Strata and Classes. The system of stratification

Strata and Classes

Those individuals, or families, or groups, who have similar (сходный) ranks on any of the dimension (величина) of stratification, constitute (составлять) a social level. Families, who have incomes within a defined range make up (компенсировать) an income stratum, and people who have completed (законченный) a specified number of years of school comprise (заключать в себе) an education stratum.

Usually there are no natural divisions of individuals of families into distinct levels with clear breaks in the distribution.

Some sociologists prefer to restrict the term SOCIAL STRATIFICATION to such naturally divided social levels, and they thus refer TO STRATIFIED and UNSTRATIFIED groups and societies.

The idea of social class implies (подразумевать) something than stratifically defined strata. In the sense formulated by Karl Marx. Marx conceived (полагать) of classes as structural units of society and not arbitrary (произвольный) delineated (намеченный) strata or statistical categories. He pick (собирать, пологать) as a basic for stratification income, economical position. Who have more high income, that have a more high position in society.

Max Weber viewed the system of stratification and made up (выдуманный) of three orders (слой общества) – the economic, social, and political.

1.  Economical order – persons being (бытие) stratified according (таким образом) to their relation to the production and acquisition (приобретение) of goods.

2.  Weber distinguished (различить) STATUS GROUPS in which people are stratified by their styles of life.

3.  The political order is concerned (отношение) with the stratifying (наслоение) principle (принцип) of POWER.

      Holding (владение) of power are main (основное) criterion of stratification.