Is there a universal social class concept?

Yes, every culture seems to have its social hierarchies, but variations exist in terms of how explicitly these distinctions are observed, and what specific markers of success are valued within a culture.
- In chickens, each hen has a position in which she is submissive to all of the hens above her and dominates all of the ones below her. The dominant hen gets to eat first. (Hence the origin of the term "pecking order.")
- Humans, too, are ranked in terms of their relative standing in society. The "good life" to which they have access, according to their resources, includes education, housing, and consumer goods. People try to improve their lot and move up in the social order whenever possible. This desire to move up, and to let others know that one has done it, is at the core of many marketing strategies.
However, students could also answer that there is universally a concept of social class, but that the way it emerges differs across cultures. Different examples could be drawn from the textbook to make this point.