Final answer:
Sociologists distinguish between two types of social stratification systems: caste systems, which are closed and ascribed by birth, and class systems, which are open and allow for social mobility based on achievement. The idealized meritocratic system rewards individuals based on personal worth and effort.
Step-by-step explanation:
Sociologists distinguish between two types of systems of stratification: caste and class systems. A caste system is a form of social stratification where people's statuses are assigned at birth and are immutable. In such a system, social mobility is highly restricted, and there is typically no possibility for someone to move outside the caste they were born into. Contrastingly, a class system is more flexible and is considered to be an open system that allows for movement and interaction between different social classes. This stratification is based on both ascribed and achieved factors like wealth, income, education, and occupation.
An ideal system of stratification that many sociologists discuss is a meritocracy. In a meritocratic system, individuals achieve social standing based on merit, which is usually their abilities, talents, and efforts rather than their ascribed statuses. While a pure meritocracy does not truly exist in any society, it is held up as an ideal because it emphasizes personal worth and rewards individual effort over predetermined statuses.