Sociology refers to social stratification as an unequal distribution of resources and power within a society due to the difference of various socially defined social groups within that society. In most societies around the world, stratification is quite common. Typically, social stratification includes an unequal distribution of personal wealth, income, education, leisure time, employment options, legal status, and social position. This usually has no causal relationship to individual ability but may have a very high degree of genetic influence.
Most schools in most countries now have a system of education where children start attending kindergarten at around the age of five or six. From there, they go through three to five years of schooling, during which they are groomed to be able to attend university or college in their later years. This is considered to be the modern system of education in most developed countries. However, many of the socially defined stratified organizations in these countries continue to have their own ways of furthering their members through the use of social institutions such as schools, orphanages, and hospitals.
Societies that tend to have higher levels of inequality in terms of wealth and assets also tend to have higher literacy rates. One study, which looked at illiteracy and its effects upon economic opportunity showed that children from families of lower economic status were more likely to be illiterate than those from wealthier families. Those children who did not have any access to formal education were more likely to be literate than those who attended a formal school. In addition, the poorer the parents were, the worse their children’s literacy levels turned out to be. In this case, the lack of a primary education did not lead to more opportunities for those children who had experienced no previous disadvantage in being illiterate, but to a low level of economic security and potential.
A number of factors seem to affect literacy development more than income or poverty. One is the early introduction of books to childhood, which seems to have a lasting effect on educational attainment even into adulthood. Also, it is believed that the socialization process during the early years of a child’s life may have an impact on academic achievement later on in life. The early experiences of children seem to shape their attitudes towards learning and reading at an early age, making them more receptive to educational texts and consequently more likely to pursue higher levels of education. While adults can also experience poor socialization in their formative years, the duration and more significant role the parents play in the upbringing of children seem to affect the achievement gap between children who live in socially stratified environments and those who do not.
There is a distinct relationship between literacy and economic status in adulthood. Adults who were economically disadvantaged when they were young are more likely to be economically disadvantaged as adults. This holds true even for children who have been fortunate enough to grow up in a financially secure environment. For example, while a poor white American child is more likely to be reading at least a book at each stage of his or her life than an equally poor Asian American child, an equally poor black American child is likely to be at least illiterate when he or she is a teenager.
Another way in which literacy relates to poverty is through schooling. Adults who have more than one type of educational instruction at any point in their education are more likely to be poor than those who receive only primary and secondary education. Moreover, adults with at least a bachelor’s degree are more likely to be affluent than those with only high school diplomas. Those adults who attend college, trade school, technical school, or other post-secondary educational institutions also tend to be more affluent than those who do not. (In fact, these same educational institutions are seen to have a positive impact on the incomes of working-class children.)
The higher the literacy rate in an area, the higher the average income of its citizens. An area with a low rate of literacy also has a low rate of poverty. In the United States, an area where the literacy rate is above 100%, on the other hand, that area is seen as one that has an unsatisfactory educational system and a high poverty level. However, a higher rate of literacy also tends to mean a higher standard of living.
A third connection between literacy and social class is what it means for an individual’s chances of upward mobility. A high social class literacy rate tends to imply an upward trend in the earning potential of that person. This potential upward movement is especially important in today’s economy, where opportunities for upward mobility are fewer. People who can neither read nor write are likely to remain at the bottom of the economic pyramid for the duration of their lives if they do not have access to higher education.