Sociology & You

Chapter 5: Social Structure and Society

Student Web Activites

"The Caste System"

Introduction
In this chapter you learned about social structure—the underlying patterns of relationships in a group. Statuses and roles are the major elements of social structure. A status, a position a person occupies within a social structure, may be ascribed or achieved. Achieving status is possible when people have some degree of control and choice, as they do in most modern societies. In some societies, however, aspects of a person's life such as religion and social class are ascribed by the family at birth. In this activity you will learn more about a country that has long used a system of ascribed status—India.

Web sites
The Caste System
Browse this Library of Congress section on the role of the caste system in India. Click through all of the articles on this subject.

The Caste System in India
Read about the history and changes in India 's caste system at this Web site. Click through the different groups section and see how the caste system exists today.

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Activity
Write two paragraphs to compare and contrast the caste system in India—with its use of ascribed status—to the social system in the United States—which focuses more on achieved status. What similarities can you identify? What differences do you see?