SA 150 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Structural Functionalism, Meritocracy, Social Inequality

• School: Simon Fraser University
• Department: Sociology and Anthropology
• Course: SA 150
• Professor: Ann Travers

Document Summary

Division of society into layers: diff opportunities, rewards, top layer has greater power and prestige. It is a trait of society, not simply a reflection of individual differences. Success is not primarily the result of hard work. No control over what family (status) you are born into. Education is key to social mobility, occupational mobility, social change. Parents tend to pass on their social position to their children. Social mobility: change in position in the social hierarchy. Social standing tends to remains the same the entire lifetime. Despite working very hard, change is difficult. Caste system: closed stratification system, not a lot of room for social mobility. Vast power differential btwn people in the top and lower classes. Endogamy: people are expected to marry within their own caste. Class system: system of stratification that is based on both born and individual merit. Consists of a really large group of people who share similar levels of wealth, power and prestige.