Religious stratification , or religious stratification , is the inequality of social groups belonging to different religions within the same society (nation, state, etc.).
The caste system should be distinguished from religious stratification, when a religion authorizes the different social status of members of its own community, but is indifferent to the status of supporters of other religions. In India, castes are a supra-religious phenomenon: although originally castes existed only in Hinduism, later Christian castes , Muslim castes , Sikh castes, etc.
Religious stratification can be a direct consequence of religious discrimination , but not identical to this phenomenon, as it can also be caused by objective economic factors. A typical example is the religious stratification in the United States.
Sociologists Ralph E. Pyle and James D. Davidson (2003) believe that religious stratification in the USA arose in the colonial period as a result of religious ethnocentrism and competition between different faiths, as well as because representatives of some faiths had more significant resources than others. Anglicans, Congregationalists and Presbyterians represented the elite of early American society, while other Protestant groups, Catholics, Jews and others had a lower social status .
Later, the status of a number of religious groups has changed (Davidson 2007; Davidson and Pyle 2005; Pyle 2006, 1996; Pyle and Koch 2001). The most famous of the changes is the rise of Jews to the upper stratum during the 20th century, while Catholics, who previously occupied the lowest positions, began to occupy the upper part of the middle stratum. Until now, religious stratification has persisted. For example, Anglicans (now the Episcopal Church), Congregationalists (now the United Church of Christ ) and Presbyterians still belong to the highest social stratum, while other Protestant groups, such as Baptists, who had a low status in the colonial period, since then have not advanced significantly. On the other hand, Jews and Catholics, who encouraged education in their circles, actively participated in business and social activities, significantly improved their social status.
See also
- Religious discrimination
- Social stratification
Literature
- Davidson, James D. and Ralph E. Pyle, 2005. "Social Class," pp. 185–205 in Helen Rose Ebaugh (editor), Handbook of Religion and Social Institutions.
- Davidson, James D., 2007. "Religious Stratification: Its Origins, Persistence, and Consequences," presidential address, Association for the Sociology of Religion (August).
- Davidson, James D., Rachel Kraus, Scott Morrissey, 2005. “Presidential Appointments and Religious Stratification in the United States, 1789-2003.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion , (December): 485–495.
- Pyle, Ralph E. and Jerome R. Koch, 2001. "The Religious Affiliation of American Elites, 1930s to 1990s," Sociological Focus (May): 125-137.
- Pyle, Ralph E., 1996. Persistence and Change in the Protestant Establishment.
- Pyle, Ralph E. and James D. Davidson, 2003. "The Origins of Religious Stratification in Colonial America," Journal for Scientific Study of Religion , (March): 57-75.
- Weber: "The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism - Class, Status, Party."
- Darnell, Alfred and Darren F. Sherkat. 1997. “The impact of Protestant fundamentalism on educational attainment.” American Sociological Review 62 (April): 306-315.
- Davis, Kingsley and Wilbert E Moore, 1945. "Some Principles of Stratification," American Sociological Review 10 (April): 242-49.
- Mosca, Gaetano. Arthur Livingston, ed., “The Ruling Class”, translated by Hannah D. Kahn (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1939), pp. 50-54.56-62.65-66.
- Sherkat, Darren F. and Alfred Darnell. 1999. "The effects of parents' fundamentalism on children's educational attainment: Examining differences by gender and children's fundamentalism," Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 38 (1): 23-35.
- Granovetter: “The Strength of Weak Ties.”
- Tim B. Heaton and Marie Cornwall. "Religious Group Variation in the Socioeconomic Status and Family Behavior of Women."
- Christian Smith and David Sikkink. “Social Predictors of Retention in and Switching From the Religious Faith of Family of Origin: Another Look Using Religious Tradition Self-Identification.”