• Societies exhibit differentiation by age, sex, and personal characteristics.
• Roles and privileges differ between children and adults, and between good hunters/warriors and the rank and file.
• A society is not considered stratified if everyone has an equal chance to succeed; stratification refers to varying degrees of social ranking.
• No society is purely equalitarian; even societies that aim for equality (e.g., Russia and its classless society) still rank individuals based on their functions.
• P.A. Sorokin suggests that an unstratified society with real equality has never been realized in human history.
• All societies exhibit some hierarchy, where individuals are placed in positions of higher or lower status in relation to one another.
• Social stratification refers to the classification or gradation of people in society, fixing them in the social structure.
• Stratification takes three main forms: caste, estates, and class.

SOCIAL DIFFERENTIATION

MEANING AND CAUSES OF SOCIAL DIFFERENTIATION

• Differentiation is inherent in all societies; no society has absolute equality in all aspects.
• Society rests on the principle of difference, marked by factors like age, sex, occupation, and personal characteristics.
• Examples of social differentiation include distinctions between:
  • Men and women, children and adults, masters and servants, rulers and ruled, rich and poor, literate and illiterate, etc.
• No society is fully equalitarian; societies differ in the degree of differentiation and nature of stratification.
• Specialisation of roles exists in every society, contributing to the rise of social classes.
  • Economic differentiation: roles of entrepreneurs, managers, skilled and unskilled laborers.
  • Political differentiation: roles of public administrators, legislators, and judges.
  • Educational differentiation: roles of teachers and administrators.
  • Religious differentiation: roles of prophets, seers, and priests.
• Talcott Parsons identifies three causal factors of social differentiation:
  • Possession: Material possessions such as money, wealth, property.
  • Qualities: Intrinsic abilities like physical strength, intelligence, beauty, courage, etc.
  • Performance: Execution of tasks judged by results and style.
• Possessions, qualities, and performances are interrelated.
  • Material possessions can develop qualities, which in turn enhance performance.
• Prestige: The respect, admiration, or deference gained by individuals or groups based on their qualities and performances.
• Ranking: Refers to the degree of prestige an individual or group holds.
• Stratification: The process where individuals or groups are ranked differently, with each stratum containing similar ranks.
• Standards of evaluation and prestige vary between different social systems and situations.