Social stratification is a description of social inequality in society, its division into social strata of income, presence or absence of privilege, lifestyle.
In the case of a primitive society that inequality was not as significant, and therefore the phenomenon of stratification was almost absent (Smelser, Wilson & Mitchell, 2001). With that as a society developed - inequality began to grow. Nowadays American society, as well as many others, divided the people by level of race, gender, education, income, and power.
Racism in the United States has existed since the founding of the country. U.S. racial politics has deep historical roots. It all began with the oppression of Native Americans - Indians: persecutions, massacres, and infection with smallpox. The next step of racism was slavery. Centuries have past, and after legally abolishing slavery in 1883 African Americans became US citizens, but it not so simple. The rejection by the white population stayed unchanged, as the idea of racial superiority. Restrictions for African Americans were everywhere: in education, in employment, choice of residence (Smelser, Wilson & Mitchell, 2001).
Modern American society continues to maintain a multiracial and multiethnic character. Racial and ethnic picture of the country is crucial for the most diverse aspects of life US, affecting education, business, the implementation of laws prohibiting racial and ethnic discrimination. And still there is a tendency to racial discrimination in the United States.
Nowadays, the problem of racism in the United States is still quite sharp. However, not only the representatives of African Americans are discriminated and harassed: now in the US there are frequent manifestations of the so-called “white racism” when fair-skinned inhabitants are discriminated in favour of diverse population.
One of the latest articles “Don’t Blame Diversity for Distrust” shows current events regarding racial stratification and prejudice. The article deals with the current consequences of diversity. Abigail Fisher claims that the University of Texas denied her application on the grounds that she is white. It has been stated that the University needs to accept more diverse students for their educational experiences (Abascal & Baldassarri, 2016).
Modern scientists argue about the influence of diversity in society, and claim, that diversity often causes distrust among population.
It would seem that such a factor of reconciliation, as the presidential election of an African American is, step to which America has been going nearly 150 years, had to be crowning step in the eradication of racism in the country, however, the racial difference of the citizens are still can be noted with a degree of prejudice and stratification.
According to Robert D. Putnam, a scientist at Harvard, living in a community with mixture of different races leads to distrust toward people in general, not only toward people of other races, but it also causes the stratification and prejudice among people of one racial group (Abascal & Baldassarri, 2016).
Racism in the United States is still quite strong. The consciousness of the people and history of the country are blame for this. The equalization of the different races occurred solely in the rights, and only by means of legislation. Psychologically, the same laws of racial discrimination merely highlight the inequality of US citizens of different races.
But, unfortunately, racial stratification is not the only prejudicial problems in modern American society. Therefore gender discrimination is a frequent question raised in mass media. Regardless of the development of U.S. society in the professional field of employment women still face a number of serious problems concerning their unequal position compared to men.
Recent article “Five women's players file wage discrimination complaint against U.S. soccer” in USA Today deals with the description of a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against U.S. Soccer Federation, demanding wage equality with their male colleagues. Five athletes of the USA female team filed a complaint from the behalf of all members of the team, noting that women’s team has three World Cup Championships and they have more achievements than male team and still females get paid much less (Perez, 2016).
Gender discrimination throughout the history of women's involvement in social production was the main feature of the labor market. There are different cases of gender discrimination at labor market: 1) discrimination in employment; 2) wage inequality; 3) obstacles for promotion; 4) the lack of women in leadership and their abundance in executive positions of the lower and middle management; 5) the existence of “male” and “female” professions; 6) different training systems for men and women; 7) Sexual harassment at the workplace; 8) the problem of dual employment of women (weariness from a combination of domestic and professional responsibilities).
The Government Accountability Office shows that women form 59 percent of the low-wage workforce. Less-educated women were more likely to work part-time. 29 percent of women have a part-time job, compared to 15 percent of men with part-time occupation (International labor organization (ILO), 2016).
