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stratification

strat-uh-fih-KAY-shun /ˌstræt.ɪ.fɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/

nounC1GREUPSC

academic

The division of society into layered classes based on wealth, status, power, or hierarchy.

Borrowed from geology, it emphasizes how social classes become fixed, unequal strata that persist across generations.

The story behind the word. Geologists first used 'stratification' to describe distinct rock layers built up over millions of years. Nineteenth-century sociologists borrowed the term to illustrate how human societies solidify into distinct, unequal economic layers.

Word relationships

hierarchy: 'Hierarchy' highlights vertical ranks, whereas 'stratification' highlights distinct horizontal social layers.
segmentation: 'Segmentation' implies division into parts without necessarily implying structured ranking unequal layers.

egalitarianism: Egalitarianism champions equal social status and rights for all people without class layers.

Commonly confused with

differentiation: Differentiation means recognizing differences; stratification means arranging those differences into superior and inferior social layers.

Word family

stratify (verb): To form or arrange into social layers or strata.
stratified (adjective): Arranged into distinct social classes or layers.

Collocations

social stratification
economic stratification
class stratification
rigid stratification

Example sentences

"High education costs reinforce social stratification by limiting upward mobility for lower-income students." Sociological analysis of inequality.
"Social stratification creates structured inequalities between groups of people that persist over time." Analysis of modern caste and class dynamics.

Memory hook

STRATA-fication: Creating STRATA or horizontal layers in rock or human society. Building society into horizontal inequality layers.

When not to use

Do not use for temporary personal disagreements or casual sorting of objects.

Fun facts

In meteorology, a 'stratus' cloud forms flat, horizontal layers across the sky, sharing the exact same root as social stratification!