2. What is Social Stratification?
Social stratification refers to the system of ranking people into
groups according to one or more criteria deemed important to
society. These include race, colour and wealth among others. It can
also be defined as the process by which society is divided in terms
of hierarchy where one social group is placed higher than another
group. This hierarchy is a rank order of groups and is linked
strongly to perceptions of ethnicity, colour, class and even gender.
It is based on four principles:-
 Social stratification is a trait of society, not simply a reflection of
individual differences
 Social stratification carries over from generation to generation
 Social stratification is universal but variable
 Social stratification involves not just inequality but beliefs as well

3. How is Social Stratification divided?
Social stratification is divided into three categories.
They are:-
Upper class
Middle class
Lower class

4. Social stratification under the
plantation society
The plantation society in the Caribbean during the seventeenth,
eighteenth and nineteenth centuries was a closed system of
stratification based on the criteria of race and colour. During the
slavery period, Caribbean social structure was basically a hierarchical
one in which Amerindians, blacks, and browns were subordinated to
white control. While the lighter-skinned classes were generally spared
the more burdensome plantation work, the system routinely
dehumanized Amerindian and black labour through a regime of
constant brutality to ensure absolute obedience.
Levels of brutality were publicly displayed to the others. Such violence
defined the very nature of plantation life.
Few Amerindians survived plantation enslavement and those who did,
particularly those in the mainland territories such as Guyana, were
eventually restricted behind institutionalized and remote reservations.

5. The distribution of resources within Caribbean plantation society was
along racial and ethnic lines. Black slaves were regarded as cheap
labour necessary to replace an earlier white indentured labour, which
had proved to be unreliable. Such cheap labour policies influenced the
maintenance of low wages, which continued with the immigration of
indentured servants after emancipation.
Unlike the lighter-skinned indentured servants, the black ex-slaves
were denied credits and loans to go into more lucrative self-
employment and business ventures. Compared to blacks, lighter-
skinned ethnicities were given more favours and facilities by the
colonial office to succeed in wealth creation, while every opportunity
was taken by the planter classes to force blacks back into plantation
labour.

6. Pictures of social stratification

7. Pyramid showing social
stratification

8. Table showing social stratification
CLASS COLOUR STATUS
Upper class/caste/ruling
elites
Traditionally white Own wealth, means of
production and political
power
Intermediate class/caste Mulatto/browns Usually educated ,own
some wealth, desire but
lack political power
Working class/caste Blacks Slaves, uneducated, lack
wealth and political
power

9. Summary
The upper class in the Caribbean continues to be
considered whites. They continue to own and control a
significant proportion of the territory’s wealth, and as
such possess great economic, social and political
power. The non-white populations continue to be
situated at the lower end of the social strata. They
constitute the public servants and unskilled workers in
the society.

10. Concepts
 Plantocracy-is a ruling class, political order or government composed of
plantation owners.
 Bourgeoisie-they were the capitalists and owned the means of production.
It is used to culturally identify the man or woman who is a member of
the wealthiest social class in capitalist societies.
 Intelligentsia-those who had the benefit of higher education.
 Middleclass-is a group of people who falls between the upper and working
class.
 Underclass-is defined as those who belong to the lowest social stratum and
although some may be employed, for the most part they live below the
poverty level.
 Working class-is a term used to describe those employed in lower jobs (as
measured by skill, education and lower incomes), often extending to those
in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes.
 Caste-a hereditary social group limited to persons of the same rank,
occupation and economic position, distinguishing it from other groups.

11. Social mobility
Social mobility refers to the upward or downward movement of
individuals and groups from one social class to another of the
social hierarchy.
In closed systems of social stratification, mobility was not
possible however, in the modern times membership in a social
class is open and depends on a person’s wealth, status and
prestige. In this case upward mobility will take place.
The main ways of achieving upward social mobility are by
marrying someone with money, becoming educated allowing
you to secure a well-paying job and so on. Persons who are
already in the higher social class have more ot less inherited
family wealth. They are the owners and managres of business or
it could have been that they worked hard to achieve what they
have.

12. The most popular way of achieving social mobility is through
education especially for those of lower social classes. In modern
times, education has been more easily accessible to everyone in
all income groups.
Education is responsible for entirely new class formations for
example, the intelligentsia and workforce involved in new
occupations involving technology and micro-electronics.
Education and training up to secondary and post-secondary
levels opens up access to opportunities and represents a path to
upward social mobility for those in lower income groups.
The structure of Caribbean societies shows that many
descendants of Africans and Indians are in the higher social
classes however large number of persons in these groups have
not been successful in achieving social mobility.

13. They continue to exist as the poorest groups in society
and are at the bottom of the social hierarchy.
The wealthier and more powerful groups such as the
whites, near whites and coloured continue to be at the
higher social classes and do not seem to have
encountered downward social mobility.