SOC 104 Chapter 5-6: Week 5 Readings
5 Jul 2016
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We think of ourselves using status categories rather than class. Status refers to any position held by people in society. It can either be ascribed, as in the case of sex or race, or acquired, such as the level of education, occupation, or marital status. Status positions can be ranked in relation to each other by their privileges and obligations. Prior to the rise of capitalism, class relations were highly visible. When the private appropriation of surplus first appeared and the division of labour expanded in agrarian societies, class categories were commonly defined in law and supported by religious beliefs and traditions (castes, orders, ranks) Everyone knew their place and the place of others within the rigid structures of inequalities; they were also noted through symbols as official titles and different styles of dress. The three major classes in capitalist societies-the capitalists, worker, petite bourgeoisie.
