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Rosy Hastir, Lovely Professional University Unit-3: Theories of Social Stratification-I

Unit 3: Theories of Social Stratification–I Notes

CONTENTS
Objectives
Introduction
3.1 Theoretical Formulations of Davis and Moore
3.2 Theoretical Formulations of Parsons
3.3 Summary
3.4 Key–Words
3.5 Review Questions
3.6 Further Readings

Objectives

After studying this unit students will be able to:
• Explain the Theoretical Formulations of Davis and Moore.
• Discuss the Theoretical Formulations of Parsons.
Introduction

Functionalist theories start with the assumption that all societies want stability, orders and peace.
They assume that there are certain basic needs which must be met if society is to survive. They
therefore, look to social stratification to see how far it meets these basic needs what they called
functional pre-requisite. Functionalists treat society as an organism consisting of different part
and assume that these facts of society form an integrated whole. This approach maintains that
every component of the social structure performs specific functions which are necessary for the
survival of that society.
Thus functionalists are primarily concerned with the function of social stratification, with its
contribution to the maintenance and well-being of society. The functionalists believe that all the
functions carried out by the various parts of the society are functional for its survival some
functions are superior to the others. So the people who perform superior functions are highly
ranked in the hierarchy. The functionalists are primarily concerned with discovering the basis of
this hierarchy and the reasons for its acceptance in society.

3.1 Theoretical Formulations of Davis and Moore
American sociologist Davis and Moore gave their famous theory of stratification in an article
entitled ‘Some principles of stratification’ in 1945 in American Journal of Sociology. They argued
that all social systems share certain functional prerequisites which must be met if the system is to
survive and operate efficiently. One such important functional prerequisite is effective role allocation
and performance. There are four aspects of this prerquisite. Firstly, all roles must be filled, secondly,
they will be filled by those best able to perform those roles, thirdly, that the necessary training for
them be undertaken and fourthly, that the roles be performed conscientiously means with dedication
towards the duty. They argued that all societies need some mechanism for insuring effective role
allocation and performance. This mechanism is social stratification which they see as a system
which attaches unequal rewards and privileges to the different positions in society.

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