Social Stratification, Work and Communities in Spain

1. Society: Family, Natural Groups and Social Classes

Status differences between groups and individuals give rise to social stratification. Examples of stratification by age include youth, adults and elderly. Stratification also occurs by sex (male, female). Economic factors give rise to social classes.

2. Types of Societies

Depending on the focus of their members, we distinguish between rural communities and urban societies. The key development indicators separate wealthy societies from poor ones. The main indicator of a society's development is the Human Development Index (HDI).

3. Work as a Factor of Social Difference

Because of work, society is composed of active and inactive members. Work forms an elite of executives and senior management. Technical and higher professional education corresponds to the working middle class. Unskilled workers are classified as the working class. A quota considered inactive includes students, housewives and retired people.

4. Social Dynamics and Conflict

Social dynamics studies the behavior of a society. These dynamics can cause social conflicts when interests, resources or power are contested among groups.

5. Spanish Society

Spanish society has the characteristics of a developed society. The increasing participation of women and youth in the labor market are important issues with regard to the world of work.

6. Andalusian Society

Andalusian society has enjoyed high levels of development for some time. Recently, Andalusia has had a relatively high unemployment rate, especially affecting women and youth. The traditional model of the family is making room for new forms of living arrangements.

Key Concepts and Definitions

• Hierarchy: Organization of members of a society according to their authority, power, wealth and influence.
• Consumption: The consumption of production from a holding, usually agricultural or livestock, by the very people who work there.
• Elite: People who are prominent in a field or activity.
• Status: The position a person occupies in society or within a group.
• Homogeneous: A group formed by parts of the same kind of elements; equal or similar elements.
• Ethnic group: A group that shares a common culture and identifies with that culture.
• Patriarchal societies: Societies where authority is exercised by men, typically as heads of the family.
• Matriarchal authority: Societies or contexts in which authority is exercised by women.
• Equal (gender equality): When men and women have the same power within the family and in society.