Social Stratification

8 Pages 2103 Words

their power and resources. As we all know this asking a lot. As much as someone says they believe in equality the second you ask them to give up just a little they turn a cold shoulder. This is why inequality seems to continue existing.
It’s human nature to want to do what is best for you. That’s not to say that all upper or middle class people wouldn’t give up something for the good of the whole, yet most would probably not. America has become a nation that craves materialistic goods. The population has misinterpreted the meaning of “need”. Today people believe “want” really means, “need”. How could you ever expect equality from a group who lives for materialistic pleasure? You really can’t. In my opinion you would really need to change the American way of life, which would be nearly impossible.
In order make a final judgment however we really need to understand the current trends of stratification in the United States. Therefore we must start by looking at the patterns. From the very beginning of civilization human beings realized that, “a division of functions and labor contributed to greater social efficiency.” (Hughes, 172) Not everyone can have the same occupation or the same career otherwise society would falter. A division of labor is the only way to run a successful society, however there are many complications. How to divide up labor becomes an issue. How is it decided who gets the dirty low paying job and who gets the more respectable higher waged job. Then you must consider that once you are placed in a certain area how easily is it to move in and out of one group to another. A stratification sys...