Social status
Social status is the standing one holds in society based off of prestige and honor. Social Status is effected by a number of extraneous factors such as occupation, wealth, education, and family.
Historical Overview
Historically, social status has had varying degrees of importance. The Indian caste system presents social status as a static standing. One is born into their social status and remains there, neither moving up or down in standing, until death. In other cases, status is of relatively little importance or may not exist at all, as is true with some Hunter-Gatherer societies such as the Khoisan, some Indigenous Australian societies, and other non-stratified societies. In these cases, status is limited to specific personal relationships. For example, a !Kung man is expected to take his mother-in-law (his wife's mother) quite seriously; but the mother-in-law has no "status" over anyone but her son-in-law—and only then in certain contexts.
In more recent times, wealth and education are thought of as the main predictor for social status. Cultural bonds, family ties, religion, race, gender, and occupation are all factors when examining social status. For example, many societies place higher esteem on some cultures and races, but not others. Different occupations bring different forms of respect, but occupation is not an indicator of social status. A doctor will have higher status than a factory worker, but in some societies a white Anglo-Saxon Protestant doctor will have higher status than an immigrant doctor of minority religion.
Concepts of Social Status
Social status is conceptualized in many different ways. For instance, ascribed status is the status a person is born into, while achieved status is gained through ones own effort.
Achieved status is a sociological term denoting a social position that a person assumes voluntarily which reflects personal skills, abilities, and efforts. Examples of achieved status are being an Olympic athlete, being a criminal, or being a teacher.
Ascribed status is a social status a person is given from birth or assumes involuntarily later in life. For example, a person born into a wealthy family has a high ascribed status.
Social position means a position of an individual in a given society and culture. A given position (for example, the occupation of priest) may belong to many individuals. Social position influences social status. One can have several social positions, but only one social status. Status inconsistency is a situation when an individual's social positions have both positive and negative influences on his social status. For example, a teacher has a positive societal image (respect, prestige) which increases his status but may earn little money, which simultaneously decreases his status. A criminal, on the other hand, may have low social position but high income.
Social status also consists of role-taking. A person has many roles along different social strata and usually occupies several at once. For example, a person can be a parent, a teacher, a friend, and a spouse. Some roles are more important than other roles which can be important in determining social status.
Status is a key idea in social stratification. Max Weber distinguishes status from social class, but some contemporary empirical sociologists fuse the two ideas into "Socio-Economic Status," usually operationalised as a simple index of income, education and occupational prestige.
Books
- Michael Marmot (2004), The Status Syndrome: How Social Standing Affects Our Health and Longevity, Times Books
- Botton, Alain De (2004), Status Anxiety, Hamish Hamilton
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