A caste system is a class structure that is determined by birth. Loosely, it means that in some societies, if your parents are poor, you're going to be poor, too. Same goes for being rich, if you're a glass-half-full person.

caste system A caste system is a class structure that is determined by birth. Loosely, it means that in some societies, if your parents are poor, you’re going to be poor, too. Same goes for being rich, if you’re a glass-half-full person. The phrase caste system has been around since the 1840’s, but we’ve been using caste since the 1500’s. You might’ve heard about the caste system in India, but there are caste systems all over the world, where people are born into a position, like having a certain kind of job, and it’s hard to change. America prides itself on not having a caste system, because people can “pull themselves up by their bootstraps,” and janitors can go to Harvard. Add to List... Thesaurus Share It Definitions of caste system 1 n a social structure in which classes are determined by heredity Type of: class structure the organization of classes within a society Foreigners who traveled to the United States often experienced the caste system firsthand. Hidden Figures India's caste system is among the world's oldest surviving forms of social stratification. BBCJan 18, 2017 As a Dalit, part of the lowest rung of Hinduism’s ancient caste system, his mere touch, to some, would render the shrine unclean. Los Angeles TimesJan 18, 2017 Your revelation; your "money based caste system" is not news to us. New York TimesApr 23, 2016