Social Stratification, Inequality, and Mobility
Theories of Stratification
How Inequality Is Structured
Sociological stratification research studies the generation, persistence, and consequences of unequal access to resources, rights, and recognition. Classical frameworks emphasize class exploitation, status closure, and elite domination, while contemporary research examines educational credentialism, labor market segmentation, neighborhood effects, racialization, gendered sorting, and wealth accumulation. The central challenge is to connect macro-level distributions with institutional processes and life-course outcomes.
Key Concepts
Open Problem
A major debate concerns how much inequality is driven by market returns versus institutional closure and inherited advantage.
Which concept most directly refers to the blocking of access to valued resources by social groups?
Closure describes mechanisms that restrict entry or access and thereby reproduce inequality.
Correct answer: Closure
Name one institutional site where inequality is often reproduced.
Schools and credentials often structure opportunity through tracking, selection, and differential access to cultural capital.
Correct answer: Education
Mechanisms of Reproduction and Change
Common Mechanisms of Stratification
| Mechanism | How it works | Typical outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Intergenerational transmission | Resources and advantages pass from parents to children | Persistent mobility gaps |
| Credentialism | Credentials gatekeep jobs and status | Educational inflation and exclusion |
| Network advantage | Contacts shape access to opportunities | Unequal hiring and advancement |
| Residential sorting | Neighborhoods distribute resources unevenly | Spatial concentration of advantage and disadvantage |
| Cultural capital | Middle-class norms are rewarded in institutions | Symbolic inclusion and exclusion |
What does social mobility measure?
Mobility refers to movement in class, income, occupational, or status positions over time.
Correct answer: Movement between social positions
Designing a Mobility Study
-
1
Step 1: Define the origin and destination statuses.
-
2
Step 2: Choose whether to study absolute or relative mobility.
-
3
Step 3: Select intergenerational or intragenerational data.
-
4
Step 4: Account for compositional change and cohort effects.
-
5
Step 5: Estimate models that separate opportunity from structure.
Why can educational expansion coexist with persistent inequality?
More schooling does not necessarily eliminate stratification if institutions continue to allocate advantage unequally.
Correct answer: Because expansion can increase credentials while preserving relative advantage through sorting and closure.