What have you observed about the stratification system existing in your society ? How are individual lives affected by stratification ?

(i) This system refers to the existence of structure of inequality between different group of the society. These inequalities depends on the access of the people to material or symbolic rewards.

(ii) Society can be seen as consisting of strata in a hierachy, with the more favour at the top and the less privileged near the bottom (layer) of the society.

(iii) Caste system, class formation, economic official and political status, role assigned by the society play vital role in social stratification.

II. Individual lives affected by stratification : Every aspect of the life of every individual and house hold is affected by stratification.

(i) Opportunities for help, longavity, security, educational success, fulfillment in work and political influence are all unequally distributed in systematic system ways.In India society is caste dominated.

(ii) In a caste stratification system and individuals position totally depends on the status attributes ascribed by birth rather than an any which are achieved during the course of once life.

(iii) This is not to say that in a class society there is no systematic constraint an achievement impose by status attributes such as race and gender.

(iv) However it is accepted that status contributes decided by birth in a particular caste society define an individual social position more completely than they do have in class based society.

(v) It is a hard fact that now a days the caste system in our country has undergone considerable changes our the year. Due to constitutional provision industrialisation, Urbanisation, spread of modern education, new means of transport and communication have affected by caste system.

(vi) The working of democracy has affected the caste system. Castes and interest group have gained strength. We also see that Dalits are certain there democratic right in society.

(vii) The funtionalist theory of social stratification bigins from the general presupposition or belief of funtionalism that no society is classless or unstratified.

(viii) The main functional necessity explains the universal presence and social stratification in requirement faced by a society of placing and motivating individuals in the social structure.

(ix) Social inequality or stratification is thus an unconsciously evolved device by which societies ensure that the most important positions are deliberately filled by the most qualified persons.

III. Status and role also affect the individual lines :

(i) A status is simply position in society or in a group.

(ii) Every society and every group has many such position and every individual occupies many such position.

(iii) Status thus refers to the social position with defined rights and duties assigned to these positions. The illustrate, the mother occupies a status which have many norms of conduct as well as certain responsibility and prerogotives.

(iv) A role is that dynamic or the behavioural aspact of status. Status is occupied, but roles are played.We may say that a status is an institutionalised role. It is role that has become regularised, standardised and formalised in the society at large or in any of the specific association of society. It must be apparent that each individual in a modern, complex society such as ours occupies may different kinds of status during the course of his/he life.