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Sociology Optional PYQ Solutions · Model answer

Examine the conceptual distinction between social inequality and social stratification. How do the nature and forms of the social stratification system determine the patterns of social mobility?

  • UPSC 2003
  • Stratification and Mobility

All societies distribute power, prestige and wealth unequally, but not all inequality is stratification. Social inequality is the existence of socially created disparities. Social stratification is a particular, structured form of it: ranked strata that are institutionalised, carried across generations and backed by a value system. How a stratification system is built largely decides who…

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What the full answer covers

  • Inequality and stratification
  • How stratification shapes mobility
  • Indian evidence and limits
  • Conclusion

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