Analyzing Social Stratification and Inequalities

Today  there  are  two  main  approaches  to  social  inequality  in  contemporary sociology. One is the neo-Marxist class studies that focus on economic polarization. The other is the neo-Weberian status studies that focus on the concepts of social stratification and mobility. Some neo-Weberian theorists also claimthatstratification is the inequality caused by socio-economic structures. Since Socio-Economic Status (SES) also plays a central role in social stratification and social mobility studies, using SES indexes has recently become common in the social sciences. In Turkey, the lack of such an index became an obstacle to studying  Turkish socio-economic status; and that’s why we decided to develop a SES index and conduct a survey with the support of The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK).

The concept of SES is closely related to income differences, educational levels and especially occupational position. A SES Index relies on income, education and occupation variables, yet occupation itself relies on income and education variables. In modern societies, people from any class, group or strata, define themselves in terms of their job. Work life has become more and more important part of actual life  since  the  beginning  of  the  industrialization  process.  Therefore,  to  analyze and interpret the post-industrial society, it is essential to take into consideration the  occupational  structure.  Today,  occupations  have  a  central  importance  in contemporary sociology, especially in the studies on stratification and development status  scales. Occupational  Prestige  Indexes  represent  another  methodological approach to clarify occupational structures and work life.

In  this  paper,  we  aim  to  present  the  growing  value  of  occupational  life  and how  it  relates  to  one’s  identity,  social  status  and  life-style.  The  concepts  of  SES and Occupational Prestige will be discussed by clarifying the relationship between occupational social status and occupational prestige scales. Towards the end, the study will reflect on why indexes such as these have been necessary for sociological surveys.

Key Words: occupations, social stratification, occupational prestige, SES.