Social status refers to an individual's position in society determined by factors like age, gender, class, occupation, and education. A person's status is the sum of the roles they possess at any given time, such as daughter, social worker, or business manager. Status can be either attained through one's accomplishments, or ascribed without consideration of ability, such as sex or family ties assigned at birth. Social status is important because it determines fundamental social interactions and relationships, contributes to social stability by enabling harmonious interactions, and entitles individuals to certain rights and responsibilities based on their role in society. There are two main types of social status - achieved, which one acquires through skills and knowledge, and ascribed, which is

1. SOCIAL STATUS
FRANKLIN S. GHOROZA

2. MEANING OF SOCIAL STATUS
The word status, which has Latin roots, refers to a person's condition
as determined by the law. A person's position in society is referred to as their social
status. An individual moves through a variety of statuses throughout
their lifetime based on factors like age, gender, class, occupation, and education. A
person may be a daughter, a social worker, a participant in a book club, a
guitarist, or a manager in a business at any one time. A person's status is the sum
of all the statuses that they possess. Status may be attained, requiring particular
qualities and acquired via competition and individual effort, or it may
be attributed, or assigned to someone at birth without consideration of any
intrinsic abilities. While attained status may be based on education, employment,
marital status, accomplishments, or other variables, ascribed status is often based
on sex, age, race, familial ties, or birth

3. DEFINITION
• Kingsley Davis:
“Status is the position in the general institutional system recognized
and adopted by the entire society spontaneously evolved rather than
deliberately created rooted in the folkways and customs.”
• Ogburn and Nimkoff:
“The simplest definition of status is that it represents the position of
the individual in the group.”

4. NATURE/CHARACTERICTICS OF SOCIAL
STATUS
• The status is determined by the cultural situation of the particular society,
• The status is determined only in relevance of the other members of the society
• Every individual has to play certain role in accordance with the status
• Status is only a part of the society as a whole
• As a result of status, the society is divided into various groups
• Every status carries with it some prestige
• Some of these statuses are earned or achieved while others are ascribed.
• According to status people may be divided into various categories. These
categories or statuses are not imposed from above. Some of these statuses are
earned or achieved while others are ascribed.

5. IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL STATUS
• Status is important in society because it is the fundamental unit of analyses of
social structure.
• A large number of interactions in society are status interactions and which is
based on the status of an individual.
• A large number of relationships of individual are also based on their status.
• A status which contributes to interaction patterns and indolently harmonious
interaction among people this contributes to the stability of society.
• Status is important because it entitle an individual certain right and
responsibility.

6. CONTD……
• Status prepare a person to perform some role.
• Status help in the development of personality of the individual and teach
the person a normative aspect with pattern of behavior.
• The structure of society is made up of network of status and these status
contribute to fundamental order of society.

7. TYPES OF SOCIAL STATUS
• Achieved status:
Achieved status are those which the individual acquires during his/her
lifetime as a result of the exercise of knowledge, ability, skill. Eg: Lawyer,
doctor, etc.
• Ascribed status:
Ascribed status is one that is assigned to a person at birth or at different
stages in the life cycle. Eg: being male or female, caste, religion, etc.

8. Thankyou!