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Social hierarchy is a multi-tiered pyramid-like social or functional structure having an apex as the centralization of power. The term can also be applied to animal societies, but the term . Many social criticisms include a questioning of social hierarchies seen as being unjust. Feminism , for instance, often discusses a hierarchy of gender, in which a culture sees males or masculine traits as superior to females or feminine traits. In these terms, some criticize a hierarchy of only two nodes, "masculine" and "feminine", connected by the asymmetrical relationship "is more valuable to society". In this context, and in other social criticisms, the word ''hierarchy'' usually is used as meaning ''power hierarchy'' or ''power structure.'' Feminists may not take issue with inanimate objects being organized in a hierarchical fashion, but rather with the specific asymmetrical organization of unequal value and power between men and women and, usually, other social hierarchies such as in Racism , Anti-gay Bias , and Bullying . DISTRIBUTION OF POWER WITHIN POLITICAL SYSTEMS There are many models of power distributions, also known as "forms of government". Most real governments exhibit properties of multiple forms. Common forms are:
These terms describe models of government more precisely than actual governments, and most real systems are complex mixtures of the systems described above. For example, the United States is primarily a republican democracy, but direct democracy is employed on some issues and in some states (see: Referendum ). Likewise, the United Kingdom and many Europe an nations are technically monarchies, but ''de facto'' republics or democracies as the monarchs have become largely Celebrity figureheads rather than actors within the political arena. 's signing of the Magna Carta in 1215 and to have accelerated on account of the English Bill Of Rights and Glorious Revolution in the 17th Century . At the time of the American Revolution in 1776 , while the United Kingdom was technically a monarchy, many historians consider the United Kingdom 's political system to have been one of the most "progressive" systems in Europe at the time. DISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH Distribution of wealth is often used as a measure of the Progressiveness and Social Justice of a society. The Gini Coefficient measures the economic equality within a society. Developed societies generally vary between 0.2 and 0.5, with Welfare States , like Denmark scoring on the lower end and purer free markets like the United States scoring on the higher end. Critics of Capitalism describe it as a system wherein wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few people, the Bourgeoisie , who own the Means Of Production and where the majority of people, the Proletariat , have none. Others argue that this model is inaccurate, since Human and Cultural Capital are also important in predicting an individual's leverage, autonomy, and eventual fortune, and are more equitably distributed. In the developed world, particularly in materialistic societies like the United States and Japan , have large amounts of wealth tied up in personal possessions like homes, cars, and electronics. People in these societies tend to value these possessions highly, and thus are quite happy with their financial situation. Opposite to the capitalist system are Socialist systems wherein, in theory, wealth is distributed proportionally to one's contribution to Society , and Communist systems wherein it is distributed according to necessity. Examples of societies nearing these ideals are the Israeli Kibbutzim and the Anarchist collectives of the Spanish Revolution . . On the other hand, many sociologists who do not subscribe to modern social dogmas emphasize that hierarchical social stratification is normal and inherent to all societies. Renowned sociologist argues, "The aspiration for complete democracy or for perfect equality among people is without scientific validity. Similarly, the promotion of an ideal of a classless society is both unrealistic and impossible" (Sociology, Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press, 1957, p. 49). Dye and Ziegler point out: "Even if inequalities of wealth were eliminated, differences among men in intelligence, organizational skills, leadership abilities, knowledge and information, drive and ambition, and interest and activity would remain ... Men are not born with the same abilities, nor can they acquire them by education. Inequalities among men are inevitable" (The Irony of Democracy, pp. 363-364). SOCIAL STATUS Social Status represents an individual's overall ability to control or influence other people and institutions. Unlike economic status, it is difficult to quantify social status. Social status is recognized officially by notions of Rank , Religious Title , or Academic title, and informally by notions such as Reputation and Mind Share . SEE ALSO |
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