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Stratification
Definition 1 Social stratification is the separation between groups of individuals in society, and is typically determined by socioeconomic status, occupation, or power. In the US, stratification is seen in the differences between the lower, middle, and upper class.
In my day to day life, examples of social stratification are everywhere. Driving through downtown Seattle, one can see camps of homeless people in one area then drive 15 minutes north and be in a neighborhood of multimillion dollar homes. Social stratification is not a rare phenomenon, and is seen all throughout the world.
Definition 2 It is a system of categorizing people into socioeconomic strata based on different factors like power, occupation, ethnicity, or wealth.
I look at social stratification as a means of segregating a society from the rest of the society. There are various social symbols in Ethiopia that determine whether an individual is categorized under high or low class based on wealth, landownership, occupation etc. During the Imperial rule, landownership announced power and wealth to the community. The Emperor, Nobles, and Landlords occupied the highest hierarchy in the pyramid of high class , then farmers, and followed by peasants.
At present day social stratification is mostly based on ethnicity. Ethiopia has different ethnic groups, with their own customs and traditions that they are continuing to practice. One of the ethnic group that hold the main political power rule the country for more than 20 years than any other ethnic groups. This group hold the highest position of the hierarchy due to political power.