Throughout history, there have been six types of societies in sociology: hunting and gathering, pastoral, horticultural, agricultural, industrial, and post-industrial. Learn more on identifying and describing the characteristics of these societies. Updated: 10/12/2021
The Six Types of Societies
Have you ever wondered what society was like before your lifetime? Maybe you wonder in what ways has society transformed in the past few centuries? Human beings have created and lived in several types of societies throughout history. Sociologists have classified the different types of societies into six categories, each of which possesses their own unique characteristics:
- Hunting and gathering societies
- Pastoral societies
- Horticultural societies
- Agricultural societies
- Industrial societies
- Post-industrial societies
Earliest Societies
Hunting and gathering societies are the earliest form of society. The members survive primarily by hunting, trapping, fishing, and gathering edible plants. The majority of the members’ time is spent looking for and gathering food. A hunting and gathering society has five characteristics:
- Family is the society’s primary institution. Family determines the distribution of food and how to socialize children.
- These societies are small compared to the others. They generally have less than 50 members.
- Hunting and gathering societies are nomadic, which means that they move constantly in order to find food and water.
- Members of hunting and gathering societies are mutually dependent upon each other.
- Although there is an equal division of labor among the members of hunting and gathering societies, there is a division of labor based on sex. Men are typically responsible for hunting, and women are typically gatherers.
Pastoral societies began around 12,000 years ago. These societies rely on products obtained through the domestication and breeding of animals for transportation and food. Pastoral societies are common in areas where crops cannot be supported, for example in North Africa. Unlike hunting and gathering societies, pastoral societies only have to move when the land in which the animals graze is no longer usable. Pastoral societies also allow for job specialization, since not everyone is needed to gather or hunt for food. For example, while some people breed animals, others are able to produce tools or clothing, which allows for specialization in these areas.
