Question

“Someone may be endowed with exceptional intelligence or talent, or may have worked very hard to achieve their wealth and status.”

Does this statement reflect social stratification? Give reasons for your answer.

Answer 1

• No.
• Social inequality is not the outcome of innate or ‘natural’ differences between people but is produced by the society in which they live.
• Sociologists use the term social stratification to refer to a system by which categories of people in a society are ranked in a hierarchy. This hierarchy then shapes people’s identity and experiences, their relations with others, as well as their access to resources and opportunities.