Social stratification systems

Definition

Social stratification systems in plain English

Societies rank people into layers, and stratification systems are the different 'rulebooks' for how you get stuck in — or can move between — those layers. In a caste system it's closed and ascribed, meaning the level you're born into is fixed for life no matter what you do; in a class system it's open, so your level comes from a mix of what you're born with (ascribed) and what you achieve through effort; the estate system was the medieval feudal setup of nobles, clergy, and peasants tied to the land. The quick way to remember it: caste locks the door, class leaves it cracked open, and estate is the old kings-and-serfs version. Which system a society uses decides whether hard work can actually change your life.

Learn these first

• Demographic transition
• Social institutions

Related MCAT terms

• Absolute threshold
• Big Five personality (OCEAN)
• Classical conditioning
• Cognitive dissonance
• Demographic transition
• Endocrine hormones (key)
• Erikson's psychosocial stages
• Fundamental attribution error
• Health disparities
• Heuristic