ABSTRACT
Ranking involves a value judgment; in effect, the society establishes that it is better to be one thing than another, to have more of some things than less. Some ranking also resulted from struggles for power or conquest by other groups. The unequal distribution of scarce resources leads to social stratification, meaning that the society is divided into a number of strata, or layers. Power is such an important dimension of stratification because it affects the manner in which society's goods and services are distributed. The caste system has been legally abolished in modern India, which has been deeply influenced by Western democratic thought, but many Indians, particularly those living in rural areas, still follow some elements of the caste system that for so long had been justified by religion and traditional mores. The estate system was the economic and social system of feudal Europe and, in different forms, has characterized a number of nations in Asia.
