Kazakhstan society in the sociological dimension (based on the results of an in-depth interview and a formalized expert survey)

Abstract

The social structure of Kazakh society is undergoing an intensive process of transformation. The social and economic policies of recent decades in the country, as well as the impact of global trends, have influenced changes in the social structure in Kazakhstan. The pandemic and the post-pandemic period have added a new dimension to the change in social stratification, and social classes and strata different from traditional societies have begun to emerge around new production relationships. The article, based on the in-depth interview and formalized survey of experts, shows that the distance and mobility between the layers can vary significantly, depending on the subjective stratification through the values and culture of society, Economic and political systems and many other factors. This and other things will lead to a new social structure that transforms traditional social security systems that are designed to reduce poverty and stratification and to regulate income distribution. The main dis- course of contemporary research on social structure and stratification is limited to conceptual discus- sions about social classes. The lack of quantitative and qualitative studies of social stratification and the lack of available representative data limits the complex and multi-level approaches in the study. In the article based on the conducted study, it is established that the Kazakh society is stratified in various forms by abstract or specific criteria.

Key words: social structure, society, stratification, modernization, measurement.