Sociology and Medicolegal Aspects of Nursing

INTRODUCTION STRATIFICATION AND MOBILITY

Stratification is the division of society into classes that have unequal amounts of wealth, power, and prestige. Karl Marx and Max Weber studied these dimensions in great detail.

Murray,2011 emphazised that social stratification is a horizontal division of society into higher and lower social units. It is a system by which society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy in which society is divided based on economic, social, political, religious and other aspects.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of the discussion, the learners shall:

1. Define social stratification.
2. Describe the three main types of social stratification.
3. Explain social mobility.
4. Enumerate the types of social mobility.

Social stratification is defined as a characteristic of society that affects the lives of the people. There are four principles of social stratification.

The first principles is a trait of society, not simply a reflection of individual differences; secondly social stratification carries over from generation to generation; thirdly social stratification is universal but variable; and lastly social stratification involves not just inequality but beliefs as well.

Stratification is universal in that all societies maintain some form of social inequality. Social scientists have found that inequality exists in all societies.

5.1.THE STRUCTURING OF SOCIETY IN TO DIFFERING LEVELS OF CLASS.

Social stratification assumes of three types. It is the class system involved the economic, the caste system that is the social well being and race that explain the heredity of the society.

The five class models are upper class, upper middle class, lower middle class, working class and lower class

                In social-economic class system, the lower class represent 1/5 of population and  category falls below poverty line. Worker class include 1/3 of population with below average income  have less financial security than middle class.

a.Middle class include 40% - 45% of population. Upper Middle class distinguished by higher income, higher prestige occupations and more education. Upper class involves small elite population of the riches and powerful people consists of old rich whose wealth is          transmitted over several generation

                Caste System as indicated by William (2008) is a system in which an individual’s rank and its accompanying rights and obligations is ascribed on the basis of birth into a particular group. It is originated from the Spanish word   means “breed, race, strain or a complex of hereditary qualities”.

                Race as stated Biesanz,(2009) is a large group of people distinguished   by inherited physical difference”. The criteria of racial classical As an example the Negroes: with their black skin, projecting jaws, broad nose and curly hair include the Melanesians, who have a lighter skin and slightly different nose from the Negro group. While the Mongoloid: they may be called as yellow race has lighter skin, prominent cheek bones, olive shaped eyes and straights black hair but the Caucasians: overlap with other races.

5.2. WHAT IS SOCIAL MOBILITY?

                Social mobility is the movement of an individual or group from one social position to another over time. Common in society having a class system. Changes take place in the social position, for better or worse as a result to personal achievements

For example: A person becomes a manager from an ordinary shopkeeper, his status is also enhanced. On the other hand, if the manager losses his job and comes to his old shop, the status enjoyed by him as a manager is lost. Thus, it is seen that people in society continue to move up and down the status or the scale. This status or class movement is called Social Mobility.

Factors Influencing Social Mobility are It democratic political system and the industrial economy of class system encourages migration from rural to urban cities. Industrialization will attracts immigration to a society

The types of social morbidity are vertical morbidity are movement in any or all the three areas of living; class, occupation and power involving status changes. And Horizontal Mobility, are changes of residence or job without status change, such as teacher’s leaving one school to work in another school.

Open system mobility: It refers to the free movement in status  changes In such a system,

status can be achieved, mobility is motivated and encouraged.

Closed Model of Mobility: It refers status is based on birth or caste.  When a society ascribes

to its members, deferent degrees of status on the basis of sex, religion and caste. 

5.3. INTER-GENERATIONAL MOBILITY

                Mobility between generations. Movement between a father’s generation and a son’s generation. The son of a farmer father is now a Civil servant or a business executive. The present-day industrial society is marked by inter-generational mobility.

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