SOC 1101 – Lecture 15
November 11, 2013
Stratification
Why, for example, are teenagers so concerned about who sits with them at
lunch, the brand of clothes they wear, what parties they are invited to, who
they are dating?
Why are some teenagers frequently mean to each other?
Murray Milner’s Research
It has to do with teenage power, or rather lack of it
Teenagers have little economic or political power
They are rules by teachers, parents, employers
By creating a social world in which they evaluate one another they provide
themselves with a sense of power
Milner calls this ‘status power’
Status is the prestige that goes with one’s social position in that dynamic
Status power involves one’s own prestige, often at the expense of others
Consumerism is implicated in status power
Status Group
Groups of people who are given the same honor or prestige and who often
share the same style of life
It is about consumption patterns
Social Stratification
Inequalities among individuals and groups within human societies
Can occur on the basis of assets or property, gender, age, religious affiliation,
or military rank
Characteristics
1. Rankings apply to social categories of people who share a common
characteristic, such as gender or ethnicity
2. People’s life experiences (life chances) depend on how their social category is
ranked
3. The ranks of different social categories tend to change very slowly over time
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