Social Stratification and Its Impact on People's Lives and Health

Social Stratification and Its Impact on People's Lives and Health

Social Stratification

The process of splitting into distinct groups according to society, caste, age, gender, profession, occupation, religion, culture, and class is known as stratification. Sociologists claim that stratification levels were prevalent in everyday life as well. Age, ability, and gender were the initial dividing lines in society. As access to property gradually improved, certain landowners began to occupy huge tracts of land while practicing slavery, creating an economic stratification. On account of this, social inequality is rising. However, anthropologists are not yet prepared to accept stratification as a global phenomenon. They contend that ancient societies were based on equality (Egalitarian Society). where each individual had equal access to all facilities, resources, and rights. Although there was no social inequality, stratification later started.

Social inequality and stratification have several causes. In ancient society, the fundamental tenet of stratification was social, however in modern society, the fundamental tenet is social rank, social class, caste, religion, age, and gender, with economic being the new social base. Social differences have been formed along with the presence of stratification in society. These factors have led several scholars to characterize social stratification as

• Ginsberg has defined as: "Social stratification is the division of society permanent groups or categories linked with each other by the relationship of superiority and sub-ordination."
• According to R.W. Murray: "Social stratification is a horizontal division of society in to 'higher' and 'lower' social units."

Social stratification has typically been broken down into four categories by sociologists. These include caste, social class, estate, and slavery. A powerful or dominant group would employ another group to work indiscriminately without pay under the slave system, and the slave would then be sold as a commodity. Estate division is another type of social stratification. In medieval Europe and later elsewhere, there was inequality and stratification in society based on land ownership. Similar social behavior and thought patterns can still be seen in Nepal in one way or another. Social stratification has been primarily caused by the caste system. The caste system is still in place, particularly in South Asian nations like India and Nepal. The social structure of the modern world is divided into many tiers based on social class and prestige. Various communities and professions create divisions throughout society. Gender, religion, age, level of education, and other factors divide society into classes. The sectors that control today's society are divided into Haves and Have Nots, particularly in terms of economic status. On a more economic basis, it is divided into higher, middle, and lower classes. The economic divide between the upper and lower classes appears to be extremely wide. The stratification of society in the existing capitalist economy is getting more and more antagonistic on an economic basis. This circumstance is present in every neighborhood, nation, and nation-state. The rich classes have access to politics, jobs, professions, and business in every sector of society, while the poor classes struggle to gain access. Therefore, it would seem that the economic foundation of the current society is what contributes to social stratification and inequality. Some of the most important social divisions in our society are listed below.

Gender Based Social Stratification

The social and cultural structure heavily influences social gender or gender. The status and responsibilities of women are set by society. The social gender concept refers to how society defines, empowers, forbids, and regulates the roles of men and women. Such gender inequalities have been noted in practically every society in the world. Due to the patriarchal nature of the society, such roles are geared toward men. As a result, there is inequality and stratification in the society. Rumors circulate in the community that a daughter should not study, work outside the home, choose a spouse, speak harshly to others, perform her parents' Shraddha, go to the roof of the house, treat her husband as a deity, avoid divorce, become a temple priest, be able to make decisions, etc. There is a lot of this kind of deceptive misinformation. In this approach, the participation of women in the workforce outside the home appears little.

Similar to this, there is a belief in our community that if the son performs the funeral rites, the deceased will enjoy heaven, which is the main justification for celebrating the birth of the boy child and placing more emphasis on the meal, while the daughter is ignored. According to this theory, sons receive a lot of attention, and there are instances where a son is treated better than a girl. Despite the village's food shortage, the son receives delicious malnutrition in the girl child as a result of the shortage of food.

In Nepali society, to use that country as an example, discrimination against women has long existed. The roles of women and men in society have been established in the name of religion and culture, particularly with the emergence of patriarchy. Because of this, there is still a lot of discrimination between women and men in modern society. Domestic work is typically performed by women rather than men. Women are more likely to perform tasks like cleaning the house, feeding animals, caring for infants, gathering food and firewood, grinding, etc. On the other side, some people think that men's masculinity is lost when they take on home duties, grooming, childcare, etc. In these situations, men are discovered to be engaged in reading, trading, employment, politics, social service, etc. When it comes to political decision-making, women play a very minor role. Even women have fewer rights to real estate.

Similar issues affect women's health in many ways throughout the medical field. In fact, women are treated like second-class citizens in our society, which is ruled by men. Even more women from disadvantaged backgrounds and social groups lag significantly behind in accessing care for their mothers' health. Women come into the second group of services because they are at a high risk from a health perspective. Family and society are said to have no regard for a woman's health, particularly when it comes to her womb, which is considered to be a part of her destiny. Family and society discriminate against women in many areas, and they have less access to health care, education, and information. Women's health has also been impacted by the practice of gender analysis during pregnancy and the unequal treatment of sons and daughters in the family and in society.

