Social stratification and social mobility

Social stratification (from the Latin. Stratum - layer and facio - do) it is one of the basic concepts of sociology, is the system of signs and criteria of social stratification, social status, social structure, a branch of sociology. The term "stratification" entered the sociology of Geology, where he refers to the location of the land formations. But people initially likened the existing social distances between layers of earth and walls, floors located objects parts of plants, etc.

Stratification is a division of society into special layers (strata) by combining various social positions with similar social status, it reflects the current understanding of social inequality, built horizontally (social hierarchy) along its axis in one or more stratification criteria (indicators social status). The division of society into strata is based on inequality of social distances between them - the basic property of stratification. Social strata line up vertically in a strict sequence of indicators of welfare, government, education, leisure, consumption. In the social stratification establishes certain social distance between people (social positions) and build a hierarchy of social classes. Thus fixed unequal access of society to certain socially significant scarce resources through the establishment at the borders that separate social strata, social filters. For example, the allocation of social groups can be in terms of income, education, power, consumption, labor conditions, free time. Dedicated social strata in society it is estimated by the social prestige of expressing social attractiveness of certain positions. But in any case, social stratification is the result of a more or less conscious activity (policy) of the ruling elites, it is concerned to impose on society and legitimize it in their own social perceptions of unequal members of society access to social benefits and resources. The simplest model is a dichotomous stratification - the division of society into the elite and the masses. Some of the earliest archaic social systems structuring of society into clans is to coincide with the social inequalities between and within them. So there are those who are dedicated to specific social practices (priests, elders, chiefs) and outsiders - the profane (the other members of society, the ordinary members of the community, compatriots). Inside them society can continue if necessary stratified. As the complexity (structure) of society is a parallel process - Integration of social positions in a social hierarchy. So there are caste, class, classes, etc. The modern concept of social attitudes in the stratification models are complex - Laminated (polihotomicheskie), multidimensional (implemented on several axes) and variable (sometimes admit the existence of multiple stratification models). Licenses, quotas, certification, the status, grades, benefits, privileges, preferences, etc.

The most important characteristic of a dynamic society is social mobility - change individual or group of space taken up in the social structure (social position), move from one social class (class, group) to another (vertical mobility) or within the same social class (horizontal mobility). Along with the social filters, and provides a barrier inhibiting social movement, in society there and "social elevator" significantly accelerate this process (in crisis society - revolution, war, conquest, and the like, in a normal society - family, marriage, education, , property, etc.). The degree of freedom of social movements from one social class to another largely determines how a society - open or closed. That is a stratification system implies a characteristic bundle and method of adoption:

Types of social communities	Criteria for identifying social society	Fuaches of society
Classes (strata)	Place in the system of social production	The nature of work
Prof. community	Position in the division of labor	Fields of activity
Industry community	The scope of application of labor	Fields of activity
Ethnonational	Ethnicity and nationality	Common origin of language, territory etc.
Regional	Inter-ethnic, inter-ethnic, inter-connection	International cooperation in all areas of public life
Demographic	Age and sex characteristics of individuals	Youth, women, men, and other social groups
Territorial	Locations	Public administration education
Racial groups	Morphological and physical features	Skin color, height etc.
Production teams	Solving production problems	Organizational forms of work
Family	Family relationships	Cohabitation, shared household, mutual responsibility etc.

Classes - the basis of the social structure of society, but why do we need these social groups?

1. Social groups - a kind of "engines" of social development, without any changes to their efforts in the community may not occur;

2. The nature of social groups depends on the quality of functioning of all social institutions in a particular historical moment;

3. On which groups of society is, which of them are the leaders which subordinate, dependent type of society, its socio-political and state production.

Since 30-ies. In Soviet literature settled position that the social structure of the Soviet Union, there are three classes:

1. The working class;

2. Kolhoznoe peasantry;

3. Intelligentsiya.

This provision is not in line with the social structure of society, being unscientific. Since the beginning of perestroika (80th - 90th.) Understanding of the social structure of society has changed, such as academic Zaslavskaya proposed a new structure based on specific sociological studies:

1. Working class: highly educated, politically active, medium-educated (the most abundant type) workers (taken from the state more than give);

2. Peasantry: rural workers, farmers, farmers;

3. Intelligentsia;

4. Military personnel;

5. Entrepreneurs;

6. Large business managers;

7. Government and party officials;

8. Top political leadership;

9. etc. (Students, pensioners, the homeless, the clergy).

Several models of stratification systems. Among them, West and East.

West (U.S. example) includes seven status groups:

1. "High top class" - General Manager of nationwide companies, co-owners of prestigious law firms, senior military officials, federal judges, archbishops, stockbrokers, medical luminaries, renowned architects and artists;

2. "High" - General Manager medium firms, a mechanical engineer, newspaper publishers, doctors in private practice, practicing lawyer, college instructor ...;

3. "Upper middle class" - bank tellers, teachers, community colleges, mid-level managers, a high school teacher;

4. "The average middle class" - bankers, dentists, primary school teachers, supervisors in enterprises, employees of insurance companies, managers of large stores;

5. The "lower middle class" - car mechanics, hairdressers, bartenders, sellers, hotel employees, skilled workers, postal employees, police officers, truck drivers ...;

6. "The middle lower class" - taxi drivers, srednekvalifitsirovannye workers benzozapravschiki, waiters, doormen ...;

7. "Lower lower class" - domestic servants, gardeners, porters, scavengers.

East (in the case of India - the caste system). Takes place mainly in the countries of the Asian mode of production (the mode of production determines the dependence of all workers from the state, officials engaged in the distribution of goods):

1. "Top Layer" (kshatriya) - at the beginning, were soldiers, enslaved and India to dominate;

2. "Brahman" or "Brahmin" - priests, providing ideological support for higher layer;

3. "The service layer" (vaisyas) - are busy "upper class";

4. "Shudras" (Dependent) - most of the population, has a hierarchy;

5. "Les Miserables" (pariah).

There are mixed stratification systems, in addition, according to scientists, people are in constant motion, and society - in development. Therefore, an important mechanism of social stratification is social mobility, which is defined as a change in the individual, family, social group, a place in the social structure.

Vertical mobility is the movement of individuals, social groups from one stratum to another, which changes significantly the social situation (ascent, descent).

Horizontal mobility - moving from one social group to another in the same social level.

Geographic mobility (migration) - change of residence, moving to another area. Some stratification tendencies of modern Ukrainian society:

1. The gradual emergence of the class system, the continuing influence autocratic (etakratiya - the power of the state, based on the grades in the power hierarchy, class - the size of the property and market exchange);

2. The change in the structure of employment. New skills, the development of self-employment;

3. Polarization through ownership;