(SOCIAL STRATIFICATION)

CHAPTER II

CONTENT

(SOCIAL STRATIFICATION)

2.1         READING

About you

 Which class do you belong to?

a.     Upper class

b.  

ü

 Upper middle class

c.     Lower middle class

d.    Upper lower class

e.     Lower- Lower class

Before reading

1.      What do the words social and stratification mean to you?

Answer:

-          Social is the way of how the individuals are related.

-          Stratification is the level of social conditions that exist in the community.

2.      Is education included as one of the factors affecting social stratification?

Answer:

             Yes                  No

3.      List what you know about social stratification using the following table:

Answer:

What I know about social stratification            Social stratification is a concept in sociology who see how community members are distinguished based on their status. The status possessed by each member of society is obtained with an undertaking (achievement status) and have obtained without an attempt (ascribed status). Stratification stratum derives from the word which means the strata or layers in plural.

4.      Based on what you know about the topic, tell your friends what ideas might be discussed in the text you will read.

Answer:

-    We will discuss about social stratification in the United States.

5.      What information do you expect from the text will you read?

Answer:

-       I expect the information about social stratification in the United States.

 Read the text carefully

                                           Social Stratification in the United States

Stratifikasi Sosial di Amerika Serikat

Society is stratified by income, education, and opportunity. Social stratification refers to the different segments of the population that exist in a society. Some people live lives of luxury; most people do not. The layers-or groupings-of people between two extremes-one example being wealth and poverty-are the strata of society; better opportunities are generally available to people toward the top.

Masyarakat ditingkatkan oleh pendapatan, pendidikan, dan kesempatan. Stratifikasi sosial yaitu perbedaan tingkatan penduduk yang ada di masyarkat. Beberapa orang hidup dalam kehidupan yang mewah: kebanyakan orang tidak. Lapisan atau pengelompokan orang antara dua ekstrem- satu contoh kekayaan dan kemiskinan- adalah tingkatan sosial dalam masyarakat; kesempatan yang lebih baik pada umumnya tersedia bagi orang – orang di tingkat atas.

The elements that differentiate social strata are wealth, income, prestige, and power. The amount and combination of elements that a person has places that person in a particular stratum. Some people are born into wealth, others into lesser means. Some earn their place in society, others inherit their positions. Income refers to money earned while wealth refers to property owned that is of some, assessed value. Both income and wealth can be measured; having plenty of either one increases the odds of being in a higher social stratum or social class. But neither ensures prestige or power. Sometimes prestige comes by birth; in other cases, by deeds and actions. Power refers to mobilizing others to accomplish a goal-setting policies for others to follow. Power can be gained through vested authority or influence.

Unsur-unsur yang membedakan strata sosial adalah kekayaan, pendapatan, prestise dan kekuasaan. Jumlah dan kombinasi dari unsur-unsur tersebut yang seseorang memiliki menempatkan orang tersebut dalam sebuah tingkatan tertentu. Beberapa orang tertentu lahir dalam keadaan kaya, sementara yang lain dalam keadaan kekurangan. Beberapa dari mereka mendapatkan tempat dalam masyrakat, yang lain mewariskan kedudukan mereka. Pendapatan adalah uang yang didapat, sedangkan kekayaan adalah  barang-barang yang dimiliki yang memilki nilai. Baik pendapatan maupun kekayaan dapat diukur; memiliki banyak dari salah satunya meningkatkan peluang menempati lapisan sosial atau kelas social yang lebih tinggi. Tetapi tidak menjamin martabat/wibawa atau kekuasaan. Kadang-kadang martabat diperoleh melalui kelahiran; dalam kasus lain, oleh perbuatan dan tindakan. Kekuatan yaitu mengerahkan orang lain untuk mencapai tujuan-pengaturan kebijakan untuk orang lain untuk mengikuti. Kekuatan dapat diperoleh melalui wewenang atau pengaruh yang diberikan.

Table 1 provides a breakdown of income in the United States. When you break down the population by fifths, it can be seen that the upper brackets control most of the income. The poorest control only 5% of the income, while those in the highest income bracket control nearly half (43%). This relationship has not changed over the last three decades.

Tabel 1 memberikan  rincian pendapatan di Amerika Serikat. Ketika anda memecah penduduk menjadi satu perlima, dapat dilihat bahwa kurung yang lebih atas mengendalikan sebagian besar pendapatan. Yang paling miskin mengendalikan hanya 5% dari pendapatan, sementara orang-orang dalam golongan pendapatan paling tinggi mengendalikan hampir setengahnya (43%). Hubungan ini tidak berubah selama tiga dekade terakhir.

