a) Wealth
Wealth is an obvious dimension of social stratification. An individual's wealth is made up of his/her assets and income. A relatively high income provides better life chances from childhood to old age. This is Mainly because one is attended to by highly qualified doctors, attends better schools, gets a high paying job and a more comfortable and healthy style.
In Kenya, wealth is concentrated overwhelmingly in the hands of a minority of the population. The richest in Kenya, who comprise about 8% of the population, own 90% of the assets. They are major owners of means of production and occupy high positions in society: They also award themselves huge salary increments while others like city council workers go on strike due to salary arrears going as far back as three months. The wealth of the rich minority is derived from ownership and control of the means of production (Sunday Nation, 2003). On the other hand, 56% of the population lives in abject poverty.
b) Power
Power is the ability to mobilize resources and determine how other people will behave, even against their will. Those with considerable wealth usually possess great power and are able to control the behaviour of others, with or without their consent. Power can be based on force, the possession of a certain skill or type of knowledge, a particular social status, personal characteristics, or custom and tradition.
In Kenya, there have been documented cases of people in power, such as members of parliament, inciting their constituents to invade and destroy private property. Complaints have also been raised of some moneyed prisoners being preferential treatment. Such treatments includes the luxuries of daily newspapers, television, access to visitors, mobile phones, clean, ironed clothes and linen and an excellent diet; things usually denied other prisoners (Sunday Nation, 2005). Elective posts have at times been won by those who have the resources to buy votes.
c) Prestige
Prestige is the respect, honour, recognition or courtesy an individual receives from other members of society. Prestige can be based on any characteristic that society deems important such as income, occupation, education, family background, residential address, possession, mannerisms and club membership (Thomas, 1995). In a materialistic society, the accumulation of property is a sign of success and a life of leisure translates to a high social standing.
In Kenya, it has been pointed out that some people rent expensive servant quarters in prestigious neighborhoods like Kileleshwa and Runda in order to be associated with the area and the people living there.
Originally, education in Kenya was very prestigious. However, with r the escalating rate of the educated unemployed, education has lost its glamour. Some occupations are regarded as more prestigious than others. A lawyer, doctor or architect is rated higher than a teacher. Yet, even in the teaching profession, a secondary school teacher is rated higher than his primary school counterpart. A university lecturer is rated higher than a college and secondary school teacher. At the university level, a doctorate holder may be listened to and accorded more responsibilities than one with a master's degree. Jobs that require a higher level of education and mental, rather than physical labour, are rated the most prestigious. Higher prestige jobs generally produce higher incomes e.g. judge, banker. In sports, rugby, golf and tennis - expensive games frequented by the wealthy minority and to which access is limited - tend to be more prestigious than football and athletics.
d) Education
Education is a major determinant of the social group to which one belongs. For, example, going to the university exposes one to particular values and mannerisms which predispose him/her to join a specific social group. A university graduate can ably interact with his/her peers because they belong to the same social class. But even among such graduates there are further distinctions, defined by "where" one obtained his/her degree. This is why in Kenya for instance, one finds the `Makerere group', `Cambridge group', 'private'/'public' university groups and so on. One can even go further and define social groups by the level of education o€ members; such as holders of first degrees, master's degrees, PhDs and even multiple PhDs. At the other end we find illiterates (non- schooled) and primary and high school leavers.
The higher one moves up the educational ranks, the more sophistication he/she acquires and the higher up the social ladder he/she climbs. This mobility is due to the fact that oftentimes, higher education opens doors to more and better career and income opportunities. Of course, there are instances where highly educated persons have failed to achieve career and financial success. But even where this is the case, their educational achievement still ensures them membership in a certain class. This explains why a penniless professor can share the high table with a millionaire high school drop -out. Despite the shallowness of his pockets, the professor still "belongs" due to the power of his certificates. Such is the power of education in determining what social group one belongs to. Equally important is the course that someone has taken. Some courses are more prestigious, therefore putting one in a particular social class.
francis1897 answered the question on August 19, 2022 at 06:40