What are some examples of social structure?

Social structures are systems or relationships which organize the way individuals and groups of people interact with one another. We consider them to be fairly fixed, if not static, and to be understood by all members of a group. 

One example we can consider is the social structure of the family unit. Most people grow up with their families and experience power relations and responsibility in the form of older-younger. We can very easily see...

Social structures are systems or relationships which organize the way individuals and groups of people interact with one another. We consider them to be fairly fixed, if not static, and to be understood by all members of a group. 

One example we can consider is the social structure of the family unit. Most people grow up with their families and experience power relations and responsibility in the form of older-younger. We can very easily see this in the relationship between parents and children. At the risk of being reductive, we could say that the social structure of the family unit works because parents provide for their child's wellbeing, and children obey and learn from their parents. Of course, in reality, it is far more complex than this statement captures.

Another example to consider is the concept of a class or caste system. Class and caste systems are a form of macro or societal structures-- rules which govern the functioning of an entire society based on relative access to power, prestige, and privilege. Class systems are often based on economic status but may also take into account racial or ethnic identity, heritage, gender, occupation, or health status. Caste systems are more dependent upon particularities of ethnic identity and a heritage of family members belonging to a particular class. Another difference between class and caste systems is that class offers a sense of mobility-- someone can increase or decrease their class status through particular choices in life. In contrast, caste systems offer no mobility, regardless of life decisions. 

The opposite of a stratified or differentiated social structure would be an egalitarian one. In egalitarian societies, all members of a group are valued equally and contribute their efforts and ideas for the benefit of the entire group. Early human groups were egalitarian, and some small still practice this today. Egalitarianism is not only a societal structure and may be practiced in groups of very small size. You may have experienced egalitarianism in your friend group when a decision-making opportunity arose and everyone participated in the process.