Socioeconomic characteristics such as education, income, and wealth are used to define different social classes. The lines between classes are sometimes blurred. Like income, the population is not evenly distributed among social classes. As shown in Table 2, a very small percent of the population is considered upper class (2%). As a result, this group is often not the target of mass marketing appeals. The largest groups are the lower-middle and upper-lower classes -36% and 38% respectively. This is a huge market. The U.S. Bureau of the Census projects these segments to constitute nearly 185 million people in the early 1990s-or nearly three quarters of the U.S. population.

Karakteristik sosial ekonomi seperti pendidikan, pendapatan dan kekayaan digunakan untuk menetapkan perbedaan kelas sosial. Garis antar kelas kadang-kadang tidak jelas. Seperti yang ditunjukkan dalam tabel 2, persentasi penduduk yang sangat kecil dianggap kelas atas (2%). Akibatnya kelompok ini bukanlah yang sering menjadi target massa untuk pemasaran yang menarik. Kelompok terbesar adalah kelas menengah-bawah- dan kelas atas bawah – masing-masing 36% dan 38%. Ini adalah pasar yang besar. Biro sensus Amerika Serikat memproyeksikan tingkatan tersebut untuk mengangkat hampir 185 juta orang di awal tahun 1990-an atau hampir tiga perempat dari penduduk Amerika Serikat.

Table 1: Income Distribution in the United States

U.S. Population	Income percentage
	1950	1983	1985
Top fifth	43%	43%	43%
Second fifth	23	24	24
Third   fifth	17	18	17
Fourth fifth	12	11	11
Bottom fifth	5	5	5

 

                       Table 2: Social Class Distribution in the United States

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Class Title	% Population	Comments
Upper	2%	Old wealth, some new wealth, live the luxurious.
Upper Middle	11%	Professionals, business owners, successful, concerned with quality, future-oriented for self and family.
Lower Middle	36%	White collar, hard Working, conforming to society, home, family, and future-oriented.
Upper Lower	38%	Includes factory workers, skilled workers, blue, collar, good incomes, less future oriented.
Lower- lower	13%	Unskilled workers, moderates to low incomes, oriented to the present, play it “safe” in life decisions.

1.      Indicate if statements a through j are true (T) or false (F). Then write the letter T for true and F for False in the given space.

a.       (False)  Society is stratified by income and education only. (Par 1 Line 1-

             2)

b.      (True)  Social strata can be differentiated on the basis of wealth and  

            power. (Par 2. L 2-3)

c.       (True)  Income and wealth are measurable elements of social strata.

            (Par 2. L 10-11)

d.      (True)  Prestige can be given or acquired.(Par 2. Line 13-14)

e.       (False) Table 1 shows that the poorest in the United States control almost 

            11% of  the income. (Par. 3 Line 4-6)

f.       (True)  Table 1 also indicates that the have control nearly 43% of the 

            income. (On the table 1)

g.      (True)  Socioeconomic features are used to define social classes.

            (Par. 4, Line 1-3)

h.      (False)  Income could be evenly distributed among social classes.

             (Par 4. Line 4-5)

i.         (True)  Table 2 shows that lower class is dominant in U.S. population.  

              (on the table 2)

j.        (False)  From table 2 we know that lower class is dominated by skilled  

             workers. (on the table 2)

For point K to O answer the following questions!

k.      What factors are commonly used to define social strata?

Answer:

Factors commonly used to define social strata are income, education, and opportunity. (paragraph 1, Line 1 -2 )

l.        What does social stratification mean?

Answer:

Social stratification refers to different segments of the population that exist in a society. (Paragraph 1, Line 2-4)

m.    How can people attain prestige?

Answer:

People can attain prestige by birth; in other cases, by deeds and actions.

(Paragraph 2, Line 13-14)

n.      Table 1 shows us the income distribution in the U.S. Who controls the income in the U.S.? What   percentage do they control?

Answer:

From the Table 1, the upper brackets control most of the income. They control 43%.

(On the table 1)

o.      What percentage of the combined middle class can you find in the U.S. Population distribution? In what fields are the middle class involved in?

Answer:

The combined middle class is 47 %. The middle class involved in  professionals, business owners, successful, concerned with quality, future-oriented for self and family. Then, white collar, hard Working, conforming to society, home, family, and future oriented. (On the table 2)

2.         Map the main ideas of the text you read using the following web. Use only the key words or phrases.

Par. 1 Social Stratification Means

Par. 2 The elements of social strata

Par. 3 A breakdown of income in U.S.

Par. 4 Socioeconomic Characteristic

Topic

 

3.         Find out words in the text that can be associated with “social stratification”. Use the following concept map as examples!

