Noah Laurency

SOC 110 B

Some sociologists suggest that gender, class and ethnicity interact and contributes social
inequality in society. Assess the relevance of Gender, Class and ethnicity to an understanding of
social stratification in the Caribbean.

Social Stratification refers to the hierarchical structure of social inequality (Jary and Jary). Social
stratification is a form of social inequality. In fact Haralambos and Holborn define it as particular
form of social inequality which refers to the distinction of social groups that are ranked one
above the other in terms of factors such as prestige and wealth. Those who belong to a particular
group or stratum will have some awareness of common interest and a common identity. They
will share a similar lifestyle which, to some degree, will distinguish them from members of other
social strata. A person’s position in a stratification system might have important effects on many
areas of life. It may enhance or reduce their life chances, that is, their chances of obtaining those
things that are defined as desirable and avoiding those things that are defined as undesirable.

In order to fully grasp the concept of social stratification in the Caribbean it is crucial to first
understand the mainstream sociological perspectives and see to what extent can these theories
apply to the Caribbean. These perspectives include functionalism, Marxism and interactionism.
The functionalist explanation of social stratification is based on their framework of larger
theories which seek to explain the operation of society as a whole. Functionalists postulate that
that society consists of specific functional prerequisites which that must be met if it is to stay
alive. Durkheim argues that stratification is necessary because of the high degree of
specialization or the highly specialized division of labour present in their societies. For Davis
and Moore social stratification provides an effective mechanism for role allocation and
performance. Every society is faced with the double challenge of selecting the best individuals to
fill the social position required for its survival and maintenance and at the same time, motivating
them to execute their roles expectations. Davis and Moore are of the view that social
stratification is an effective mechanism for ensuring that all the social positions of especially the
functionally important ones are filled by the most skilled and talented members of society. This
then divided individuals into classes, with those with the jobs which are functionally most
important being of the higher classes. For functionalists those with the jobs which get the highest
rewards and require the highest level of education are the functionally most important jobs. The
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SOC 110 B

functionalist perspective would fall short in explaining stratification in Caribbean society, the
theory fails to see that no matter how hard individuals work they cannot be among the elites, it
does not take into consideration power structures where those who own the means of production
manipulate those in the lower strata through alienation and it is those who have power and
prestige who will have the most functionally important jobs. Stratification in the Caribbean is
rooted in its colonial history therefore functionalism is inadequate in explaining Caribbean
society.

Karl Marx sees stratification as a means of exploitation in society. Those who own the means
of production within society maintain their advantageous position in society by controlling or
influencing the institutions in society. The Marxist theory of social stratification is one
dimensional, this means that Marx identified just one basis of stratification in society which is
class. According to Marx there are 2 classes in the capitalist economy which are the bourgeoisie
or ruling class and the proletariat or working class. Marx postulated that one’s class is
determined by one’s relationship to the means of production therefore class is objectively
defined; you either own the means of production or own your labour power. The Marxist
perspective is incapable of explaining the stratification in the Caribbean, given its overemphasis
on economics. His theory devalues the importance of colonialism and its social offspring: race,
class, ethnicity and gender.

The Weberian model of stratification used 3 bases of social stratification: class, status and party.
For Weber one’s class situation is one’s market situation and those in the same class share
similar life choices. Marx identified 4 social classes in stratification: Manual Labourers, Petty
Bourgeosie, Professionals and property owners. Weber’s theory is applicable to Caribbean
society in that it does not view society as having two classes; the upper and lower class as
believed by Marx. Weber looks at systems such as slavery, class and caste and how they stratify
society. His ideologies of slavery and class are indeed applicable to our Caribbean society
because of our history of slavery and colonialism.

Stratification in the Caribbean has been shaped significantly by our historical experiences of
plantation slavery" colonialism and contemporary social-economic patterns. Various theories
have been developed to describe the different forms that stratification has undertaken in
Caribbean societies. Ascriptive factors such as race" gender" color and culture have influenced
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SOC 110 B

the social positions and life chances of Caribbean people. Smith wrote originally about Grenada
but his theory of the plural society has been widely used in the analysis of colonial and post-
colonial societies in the Caribbean. M.G Smith (1965) argued that stratification in the Caribbean
is based on ethnicity, nationality, race and colour than on class. This suggests that race is a
significant component of stratification in the Caribbean. This is related to the history of slavery
in the Caribbean. Therefore, in attempting to understand social stratification in the Caribbean, it
is critical to examine the Caribbeans peculiar historical experience. In explaining social
stratification in the Caribbean Smith used the Plural Society Model in which he portrayed
Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad as having a closed system of stratification based on color which
they inherited from the colonial past. The social hierarchy on the plantation was caste-like which
means that the plantation society represented a closed society. There was no way of ascending
the social ladder. Whites were at the top, with the mulattoes and the middle and the blacks were
way at the bottom. The whites owned all the wealth and proper, the mulattoes had much less
wealth and privileges than the whites but more than the blacks and the blacks owned no property
and had little to no privileges. Non ownership of wealth is intimately related to race and colony.
This lead Smith to conclude that social stratification in the Caribbean is based more on ethnicity,
nationality, race and colour than on class.

The plantation society theory was proposed by R.T Smith who used Guyana as a model for the
Caribbean. Smith focused society during slavery as well as post emancipation and World War II
on the Caribbean. 5uring slavery in the seventeenth" eighteenth and nineteenth century"
stratification was based on ascribed characteristics such as race and colour. The system was
closed" which meant that there was no way of ascending the stratification ladder. The color of
the skin you were born in and the texture of you hair determined how valued you were in society.
Being black during slavery meant either being a slave or a free person of color while being white
meant being privileged and valued. So from R.T Smith’s model on stratification it can be noted
that race, ethnicity and colour play a bigger role in stratification in the Caribbean than other
concepts such as gender and class.

Beckford using Smith’s frame work believes that modern Caribbean society is a modified
replica of the plantation society. Plantation societies today maintain the traditional features of
stratification by color and race as well a degree of social integration. Smmith maintained that the
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SOC 110 B

region’s legacy of plantation society continues to influence Caribbean social arrangements.

sociologist Lloyd Braithwaite agreed with Smith’s view that Caribbean society is highly divided
along the lines of race and colour. Braithwaite postulated that people’s social positions and life
chances in society are highly dependent on their race. He believe that over a period of time there
was a cultural and social change (creolization) where there was an integration of cultural groups(
. He described Creolisation as a way of seeing the society" not in terms of white and black"
master and slave" in separate nuclear units" but as contributory parts of a whole. This again
outlines the importance of race and colour in stratification in the Caribbean.

C.L.R James spoke on social mobility in the Caribbean Society. He stated in 1962 that our west
indian middle classes are for the most part coloured people of some education in a formerly slave
society. That means that for racial and historical reasons, they are today excluded from these
circles which are in control of big industries, commerce and finance.