A position in a social structure regulated by norms and
usually ranked according to power and prestige.
Status differs from
class in that it is a measure of a person's social standing or social honour in a
community.
Individuals who share
the same social class may have very divergent status. For example, people's status is
affected by ethnic origin, gender and age as well as their level of recognition in the
community.
While status is
statistically related to class it is common for individuals to have inconsistent class and
status locations.
Most sociologists use
both the concepts of class and status to describe the systems of social stratification
(the way individuals are ranked in various hierarchies of income, wealth, authority and
power) found in societies.
STATUS ASCRIBED
A status that is
automatically transmitted to an individual at birth or at a particular time in the life
cycle. An individual is accorded this status through inheritance or as a result of such
characteristics as sex, ethnicity or physical features.
STATUS INDIAN
A Native person who is
registered under the Indian Act as an Indian, and a non-status Indian is one whose
ancestors were never registered or who lost status for various reasons. Women and their
children lost status, for example, when they married a non-Native man or a Native man who
did not have status. Under Bill C-31 (1985) these people have been able to regain their
status. Court decision are beginning to make the distinction between status and non-status
Indians less significant. |