What are the characteristics of social stratification?
(A) It is based on natural differences.
(B) It is a function of individual differences.
(C) It persists over generations.
(D) It is supported by patterns of belief/ideology.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → (C) and (D) only
(A) It is based on natural differences. Incorrect. By and large, social inequality is not the outcome of innate or ‘natural’ differences between people, but is produced by the society in which they live.
(B) It is a function of individual differences. Incorrect. Social stratification is a characteristic of society as a whole, not a matter of individual differences alone. It is a society-wide system that distributes resources unequally among categories of people, regardless of their own abilities.
(C) It persists over generations. Correct. Stratification is closely linked to the family and to the inheritance of social resources from one generation to the next: children assume the social positions of their parents, and endogamy keeps the lines from blurring.
(D) It is supported by patterns of belief/ideology. Correct. No system of stratification lasts unless it is widely viewed as either fair or inevitable. The caste system, for example, is justified by the opposition of purity and pollution.
NCERT (2025-26): “5.1 What Is Social About Social Inequality and Exclusion? … However, by and large, 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. Three key principles help explain social stratification:…” “…1. Social stratification is a characteristic of society, not simply a function of individual differences. Social stratification is a society-wide system that unequally distributes social resources among categories of people.…” “…2. Social stratification persists over generations. It is closely linked to the family and to the inheritance of social resources from one generation to the next.…” “3. Social stratification is supported by patterns of belief, or ideology. No system of social stratification is likely to persist over generations unless it is widely viewed as being either fair or inevitable.…” |