Page 37 - DSOC202_SOCIAL_STRATIFICATION_ENGLISH

Social Stratification

Notes Functions of Stratification
People differ in terms of their innate ability and talent positions, differ in terms of their importance
for the survival and maintenance of society. Certain positions are more functionally important
than others. A major function of stratification is to match the most able people with the functionally
most important positions. It does this by attaching high rewards to those positions. The aim for
such rewards motivates people to compete for them and in theory the most talented will win
through. Davis and Moore concluded that social stratification is a device by which societies insure
that the most important positions are conscientiously filled by the most qualified persons. Unequal
reward are beneficial for societies in two ways. Firstly, it motivates people to fill certain position
and secondly, the rewards must be unequal even after fulfilling the position so that the persons
who are appointed are motivated to improve their performance further. In modern societies people
occupy positions according to their skills and qualifications. In traditional societies ascription was
the basis of filling up the positions. In such a system, the unequal rewards would not have any
effect in improving the efficiency of the system. Davis and Moore argued that even though the son
of labourer will remain a labour in such a system, if he performs his duties well he will be
rewarded through other means.
The Functional Prerequisites of Davis and Moore
Davis and Moore argued that all social systems share certain functional prerequisites which must
be met if the system is to survive and operate efficiently the first functional prerequisite is effective
role allocation and performance. This will ensure that the right people are placed in proper
positions. There are four aspects of this prerequisite :
(i) All roles in society must be filled,
(ii) The most able people must fill these positions,
(iii) Training for them be undertaken,
(iv) Roles to be performed conscientiously.
They believed that stratification is the mechanism to ensure effective role allocation by providing
unequal rewards of different positions.
The Measures Suggested by Davis and Moore for Measuring the Importance
of a Position
Davis and Moore suggested that the functional importance of a position can be measured in two
ways. Firstly, by the degree to which a position is functionally unique being no other positions
that can perform the same function satisfactorily. The second measure of importance is the degree
to which other positions are dependent on the one in question.
Criticism of Davis and Moore’s Theory
Davis and Moore’s views provoked a long debate. On the face of it their theory appear rational
and realistic. But it is contrast to traditional ascriptive societies where mobility in occupation is
strictly restricted. Tumin, their famous intellectual opponent has criticised their theory on several
grounds. There is no objective way of measuring the functional importance of position which was
treated by Davis and Moore as the basis of distribution of rewards. Tumin argues that Davis and
Moore have ignored the influences of power on the unequal distribution of rewards. For example,
the difference between the wages of farm labourers and coal mines can be interpreted as a result
of the bargaining power of the two groups. Secondly, there is no proof that exceptional talents are
required for those positions which Davis and Moore consider important. Tumin also questions the
view that the training required for important position would be regarded as a sacrifice and therefore
in need of compensation. He sees no reason for continuing this compensation for the rest of an
individual’s working life.

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