Method of property acquisition and social status in post-communist society

Abstract

The article is dedicated to peculiarities of social stratification in post-communist society. The nature of relations between the subjective social status and possession of property objects depends on the method of their acquisition. The expensive property objects, which often do not correspond to an individual’s financial position but are acquired on his or her own initiative, have the capacity for differentiating people by status indication. Instead, the unintentional acquisition of property under the effect of outer factors has no essential influence on the social status. In the course of privatization of state habitation and land, most Ukrainians became homeowners and landowners. However, property objects acquired on the initiative of government have not become the factors of social stratification. Only with real institutional transformations in economy, liberalization of land market, and legitimation of the institute of private property will the acquired property objects become full-value material assets affecting status characteristics of an individual.