Social stratification can be described as the establishment of a social system of inequality that uses social traits like race, gender, roles, identities to divide people into distinct categories. Canada has experienced a steady rise in its living standards but there has been an increase in the wealth disparity among different social strata. Canada’s wealthiest 10% owns more than 58%, and the richest 1% receives about 14%. The median income for the richest 1% is 10 times that of the lowest 99%. (Little et al., 2014). Canada’s wealth distribution is uneven, so the most advantaged are those who have the greatest status and influence. Caucasian people make up the majority of wealthy groups. Top of the racial hierarchy, are people from English, Scottish French, German, and German descent, as well Canadians (Little (2014)).
While Whites are the largest group of residents in the upper class, the majority live in the middle and lower classes. The pay gap means that many low-income families are home to Black and other indigenous peoples. Because of their high proficiency in many sectors, South Koreans, Chinese and South Asians earn the highest salaries. Most of the Asian region’s highest-earning residents are technically emigrants. The middle class is dominated by whites, who are paid fairly and have great access to education and housing. It is harder for minorities, like the natives to access high-quality social service. Covid-19 caused economic volatility to be less severe for the dominant racial groups. The median income of Canadian households fell to $55,700 in 2020. This was a 3.3% decrease from the $11.8 earned by indigenous peoples and $6.6 for white Caucasian families (Maroto 2019, 2019). Because they are the largest proportion of society’s upper and middle classes, the dominant ethnic group is considered to be the most privileged. The most vulnerable to economic instability and poverty is the minority.