Republic of the Philippines

Laguna State Polytechnic University

San Pablo City Campus
Brgy. Del Remedio, San Pablo City, Laguna

Graduate Studies and Applied Research

Course Code : Soc. Sci. 203
Course Title : Advance Course in Sociology and Socio-
Cultural Changes
Topic : Social Stratification : Class, Race, Ethnicity,
Gender and Sex
Reporter : Deveza, Andrea Hana Batalla
Instructor : Dr. Lucila C. Palacio

Social Stratification: Class, Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Sex

SOCIAL STRATIFICATION
R. W. Murray defines Social Stratification as, “arrangement of any social group or
society into hierarchy of positions that are unequal with regard to power, property, social
evaluation and psychic gratification”.
The division of society into classes, categories or ranks.
Division in society, leads to social inequality
Most common divisions are: CLASS RACE ETHNICITY GENDER SEX
SOCIAL INEQUALITY - Unequal sharing of scarce resources and social rewards
Closed System: movement = impossible
Caste System: Scarce resources and social rewards are distributed on the basis
of ascribed statuses
Slavery: Has economic basis
Class system: Distribution of scarce resources and Rewards is determined on
the basis of achieved statuses.
Open system: movement =possible
SOCIAL CLASS
A social class is a group of people who share a similar economic position in society
based on their wealth and income. Class is essentially, therefore, an economic
stratification system.
CLASS
>Class can change throughout your lifetime.
>It is based on achievement (social mobility)
>Exogamy
>Ownership in means of production(WHO)
>Conflict theories-Capitalist (Bourgeoisie) and Labourer (Proletariat)
Three aspects to determine social class: WEALTH POWER PRESTIGE
Wealth -Depending of the strata you belong to access to materials and resources will be
limited or enhanced.
Power - teachers have power over their students, they help shapes the lives of children.

Prestige - children with parents with high income levels are viewed highly than the
(labour workers)
Social Mobility refers to the movement within the social structure, from one social
position to another. (Changing social status)

Types of mobility
>Vertical
>Horizontal
IMPACT ON EDUCATION
Exploitation- lack of equal resources in schools, means children do not all have
enriched experience.
Family settings are different also. Lack of skill and effort in children education will
determine the job level they will have.
Conflict theory
>Power –taking control of society (taking advantage of the working class) Proletariat
Functionalist theory
Every jobs in society needs to filled. Your efforts determine your job level.
RACE DEFINED:There are no biologically “pure” races.
- Is a category of people who share inherited physical characteristics and whom others
see as being a distinctive group

Racial social stratification is built upon idea that social differences are linked with
hereditary characteristics which differ between races.
A Brief History of race
>Race did not exist until the European expansion and exploration beginning around
1500 until then.
>People were divided on the basis of religion, class, language or status.
>Historically scholars have placed people into three groups:
1. Caucasians-fair skin and straight or wavy hair (whites)
2. Mongoloids-yellowish or brownish skin with distinctive folds on the eyelids (Asians) 3.
Negroids-dark skin and tightly curled hair (blacks)
However, this well known classification system has difficulty describing the complexity
of race.

Social Status and Effects of “Race” :

>Life chances
>Where you live
>How you are treated
>Access to wealth, power and prestige
>Access to education, housing, and other valued resources
The Social Construction of Race
Race is important because of the social meaning people have attached to it.
Race is a social construct based on how people define themselves and others on
physical and social characteristics.

Racial classifications are a function of how people define, label and categorize
themselves and others into groups.
A majority group – is one that is culturally, economically and politically dominant. A
minority group – is one that is culturally, economically and politically subordinate.
CHALLENGES FACED
>equal access to health care, educational opportunities, treatment in the criminal-
justice system, environmental racism.
>assimilating into a foreign society, learning English, open discrimination, hate crimes.
Strategies for Ending Inequality
>Anti-discrimination laws: outlaw discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex
and national origin.
>Affirmative action laws: require employers, schools and others to increase the
representation of groups that historically have experienced discrimination.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE AS A TEACHER!

ETHNICITY - The word “ethnicity” is of modern origin.
In America, it appears to have been used for the first time in 1941 in W. Lloyd Warner
and Paul S. Lunt’s “The Social Life of a Modern Community”.
Warner used ethnicity in the sense of a trait that “separates” the individual from some
classes and identifies him with others.
Ethnicity - belonging to a group that shares the same characteristics, such as country of
origin, language, religion, ancestry and culture.
- refers to membership of in a culturally- and geographically defined group that
may share language, cultural practices, religion, or other aspects.

