Gender Ideology Social stratification is the concept that any human society divides its members into large groups based on their relative power, property, and prestige. There are three main forms of social stratification which include slavery, caste systems and social class systems. Ascribed status begins as a social class system. The status attributed is hereditary. A person is assigned a certain status at birth. Some examples of this include race, sex, gender, family background, and economic status. The attributed status is linked to the concept of biological determinism because it involves human thoughts and actions that are inherited. Achieved status is a social position assigned to an individual regardless of his or her personal characteristics. Achieved status is earned and involves skills such as skill and intelligence. Both of these statuses are the foundation of gender ideology. A caste system is a social structure that separates people into different positions based on their inherited and ascribed status. Once a caste system is established, it is practically impossible to get rid of it simply because domination always prevails over rules and subordination. Class systems, on the other hand, are groups of people in a society who are similar in finances, interests, occupations, and values. A class system is also defined at birth. The main difference between a caste system and a class system is that an individual in a class system has the opportunity to change their class by moving up or down the social ladder, but those in a caste system do not. The gender caste system has always existed. Men have always been considered superior to women. In the late 1900's this ideology resonated supreme throughout the world... middle of paper... adopted through social stratification. The gender caste system was inherited by birth, as was the assigned status. It has been made very clear that men are the breadwinners and that women can only be wives and mothers. As time went on, women began to realize that they wanted the same equal opportunities as men. So they founded various groups such as the feminist one which met and held conferences to propose the new equalities they desired. Many of them were denied and denied for the simple fact that men considered them incompetent and thought that they would ruin society and the United States if they had the same rights. The patriarchal society of the time is responsible for many of these accusations against women. The oppression of women is justified through the gender caste system because men have consistently reigned supreme leaving them in their shadow.