title: Disability and social stratification.
abstract: This paper suggests that, for a variety of reasons, the sociology of social stratification--and, as a consequence, mainstream sociology more generally--has neglected the topic of disability. Using material drawn from a range of sources, it is argued that disability is related in definite ways to social class. Further, it is also argued that disability must be considered as a factor contributing to the production and reproduction of stratification in its own right, independently of class relations. These arguments are further advanced in the course of a more detailed consideration of research evidence concerned with mental handicap. The paper ends with a consideration of the role of non-class factors--specifically social status and citizenship--in the stratification systems of modern industrial societies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University College, Swansea.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jenkins
mesh_terms: D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability; D012923:Social Class; D012962:Sociology, Medical; D006113:United Kingdom