Class, Caste and Biradri System in Pakistans Society.

Social stratification refers to arrangements of any group or society into a hierarchy of positions
that are unequal with regard to power, property and social evolution.
It is also defined as the distribution of people of society in groups on the basis of their status.
Determinants of social stratification:
According to Max Weber
Economic resources
Occupations
Prestige
Power
Caste
Education
Political power Are the determinants of social divisions.
Economic resources:
The size of landholdings in rural areas belong to upper classes. While the tenants, blacksmiths,
cobblers, barbers belong to the lower class.
Occupation:
Landowners, industrialists, businessmen, high government officials, corporate officials belong to
the upper class.
Servicemen, small businessmen, whose income equals to their expenditures, are the middle class.
Manual workers, carpenters, blacksmiths, washermen all constitute the lower class.
Prestige:
Respect of an individual in society is related to the level of prestige that he enjoys.
Prestige includes nobility, harmlessness, participating in social welfare projects, helping the
needy etc.
Power:
Power gains one respect. In Pakistan, following characteristics could be important:
Outspoken in public, educated, well off in financial resources, interest in solving people's
problems, active, religious oriented etc.
Caste:
Caste system in Pakistan is an important element in social stratification. Some castes are
considered high, some are low.
Education:
Education like all other societies in the world, defines social status in Pakistan too. Educated
people are better rated and respected socially owing to their occupations, professions and status
while illiterate people always belong to lower class.
Social Class: (the Concept Given by Karl Marx.)
A group of people having more or less equal economic resources indicating similar standards of
living in a society constitute a class.
Generally, three classes exist in Pakistan.
High
Middle
Low
Theory of struggle:
Karl Marx gave the theory of struggle. He said that unequal distribution of economic resources
creates classes. They can only survive if they fight each other. Classification creates hatred and
enmity against other classes. Capitalism supports private ownership and creates classes while
socialism empowers people.
Nature and character of class:
Class a status group
Class can be achieved and can be changed
Class system is universal
Social class is open group
It arouses feeling of class consciousness
Caste:
Caste is a permanent group having its status ascribed at birth. It cannot be changed.
Caste is a system of stratification, in which mobility up and down and the status ladder, at least
ideally does not occur. A.W. Green.
Caste is a closed social group.
Characteristics of caste:
Caste is hierarchical division
Closed group
Sub culture: every class has its own norms which can be different from others. E.g.: marriage
norms / issues of out of caste marriages.
Social control: every caste has its own informal methods of social control.
Merits of caste system:
Biradri system.
Social solidarity
Norms are forceful and offer social control
Castes are endogamous... means they marry within caste.
Demerits of caste system:
Ethnocentrism among the members of one caste
Norms of castes are rigid in nature
New elements of changes are rejected
Marriage out of caste is rejected
Difference between caste and class system in Pakistan :
Class is flexible
Class can change
Class does not form biradri
Class can be exogamous
There is less ethnocentrism in class
Feeling of association is less strong in classes
There is less solidarity in classes
Class favors social change
Classes do not have norms
Caste is rigid
Caste cannot change
Castes form biradri system
Castes are endogamous
Caste are ethnocentric
Feelings of association are more stronger in castes
There is more solidarity in castes
Castes reject social change
Castes have their own norms
Biradri:
It is the group of people belonging to same caste, intermarrying together.
Two or more families related to each other are called biradri.
People of biradri do not necessarily live at the same place.
There may be different languages, styles, and customs in biradri.
Old biradries having same caste are still strong in Pakistan. They have more rigid norms.
Social violations in biradries are strictly condemned.
Endogamy is a strict condition in some of the biradries.