NOTE : People of the same race can be of different ethnicities. For example, Asians
can be Japanese, Korean, Thai, or many other ethnicities.
Ethnic group is a socially distinct population that shares a common language, culture,
and a way of life.
>These groups are committed to the ideas, norms, and material things that constitute
that way of life.
>They can be identified through ‘ethnic traits’ such as:
Diet Burial customs
Dance, music Pottery forms, and styles of decoration
Shared common history Architecture
Language Clothing, hairstyles
Religion, rituals
ETHNIC MINORITY GROUPS
>Race and ethnicity are often incorrectly used interchangeably due to the notion of them
being “minority groups”.
>Minority group is a sociological term for a group that experiences discrimination, social
disadvantages and strong self-consciousness as a result of discriminations. >Not all
minority groups are racial and ethnic groups, and not all racial and ethnic groups are
minority groups.
IMPACT ON EDUCATION
>Ethnic minorities experience racism, they are stereotyped, and often left alone in
school and classroom activities.
>Ethnic minorities have a different culture that advantages or disadvantages them (eg.
Different language, cultural practices and belief systems)
>Most ethnic minority groups have
>higher parental and pupil educational aspirations,
>more positive attitudes to school,
>do more homework
but do teachers notice this and guide and support them accordingly?
Ethnicity is a variable affecting educational attainment.
>Without a doubt, prior knowledge (i.e. ethnicity & culture) may effect one’s learning
style.
>Instructors should be sensitive to the different learning styles and vary their teaching
styles accordingly.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
According to Banks (1988), “Every child comes to school with an ethnic identity whether
these identifications are conscious or unconscious. This identification must be
recognized and respected by the teacher. The point here is to acknowledge differences
rather than ignore them. It is equally critical that the children recognize and appreciate
their own ethnicity and learn to appreciate those of the other children in the class.”
SEX
SEX = MALE AND FEMALES
DEFINING SEX Refers:
>To the biological and physiological characteristics that define men and women.
>Biological and anatomical differences between men and women. Including the primary
sex and the secondary sex.
Male and females are sex categories, while masculine and feminine are gender
categories.

Some examples of sex characteristics:

>Women menstruate while men do not.
>Men have testicles while women do not.
>Men generally have more massive bones than women.
Generally speaking, men have had, and continue to have, more physical and social
power and status than women, especially in the public arena.
Sexism has also caused women to feel inferior to men, or to rate themselves negatively.
EDUCATION
>2/3 of all the illiterate people in the world are women.
>In many countries women are not allowed to be educated.
>In the US however, there has been a trend towards more women in higher education.
EMPLOYMENT
>Women are generally found in all the lowest and jobs while men are often paid higher.

>In comparable positions in the workplace, for example, women generally receive lower
wages than men.
WHAT WE EXPECT FROM MEN AND WOMEN?
GENDER What is Gender?
According to Mustapha (2009), Gender refers to the social, cultural, emotional and
psychological construction of masculinity and femininity.
What is Gender about?
>Social roles and relations between men and women in the society
>It affects all parts of our lives (social, economic and political)
>It changes over time and vary according to geographic location and social content
>It is what we expect men and women to do and behave
>It is about how power is used and shared
As a result there are:
 >Acceptable gender roles
>Gender stereotyping for masculinity and femininity
>Gender stratification (division of labour)
>Gender bias
>Gender inequality
IMPACT OF GENDER ON THE EDUCATION SYSTEM
>Feminization of Teaching
>Having equitable access to society’s resources, including socially- valued goods,
rewards and opportunities
>Boys or girls may adopt gender-stereotyped beliefs which can decrease academic
engagement and achievement
>The perception that certain subject areas, such as math, science and computer
science, are male domains has an effect on career choices
>Students are channeled into gender appropriate subject areas by parents, teachers, or
the community.
>The introduction of the National Curriculum made boys and girls study mostly the
same subjects which aids to remove gender inequality.
>Equal participation in influencing what is valued, shaping development directions and
distribution opportunities.
QUOTE “The woman was made of a rib out of the side of Adam; not made out of his
head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side
to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved.”
― Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and
Unabridged in One Volume