Theoretical Perspective of Stratification
The history of human societies reveal that social stratification receives powerful institutional support. However, challenges to the status quo continue to arise. As tradition weaken, institutional arrangements are challenged. People also begin to call into question cultural “truths” when the political consequences of these “truths” are unmasked. For example, Filipino women have long been deprived of opportunity by traditional notions of a woman’s place. Even today, women are subjected to a caste-like system in which they are expected to perform traditional tasks out of altruism and duty, while men are financially rewarded for their efforts.
Theoretical Analysis of Stratification
Social institutions play a major part in maintaining social stratification. But why do such pattern exists? Sociologists offer two major answers:
1. The Structural-Functional Analysis- or Structural Functionalism, views society as a system of functional and interconnected units that work together as a whole to produce a state of stability and order. (It’s like a cause-effect phenomena or an ecological relationship called Mutualism in which whatever a certain individual in a particular community or in a society does, the outcome/result to a certain person could either be beneficial or detrimental. Like for example, in this classroom we can be considered as a society. Ms. JUSI grouped us in a set of teams. Each team are required to complete a task, one member doesn’t want to help you resulting for all of you to fail. That’s how Structural-Functional Analysis- or Structural Functionalism work as well.) Because of their interconnectedness, the individual units of society can affect each other. If one of the functional unit is weakened, the structural-functional view anticipates a possible effect upon the entire society. (Another example is an organism’s body system, the workings of society to a living organism comprised of various...