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stratification

strat-if-ik-AY-shun /ˌstrætɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/

nounC2GRESATUPSC

academicformal

The arrangement or classification of something into different structural groups or social layers.

Often refers to hierarchical social layers (classes, castes) that restrict fluid movement across levels.

The story behind the word. Borrowed from geology, where Latin 'stratum' described layers of rock pressed upon one another. 20th-century sociologists adopted the word to visualize human societies arranged in rigid upper, middle, and lower layers.

Word relationships

hierarchy: Hierarchy focuses on vertical authority or rank, while stratification emphasizes distinct horizontal layers or tiers.
categorization: Categorization is general grouping, whereas stratification explicitly implies hierarchical status or access differences.

egalitarianism: The doctrine that all people are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities.

Commonly confused with

segmentation: Segmentation is dividing a whole into distinct functional parts; stratification divides into hierarchical layers.

Word family

stratify (verb): To arrange or classify into layers or grades.
stratum (noun): A layer or level within a system.

Collocations

social stratification
economic stratification
rigid stratification

Example sentences

"Academic tracking in high schools often reinforces social stratification by grouping affluent students into advanced placement programs." Sociological analysis of schooling track systems

Memory hook

STRATA (layers of rock) + FICATION (making into) = dividing society into rock-hard layers. Society divided into layers.

When not to use

Avoid using for casual, non-layered groupings (e.g. organizing books by color).

Fun facts

Geologists call the study of rock layers 'stratigraphy', which directly inspired sociology's 'social stratification'.