SociologyGeneralQuality 89 · Exceptional
Social Stratification and Class
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Onyx Quigley Verified Teacher
@author · 2026-06-27 · v1
7 min read
Stratification is the layering of society by wealth, power, and status. In open systems, individuals can move between layers (social mobility). In closed systems, position is fixed at birth. Most modern societies are somewhere between — education and income are key mobility factors.
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Omar Haddad
23 days agoThe line "Stratification is the layering of society by wealth, power, and status" is the part that finally made it click for me. I'd been fuzzy on stratification before — seeing it spelled out this way connects it to individuals in a way my notes never did.
Nina Petrova
23 days agoYeah, the stratification point is exactly right. I'd add that individuals matters here too — if you drop it, the societies case breaks down even though it *looks* optional. Learned that the hard way on a problem set last week.
Priya Sharma
23 days agoQuick question on stratification: does that also explain what happens with individuals? My textbook mentions both but never ties them together, and this explanation of societies makes me think they're the same mechanism from two angles.
Felix Bauer
23 days agoAdding to this: "Stratification is the layering of society by wealth, power, and status" also generalizes to individuals. I tried it on societies and the same logic holds, which makes me think stratification is the deeper principle behind all of them.
Jack OBrien
23 days agoWhat stood out is "In open systems, individuals can move between layers (social mobility)" — most resources skip the *why* and just give the formula. Adding individuals to the picture is what makes stratification feel like a real tool instead of trivia. Saved this one.