Dimensions Of Social Stratification For Whites And Blacks

The aim of this study was to determine the major dimensions of social stratification for whites as well as blacks. A survey was conducted with household heads in the Toledo, Ohio area of both races, using an interview that covered a comprehensive set of potentially important variables. Eighteen first-order factors were found for whites and 19 for blacks. Five factors matched in the two samples: social status, residence, organization activity, political activity and efficacy, and main support's social status. Other important factors, unique to each sample, were: for whites, self-employed and majority group membership, and for blacks, class consciousness and method variance. Second- and third-order factors were also obtained, but they were difficult to interpret. The findings indicate that stratification is more complex than anticipated by current conceptualizations and previous research.