The nature of gender discrimination in the labor market in modern society can be objective and subjective. The objective nature of discrimination against women in the labor market related to their family and reproductive roles. Women have less time and opportunity to make a career, work without a break, or work overtime. The subjective nature of discrimination against women linked to employers' prejudices about “a woman being a worse employee and this evaluation has nothing to do with the professional characteristics of the individual woman (ILO, 2016). Therefore, preference in hiring is given to men; career growth is also limited for female workers.
The next question on stratification and prejudice to be considered is class discrimination. The stratification according to the income of the population in current events is clearly shown in the article “Why don't black and white Americans live together?” in BBC News. According to the article racial and class stratification are closely linked. The author argues that an African American is “more likely to live in an area of concentrated poverty” According to Rajini Vaidyanathan Kansas City, Missouri is one of the most stratificated cities. He notes that the city is divided into two parts: the half of the city is very wealthy: there are large houses with broad porches and garages costing anything from $356,000 to $1.2m; the other half of the city has a very different view: there are abandoned houses and unkempt lawns (Vaidyanathan, 2016).
Most people think that class segregation is due to accidental coincidence of circumstances - the financial situation of human personal qualities, etc. However, there is reason to believe that class segregation of low-income families is the result of public policy, poured into a systematic gross of rights violations connected with class stratification (Vaidyanathan, 2016). Such class stratification affects the performance of children in school: poverty, the lack of necessary conditions for the successful completion of homework and other related inconveniences. The concentration of disadvantaged children from poor families in certain schools even further exacerbates the situation. Forgetting about the events of the 20th century, we believe that the housing insulation of black children from low-income families, certainly exists, but it is not supported by the state.
Not being able to fully enjoy the health care system, citizens are more likely to show indifference to the social and political life of society. Children of less educated parents are less likely to read and communicate at home with greatly simplified language. In such families children often do not have a quiet corner for homework, but because of frequent relocations children are forced to constantly change schools and teachers. Since children from poor families have less opportunity to travel to summer camps or other travel horizons the organizational skills of these children are generally less developed and ambition underestimated. These and other deprivation of children from families of low class will inevitably lead to the fact that their personal achievement to a certain age, on average, will be far below the achievements of their peers from middle-class families.
The actions of the federal and local authorities led to segregation in virtually every city in the north of the country. In Louisville, in 1960 under the state 885 African American families moved from downtown to the area allegedly specially adapted for them. In fact, the area was opened to poor population living in 1937, after wealthy people had left the city because of the catastrophic floods. During World War II, the authorities settled in the barely habitable area of poor workers who came to Louisville from rural areas to work in the enterprises of military production (Smelser, Wilson & Mitchell, 2001).
The solution to this problem requires the desegregation of housing area, which, as history has shown, should be done at the constitutional level. Segregated schools in the United States are the result of a systematic neglect of civil rights and class-motivated reforms in the housing and educational fields. The United States needs leaders who understand the importance of racial integration in the country, the need to educate children in an atmosphere of tolerance and mutual respect. Country should provide the opportunity to succeed in society to all without exception. Further aggravation of the stratification of society representatives of different classes and strengthening of inequality only weaken the already stratificated US society.
References
Abascal, M., & Baldassarri, D. (May 22, 2016). Don’t Blame Diversity for Distrust. The New York Times. Retrieved from
: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/22/opinion/sunday/dont-blame-diversity-for-distrust.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FRace%20and%20Ethnicity&action=click&contentCollection=timestopics®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=collection&_r=0
Perez, A.J. (April 6, 2016). Five women's players file wage discrimination complaint against U.S. soccer. USA today. Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/soccer/2016/03/31/us-women-soccer-wage-discrimination-carli-lloyd-alex-morgan/82460844/
Smelser N. J., Wilson, J., & Mitchell, F. (2001). America Becoming: Racial Trends and Their Consequences, Volume II. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.
Gender Inequality and Women in the US Labor (2016). International labor organization. Retrieved from http://www.ilo.org/washington/areas/gender-equality-in-the-workplace/WCMS_159496/lang--en/index.htm
Vaidyanathan, R. (January 8, 2016). Why don't black and white Americans live together? BBC News. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35255835 BBC NEWS
