Class, Caste and Biradri System in Pakistan’s Society.

Social stratification refers to arrangements of any group or society into a hierarchy of positions that are unequal with regard to power, property and social evolution.

It is also defined as the distribution of people of society in groups on the basis of their status.

Determinants of social stratification:

According to Max Weber
Economic resources
Occupations
Prestige
Power
Caste
Education
Political power’ Are the determinants of social divisions.

Economic resources:

The size of landholdings in rural areas belong to upper classes. While the tenants, blacksmiths, cobblers, barbers belong to the lower class.

Occupation:

Landowners, industrialists, businessmen, high government officials, corporate officials belong to the upper class.

Servicemen, small businessmen, whose income equals to their expenditures, are the middle class.

Manual workers, carpenters, blacksmiths, washermen all constitute the lower class.

Prestige:

Respect of an individual in society is related to the level of prestige that he enjoys.
Prestige includes nobility, harmlessness, participating in social welfare projects, helping the needy etc.

Power:

Power gains one respect. In Pakistan, following characteristics could be important:

Outspoken in public, educated, well off in financial resources, interest in solving people’s problems, active, religious oriented etc.

 Caste:

 Caste system in Pakistan is an important element in social stratification. Some castes are considered high, some are low.

 Education:

 Education like all other societies in the world, defines social status in Pakistan too. Educated people are better rated and respected socially owing to their occupations, professions and status while illiterate people always belong to lower class.

 Social Class: (the Concept Given by Karl Marx.)

 A group of people having more or less equal economic resources indicating similar standards of living in a society constitute a class.

Generally, three classes exist in Pakistan.

 High

 Middle

 Low

 Theory of struggle:

 Karl Marx gave the theory of struggle. He said that unequal distribution of economic resources creates classes. They can only survive if they fight each other. Classification creates hatred and enmity against other classes. Capitalism supports private ownership and creates classes while socialism empowers people.

 Nature and character of class:

 Class’ a status group

Class can be achieved and can be changed

Class system is universal

Social class is open group

It arouses feeling of class consciousness

Caste:

 Caste is a permanent group having its status ascribed at birth. It cannot be changed.

Caste is a system of stratification, in which mobility up and down and the status ladder, at least ideally does not occur. A.W. Green.

Caste is a closed social group.

Characteristics of caste:

 Caste is hierarchical division

Closed group

Sub culture: every class has its own norms which can be different from others. E.g.: marriage norms / issues of out of caste marriages.

Social control: every caste has its own informal methods of social control.

 Merits of caste system:

 Biradri system.

Social solidarity

Norms are forceful and offer social control

Castes are endogamous… means they marry within caste.

Demerits of caste system:

Ethnocentrism among the members of one caste

Norms of castes are rigid in nature

New elements of changes are rejected

Marriage out of caste is rejected

Difference between caste and class system in Pakistan :

Class is flexible

Class can change

Class does not form biradri

Class can be exogamous

There is less ethnocentrism in class

Feeling of association is less strong in classes

There is less solidarity in classes

Class favors social change

Classes do not have norms

Caste is rigid

Caste  cannot change

Castes form biradri system

Castes are endogamous

Caste are ethnocentric

Feelings of association are more stronger in castes

There is more solidarity in castes

Castes reject social change

Castes have their own norms

 Biradri:

 It is the group of people belonging to same caste, intermarrying together.

Two or more families related to each other are called biradri.

People of biradri do not necessarily live at the same place.

There may be different languages, styles, and customs in biradri.

Old biradries having same caste are still strong in Pakistan. They have more rigid norms.

Social violations in biradries are strictly condemned.

Endogamy is a strict condition in some of the biradries.