Theories of social stratification and studies of affluence
Keywords:
Social stratification, Affluence, Rich, Social classes, Social inequalitiesAbstract
The construction of a system of stratification requires several methodological decisions. This article examines how class analysis is done by different schools of thought and what systems of stratification they use. It shows the recent debate on stratification, focusing class theories, and the studies that preceded the debate. The contributions of this debate for the stratification of the Brazilian society into “affluents” and “non-affluents” lead to the general conclusion that the stratification could be done using information on a third group, the poor. The three groups can be defined by their level of wealth, which means that a relative notion of affluence, depending entirely on the intensity of poverty in a society, can be used to stratify its population.
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