Stratification is a "multidimensional phenomenon"; that is, populations are ranked along various dimensions such as occupation, education, property, racial-ethnic status, age, and gender. Each of these dimensions is a "class system." According to Gerhard Lenski, class systems are “a hierarchy of classes ranked in [..]

The loss of manufacturing capacity.

The development of increasing complexity and division of labor within sociocultural systems.

The physical objects of a given sociocultural system. Usually thought to consist of products, art, tools and other tangibles.

A society which lacks formal institutions of government.

Weber's term for authority based on long-established custom or tradition. (See also Charismatic authority and Rational-legal authority.)

A position attained through personal ability and effort.

The increased acidity of rainfall which is caused by emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides from power plants and automobiles.

A disease that attacks the immune system of the body that is often passed on through sexual contact.

  A short-term disease (such as influenza or pneumonia) from which a person either dies or recovers.