Social stratification is the arrangement of classes of people in society according to their level of class within the society. It determines their social mobility and how far they will be able to influence people or systems within society (Kendall, 2017, p. 212). In order to determine how this stratification affects people personally and the decisions that they make in their lives it is important to talk to people. Interviewing people is a research method used in sociology that enables people to study and gain knowledge from other people (Hamill, 2014). The first person I interviewed was my boss. He is in the upper middle class income range; he is an African-American man in his late 40’s, and he is a self-employed lawyer. He grew up in the
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When people have a desire to better themselves and their position in society they usually experience upward social mobility. Many times people come from meager beginnings in their family of origin, so they must seek to obtain a college degree, and work hard to produce the income that will raise their social class from poor to working class to middle class to upper middle class. With this upward mobility, people may experience an increase in their wealth, their power, and their prestige. On the other hand, not everyone is able to obtain upward mobility and they remain in the same class as their parents. They do not have the resources to obtain an education, earn a degree, or obtain skills that will afford them a better position in life. These inequalities are important to society because without them there would be too many people in power, and not enough people to do the work that keeps society moving. As the old saying goes, there would be too many Chiefs and not enough Indians. Even though we are all created equal, and have the same rights given to us by God; not everyone’s position in life is equal. Not everyone has the same desire to be in power or to obtain large amounts of wealth. Some people desire the simple things in life and find joy in simply being with people that make their life meaningful. That is what makes us equal, the freedom to be and do exactly as our heart
When people have a desire to better themselves and their position in society they usually experience upward social mobility. Many times people come from meager beginnings in their family of origin, so they must seek to obtain a college degree, and work hard to produce the income that will raise their social class from poor to working class to middle class to upper middle class. With this upward mobility, people may experience an increase in their wealth, their power, and their prestige. On the other hand, not everyone is able to obtain upward mobility and they remain in the same class as their parents. They do not have the resources to obtain an education, earn a degree, or obtain skills that will afford them a better position in life. These inequalities are important to society because without them there would be too many people in power, and not enough people to do the work that keeps society moving. As the old saying goes, there would be too many Chiefs and not enough Indians. Even though we are all created equal, and have the same rights given to us by God; not everyone’s position in life is equal. Not everyone has the same desire to be in power or to obtain large amounts of wealth. Some people desire the simple things in life and find joy in simply being with people that make their life meaningful. That is what makes us equal, the freedom to be and do exactly as our heart