Social inequality, characterized by the unequal distribution of valued resources, is found in every society. Some of the inequality is the result of individual differences in ability and effort, but much of it also relates to societal structures. Social stratification refers to a system by which categories of people in society are ranked in a hierarchy. (Maam ki def) Status and Role: A status is simply a rank or position that one holds in a group. One occupies the status of son or daughter, playmate, pupil, radical, militant and so on.
Eventually one occupies the statuses of husband, mother bread-winner, cricket fan, and so on, one has as many statuses as there are groups of which one is a member. For analytical purposes, statuses are divided into two basic types: * Ascribed status * Achieved status Ascribed statuses are those which are fixed for an individual at birth. Ascribed statuses that exist in all societies include those based upon sex, age, race ethnic group and family background.
Achieved statuses are those which the individual acquires during his or her lifetime as a result of the exercise of knowledge, ability, skill and/or perseverance. Occupation provides an example of status that may be either ascribed or achieved, and which serves to differentiate caste-like societies from modern ones. Both ascribed and achieved statuses exist in all societies. Social Stratification In Pakistan: Social stratification has been shown to cause social disparity and many social problems as it’s an unjust system with monopoly of power and wealth; it affects life chances, lifestyles and prestige.
In Pakistan It is a system whereby people rank and evaluate each other as superior and on the basis of evaluation reward with one another with wealth, authority, power and prestige. It is broadly organised into three parts; upper class, middle class and lower class on the basis of power and wealth which has resulted in the creation of number of levels within society. It creates emotional depression for the people belonging to lower status as they have unequal access to wealth, power and prestige.
It creates huge variations between the people in terms of their incomes and a range of measures associated with social position, education, health, psychological well-being and so on. These are the basic blocks and hindrances in the way to the progress and development of country. To minimize this system at the earliest in order to give an access to progress in our country, maintain stability and better relation among people, as stratification is a form of division.
