Social Differentiation

Status is a person’s social position as defined by others — the person with a high status is regarded as more worthy of respect; is accorded more esteem; and has more prestige within the group Formal status is prestige which arises automatically from having a certain position in society. A cabinet minister or lawyer has high status; a window cleaner or bus driver, low status. Informal status is gained by individuals because of special talents or skills. A miner may have high status among his peers because he is a reliable and likeable workmate. A skinhead may have high status as a ‘nutter’ to be feared. Ascribed status is social position or roles into which you are born — you may have high status through being born into Social Class I or low status because you are black. Achieved status is status acquired by your own effort or actions. You may be born the illegitimate son of a servant girl (low status) and become Prime Minister (high status) as did Ramsay MacDonald; or you may start off as a peer of the realm and end up a penniless criminal. (It is usually easier to rise than to fall — because those in high-status positions have mechanisms which protect those positions.)