Stratification in India vs. United States

Essay by abielawski90University, Master'sB+, November 2013

download word file, 5 pages 0.0

Downloaded 3 times

Comparative Analysis Assignment: Stratification

The United States and India

Stratification refers to the way a country is divided in terms of property, power, and prestige. A country is considered to be stratified when there are social inequalities present within the society (Martin, 2013). These social inequalities can be passed from one generation to another because individuals in higher social rankings control resources and power. Stratification of a society produces unequal distribution of wealth (Stratification in the United States and Worldwide).

In India an individual's social status is ascribed by the caste system. Children inherit the status of their parents. Social inequality is then directly linked to economic inequality in India, as an individual's social status commonly determines the job they perform (Johnson & Johnson, 2010).

The country of India also experiences severe gender inequality, a form of stratification. India is the second worst performing country regarding gender equality after Afghanistan.

In India one-third of adult women are illiterate, spousal rape is legal, and female infanticide are commonly practiced (Jaishankar, 2013). In fact, roughly half of a million prenatal girls are aborted each year, as a female infant is not as desirable as a male. Additionally, thousands of women in India are victims of dowry deaths (61st UN General Assembly, 2010).

In 2010, females made up only 29% of the India's workforce. The majority of women are employed in agriculture (Jaishankar, 2013). There is also a significant lack of education for girls in the country (Dransfield, 2013).

The concept of inequality has been traditionally acceptable to the population of the United States if it is accompanied by the possibility of advancement. However, recent studies have shown that it is very hard to economically advance in the society. (Stille, 2011). This is due to the fact that children of wealthy families often...