are not taught everything they should be taught. He states that your family’s wealth is what makes up your future. Loewen discusses that people with more money can study for the SATs more productively and get a better score than someone who has less money.
Argued Davis and Moore thesis states that social stratification is universal because of its functional consequences. in caste system, people are rewarded for performing the duties of their position of birth, in class systems, unequal rewards attract the ablest people to
I believe social classes have defined our society in many ways. In America, they separate people into three different classes: the upper class, middle class, and the lower or working class. Based on wealth and various occupations, social classes determine the population’s status in society. Social classes today define individuals and influence their actions. Although people born in a certain class may choose to stay there, they also have the choice of leaving.
Education is affected by social class; directly and indirectly. Looking at directly first we can see that individuals from higher social classes are more likely to have the resources to attend the elicit schools, and as a result have a better chance of receiving high exam results and continuing to third level. While indirectly, people who benefit from these higher educational opportunities are more likely to acquire the top jobs which in turn will result in the highest salaries. Thus education and social class closely connected and one impacts the other. This paper will explore how ones’ social class affects their educational experience and outcome particularly focusing on working-class students.
Today, most developed countries have a system in place to make sure the consequences of its class system are not too extreme. However, for a country to be successful, having a class system that determines a one’s quality of life is necessary. No matter when or where, there will always be a social ranking which determines the quality of someone’s
Therefore, in a stratified society, the individual’s opportunities are always determined by his or her social class. In this essay, I will be arguing that even though mobility exists in the social class system, the opportunity to change status is relatively open for everyone but the distribution of opportunities among the members of a social class is not relatively equal to all. I will demonstrate this point by showing how participation of an individual in a specific social class will decide the opportunities in terms of attaining education and achieving a well-paid job. Education has a significant role in promoting social mobility; it enables people to acquire knowledge and certain skills in order to promote their social status. Nowadays, people believe that societies are based on meritocratic
The sociology of education is the study of how public institutions and individual experiences affect education and its outcomes. It is most concerned with the public schooling systems of modern industrial societies which including the expansion of higher, further, adult, and continuing education. Education has often been seen as a fundamentally optimistic human endeavour characterised by aspirations for progress and betterment. It is understood by many to be a means of overcoming handicaps, achieving greater equality and acquiring wealth and social status. In Malaysia context, Malaysian education system revolves around the National Education Philosophy where it aims to produce a loyal and united Malaysian nation, produce faithful, well-mannered, knowledgeable, competent and prosperous individuals, produces the nation’s human resource for development needs and to provide educational opportunities for all Malaysians.