Economy or Class Based Social Stratification

The foundation of economic stratification is class and income. The society is divided into different classes, such as the upper and lower classes, the rich and the poor, etc. based on the economic levels of its members. Karl Marx divided society into the working class and the bourgeoisie based on the economic situation. According to him, the bourgeoisie controls the means of production in a capitalist society. He refers to individuals who labor in industries as proletariats and the owners of businesses as bourgeoisie. This division's fundamental tenet is access to or possession of money. The lower classes are made up of working class people, whereas the upper classes have more wealth, influence over resources, and connections to national politics. Particularly physical labor supports the lives of those in the lowest classes. The resources are not under this category's control.

The consumption of healthcare services differs between the rich and the poor, according to Nepal. People in the richest class spend 25 times more on health than those in the poorest classes (Prasai 2006). It has been shown that those who are poorer and more helpless have access to healthcare at the rural level, whereas those who are wealthier and more urbane are more likely to use hospital services. The death rate and should be determined by taking into account the economic position rather than the ethnicity, according to figures from the year 2006. In other words, the social inclusion rate of sickness is substantially higher among the impoverished than among the wealthy. As a result, class discrimination should not be avoided by the distinction of social inclusion. (For instance, Karnali's Brahmins run the risk of being more vulnerable due to poverty than other ethnic groups.)

Caste or Ethnicity Based Social Stratification

The National Census of 2068 states that there are 125 castes in Nepal. Nepal has a diverse ethnic population. Fundamentally, Nepali society is a Hindu society. Untouchability and other cruel behaviors have been outlawed by the Mulki Ain of 2020 on a formal basis. Untouchability and other cruel practices are occasionally reported in the news in modern-day Nepalese society. People of lower castes are mistreated by those who are supposedly from higher castes, who are forbidden from entering temples and drinking fountains and are thought to be untouchable in public areas, social gatherings, and schools.Similar to how caste, tribal, and ethnic groupings divide society, there are upper and lower castes. Considering social knowledge and consciousness, it is best to refrain from repeating such behaviors and activities. Due to caste and racial variety in society, not everyone has the same access to and participation in government, political parties, the military, and the police. There is internal racial discrimination among people of all races as well. Similar discrimination exists between rich and poor. The Dalit have the highest rates of poverty, inequality, discrimination, and exploitation among these groups, and persons of their own race also tend to be poor. Poverty, inequality, illiteracy, and community are all present.

Discrimination by health workers against the targeted group, a lack of employee responsibility for healthcare, a lack of skills to consult the target group, a focus on the city for health workers, a lack of motivation for service providers regarding their profession, etc., have all led to a decline in the confidence of these groups in their own health and a lack of affinities for local health institutions. Additionally, the backward populations are deprived of health information and services due to linguistic issues with health personnel, and poverty, illiteracy, a lack of information, and information obtained are not being communicated in appropriate mediums and languages.Health care has also been impacted by conventional wisdom, social and religious barriers (such as the Muslim community's lack of participation in health care), superstition, and social culture/traditions (such as belief in Dhami and Jhankris).

On the other hand, the health sector is not fully inclusive due to the disadvantaged group's lack of participation in policymaking, lack of concept inclusion in health sector policies and strategies, lack of effective implementation of the disadvantaged group's policies and guidelines, and lack of modification of health policy.

The Effects of Social Stratification in Health

The health sector lacks concepts of inclusion, policies and strategies, weakening the implementation aspect of strategy, modification of health policy/not being socially inclusive, failure to formulate plans based on local demand and need, low participation of local level in planning policy making, lack of decentralization of power to make health care effective, and policies that have been implemented all affect the participation of underprivileged groups in policy making. The social, economic, intellectual, and political dimensions as well as the health are all significantly impacted by social stratification. The following is a summary of some social stratification's implications on health

• Women's health is not prioritized in Nepal because of male dominance ideology and gender inequality.
• Women are unable to access healthcare because they lack control over the household's finances and because they always place themselves last on the priority list.
• When there are no female healthcare workers, service providers—who tend to be men—are reluctant to seek care.
• Fetal gender determination is against the law, yet because sons are prioritized over daughters in our society, thousands of girl fetuses are destroyed in the womb every year.
• Due to the need that they remain in the Chhau Goth during menstruation, women in Nepal's Central and Far Western regions experience numerous health issues.
• The health of girls is weakened due to differences in nutrition and exercise between girl children and sons.
• Rich people have access to nutrient-rich foods, but poor people struggle to overcome hunger, which has a detrimental effect on their health.
• When it comes to racial stratification, Brahmans do not consume foods like eggs, onions, garlic, tomatoes, buffalo and chicken meat, among others, as a result of which they lack nutrients and experience a number of negative health impacts. Due to racial stratification, Mawatali caste marriages have a negative impact on health when alcohol, beer, Jaad, and other drugs are consumed.
• When members of the lower castes or members of their own caste experience discrimination, dominance, oppression, and exploitation at the hands of the so-called high caste, the caste system causes mental disturbances and stresses.
• Poor sections and backward people are unable to improve their health conditions because they lack access to the health and services offered by healthcare institutions.