Social stratification refers to

• A. The systematic ranking of people into layers based on socioeconomic status
• B. The process of socialization
• C. The tendency to move up in status
• D. A form of social policy

Answer: (A)

Social stratification is about the structured, system-wide ranking of people into layers based on socio-economic resources such as income, wealth, education, occupation, and prestige. It shows how society organizes individuals into hierarchical groups and how access to goods, opportunities, and rewards is distributed unevenly. This arrangement tends to persist over generations, even though some movement between layers can occur. The other ideas describe processes that are not about the organized layers of society: socialization is learning norms and values; mobility refers to changing one's position; and a social policy is a government approach to addressing issues rather than the hierarchical structure itself.