Some Principles of Stratification Author(S): Kingsley Davis and Wilbert E
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Some Principles of Stratification Author(s): Kingsley Davis and Wilbert E. Moore Source: American Sociological Review, Vol. 10, No. 2, 1944 Annual Meeting Papers (Apr., 1945), pp. 242-249 Published by: American Sociological Association Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2085643 Accessed: 30/09/2008 11:53 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use. Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained at http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=asa. 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SOME PRINCIPLES OF STRATIFICATION KINGSLEYDAVIS AND WILBERT E. MooRE PrincetonUniversity IN A PREVIOUS PAPER some conceptsfor carry different degrees of prestige, and quite handling the phenomena of social in- another to ask how certain individuals get equality were presented.' In the present into those positions. Although, as the argu- paper a further step in stratification theory ment will try to show, both questions are is undertaken-an attempt to show the re- related, it is essential to keep them separate lationship between stratification and the in our thinking. Most of the literature on rest of the social order.2 Starting from the stratification has tried to answer the second proposition that no society is "classless," or question (particularly with regard to the unstratified, an effort is made to explain, in ease or difficulty of mobility between strata) functional terms, the universal necessity without tackling the first. The first ques- which calls forth stratification in any social tion, however, is logically prior and, in the system. Next, an attempt is made to explain case of any particular individual or group, the roughly uniform distribution of prestige factually prior. as between the major types of positions in every society. Since, however, there occur THE FUNCTIONAL NECESSITY OF between one society and another great dif- STRATIFICATION ferences in the degree and kind of stratifi- cation, some attention is also given to the Curiously, however, the main functional of varieties of social inequality and the variable necessity explaining the universal presence factors that give rise to them. stratification is precisely the requirement moti- Clearly, the present task requires two dif- faced by any society of placing and structure. ferent lines of analysis-one to understand vating individuals in the social mechanism a society must the universal, the other to understand the As a functioning social variable features of stratification. Naturally somehow distribute its members in the each line of inquiry aids the other and is positions and induce them to perform con- indispensable, and in the treatment that duties of these positions. It must thus cern motivation at two different follows the two will be interwoven, although, itself with proper individuals because of space limitations, the emphasis levels: to instill in the once will be on the universals. the desire to fill certain positions, and, desire to perform the Throughout, it will be necessary to keep in these positions, the in mind one thing-namely, that the discus- duties attached to them. Even though the static in sion relates to the system of positions, not social order may be relatively of me- to the individuals occupying those positions. form, there is a continuous process tabolism as new individuals are born into it, It is one thing to ask why differentpositions shift with age, and die off. Their absorption Kingsley Davis, "A Conceptual Analysis of into the positional system must somehow be Stratification," American Sociological Review. 7: arranged and motivated. This is true whether 309-321, June, 1942. 'The writers regret (and beg indulgence) that the system is competitive or non-competi- the present essay, a condensationof a longer study, tive. A competitive system gives greater covers so much in such short space that adequate importance to the motivation to achieve evidence and qualificationcannot be given and that positions, whereas a non-competitive system as a result what is actually very tentative is pre- sented in an unfortunately dogmatic manner. gives perhaps greater importance to the mo- SOME PRINCIPLES OF STRATIFICATION 243 tivation to perform the duties of the posi- and perquisites that are not essential to the tions; but in any system both types of mo- function of the position and have only an tivation are required. indirect and symbolic connection with its If the duties associated with the various duties, but which still may be of considerable positions were all equally pleasant to the importance in inducing people to seek the human organism, all equally important to positions and fulfil the essential duties. societal survival, and all equally in need of If the rights and perquisites of different the same ability or talent, it would make positions in a society must be unequal, then no difference who got into which positions, the society must be stratified, because that and the problem of social placement would is precisely what stratification means. Social be greatly reduced. But actually it does make inequality is thus an unconsciously evolved a great deal of differencewho gets into which device by which societies insure that the most positions, not only because some positions important positions are conscientiously filled are inherently more agreeable than others, by the most qualified persons. Hence every but also because some require special talents society, no matter how simple or complex, or training and some are functionally more must differentiate persons in terms of both important than others. Also, it is essential prestige and esteem, and must therefore that the duties of the positions be performed possess a certain amount of institutionalized with the diligence that their importance re- inequality. quires. Inevitably, then, a society must have, It does not follow that the amount or first, some kind of rewards that it can use as type of inequality need be the same in all inducements, and, second, some way of dis- societies. This is largerly a function of tributing these rewards differentially accord- factors that will be discussed presently. ing to positions. The rewards and their dis- tribution become a part of the social order, THE TWO DETERMINANTS OF and thus give rise to stratification. POSITIONAL RANK One may ask what kind of rewards a society has at its disposal in distributing its Granting the general function that in- personnel and securing essential services. It equality subserves, one can specify the two has, first of all, the things that contribute factors that determine the relative rank of to sustenance and comfort. It has, second, the different positions. In general those positions things that contribute to humor and diver- convey the best reward, and hence have the sion. And it has, finally, the things that highest rank, which (a) have the greatest contribute to self respect and ego expansion. importance for the society and (b) require The last, because of the peculiarly social the greatest training or talent. The first character of the self, is largerly a function factor concerns function and is a matter of of the opinion of others, but it nonetheless relative significance; the second concerns ranks in importance with the first two. In means and is a matter of scarcity. any social system all three kinds of rewards Differential Functional Importance. Actu- must be dispensed differentially according ally a society does not need to reward to positions. positions in proportion to their functional In a sense the rewards are "built into" the importance. It merely needs to give sufficient position. They consist in the "rights" as- reward to them to insure that they will be sociated with the position, plus what may filled competently. In other words, it must be called its accompaniments or perquisites. see that less essential positions do not com- Often the rights, and sometimes the accom- pete successfully with more essential ones. paniments, are functionally related to the If a position is easily filled, it need not be duties of the position. (Rights as viewed by heavily rewarded,even though important. On the incumbent are usually duties as viewed the other hand, if it is important but hard by other members of the community.) How- to fill, the reward must be high enough to ever, there may be a host of subsidiary rights get it filled anyway. Functional importance 244 AMERICAN SOCIOLOGICALREVIEW is therefore a necessary but not a sufficient do with its duties. There may be, in fact, a cause of high rank being assigned to a virtually accidental relationship.