What do you mean by social stratification?

Social stratification refers to a system by which a Society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy. In the United States, it is perfectly clear that some groups have greater status, power, and wealth than other groups. These differences are what led to social stratification. Social stratification is based on four major principles:

(i) Social stratification is a trait of society, not simply a reflection of individual differences.

(ii) Social stratification persists over generations.

(iii) Social stratification is universal (it happens everywhere) but variable (it takes different forms across different societies).

(iv) Social stratification involves not just inequality but beliefs as well (inequality is rooted in a society's philosophy).

Why does social stratification exist, and why are some countries more stratified than others? To analyze this question, we can look at social stratification through three major perspectives: structural functionalism, social conflict, and symbolic interaction.