Play is safe in  life decision

Less future oriented

Unskilled workers

Moderate the present

Moderate low income

Lower class

Future oriented

White  collar

Lower middle

Hard working

Some new wealth

Successful

Professionals

Professionals

Social stratification

Professionals

Upper class

Old wealth

 

4.            Many words have more than one meaning. When you use dictionary to find the word live, for example, you need to use the context to determine which definition is appropriate.

Now, use the portion of the dictionary provided here to find out appropriate definition of each of the italicized words.

a.       Some people live lives of luxury.

Live high (P. 1 L.13)

b.      They want to see live performance.

Made up of actual persons (P. 2 L. 17)

c.       Power can be attained through vested authority.

The possesion of control or command over others (P. 3 L. 5)

d.      The door can shut automatically using its own power.

Ability to do r act capability (P.3. L 1-2)

2.2         SPEAKING

Here are expressions to be used when you are asking if someone agrees to what you said.

1.  Study the following expressions carefully and then use them in your

    group discussion.

a.       Do you agree with his proposal?

b.       Is his suggestion agreed?

c.       I wonder if you would agree with……?

d.      Would you agree with such a suggestion?

e.       Would you agree with such a proposal?

2.      Discuss with your friends factors influencing social stratification. The following outline may help you start the discussion.

You may say that education influences social stratification.

Give some reason: for that

First,……..

Seconds,……

Third,….. etc.

You should the check if your friend agree with your opinion.

Don’t forget to use the expressions mention above.

Answer:

A :  I think that education is influence of social stratification

        Would you agree with such a suggestion?

B :   Yes, I agree that education influences of social stratification.

A :   If you agree with it, please give me some reason for that.

B :   The reason why I agree it because:         
First, if someone’ social status is high, so he has the opportunity to get higher education. And if his social status is low but he has a high education, it can change his social stratification.

     Second, social status is determined by economic status, level education, and occupation.

     Third, theories on the effect of social stratification on the education one pursues vary to some degree, but the general consensus is that the resources made available to those of the middle and upper classes as well as the influence of more educated parents give children of the middle and upper classes a decided advantages when choosing an educational path.

        I wonder if you would agree with my suggestion?

A : Yes, I agree with your suggestion.

B :  Thank you.

2.3         WRITING

1.       Discuss and compare what you know about the topic with what you learned about the topic. Then write down in the table below.

What I know about the topic	What I learned about the topic
Example: Society is stratified by income.	Job influences social stratification.
Society is stratified by education.	Educated people have high level in society.
Society is stratified by opportunity.	Better opportunity place someone on the top of social stratification.
Wealth is one element that differentiates social strata.	More wealth people, then upper their status in the society.
Social strata are also differentiated by prestige and power.	Sometime prestige comes by birth, in other case, by deeds and actions. Then, power can be gained through vested authority or influence.
Socioeconomic characteristics such as education, income, and wealth are used to define different social classes.	Rich people and educated people belong to middle or upper class in the society.

2.       Write also you want to know more about the topic in the following table.

What I want to know more about the topic

Is social stratification changing?

What is the aim of social stratification?

Who placed people in a level of social stratification?

Does social stratification influence someone’s life?

Is someone social stratum derivable from his parents?

Are any elements else that differentiate social strata besides wealth, income, prestige, and power?

3.      Discuss with your friends the possible comparison between social stratification in the U.S. with that of Indonesia. Write down your comparison using the given table.

Social Stratification in the U.S.	Social Stratification in Indonesia
Society is stratified by income, education, and opportunity.	Society is stratified by income, education, and opportunity.
The elements that differentiate social strata are wealth, income, prestige, and power.	The elements that differentiate social strata are wealth, authority, knowledge, and honorary
The aim of social stratification is to place someone based on their position in the society so that there are respecting and appreciation among the society.	The aim of social stratification is to place someone based on their position in the society so that there are respecting and appreciation among the society.
The middle and upper class society is more than lower class society.	The lower and middle class societies are still more than upper class society.

The Comparison between Social Stratification in United States and in Indonesia

In sociology, social stratification is a concept involving the classification of people into groups based on shared socio-economic conditions; a relational set of inequalities with economic, social, political and ideological dimensions. Basically, there are no significant differences between social stratification in United State and social stratification in Indonesia.

 In the United State, society is stratified by income, education, and opportunity. The elements that differentiate social strata are wealth, income, prestige, and power. The aim of social stratification is to place someone based on their position in the society so that there are respecting and appreciation among the society. Because United State is developed country, the middle and upper class society is more than lower class society.

As In United State, in Indonesia society is stratified by income, education, and opportunity. The elements that differentiate social strata are wealth, authority, knowledge, and honorary. The aim of social stratification is to place someone based on their position in the society so that there are respecting and appreciation among the society.  The lower and middle class society is still more than upper class society because Indonesia is developing country.