What system of stratification is commonly used in capitalist societies?

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To tackle this question, we first identify the concept being asked: the system of stratification commonly associated with capitalist societies. 
Option 1: feudal. Feudalism is a medieval system characterized by lords, vassals, and serfs with a rigid hierarchy tied to land ownership. It is not the typical framework for modern capitalist economies, which centers more on market-based relations rather than feudal obligations. 
Option 2: social class. In capitalist societies, social stratification tends to be based on economics, occupation, education, and income, producing a class-based structure (e.g., upper, middle, and lower classes). This aligns with contemporary economic theories of class, merit, and mobility within market systems. 
Option 3: social caste. Caste systems are historically associated with rigid, hereditary social groups with fixed statuses, often seen in societies like traditional India. While caste can influence social dynamics, it is not the standard model used to describe stratification in capitalist economies, which are more fluid and mediated by market forces than by birthright allocation. 
Option 4: slavery. Slavery is a coerced, ownership-based form of stratification found in some historical contexts and certain settings, but it is not the system that characterizes the typical, formal structure of stratification in capitalist societies. Capitalist analysis emphasizes economic classes and market positions rather than a legal framework of ownership over people as the normative system. 
Put together, the options cover several historical or alternative forms of hierarchy, but the most representative for capitalist societies is the class-based arrangement determined by economic position, income, education, and occupation. 
Overall, each incorrect option highlights a distinct approach to social organization: feudalism’s land-bound hierarchy, caste's hereditary, rigid stratification, and slavery’s ownership-based status, which differ from the modern capitalist emphasis on class and market relations.

Introduction to Sociology Exam #2

What system of stratification is commonly used in capitalist societies?

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