What is "social status"?

Question

why do we not have it in America?
do any countrys still have social status?
what are the levels of social status?


thanks

Answer 1

social status is really another way of saying social class. Social class is defined by a societies culture, and is usually detemined by the stratificating within society. Somee societies such as India used to use (some still do) what is called a caste system in which each person was born into a pre-determined social class. the class a person was born into determined that person level of education, opportunity in work and social life and the interaction with other people in society. In european history an aearly form of stratification was the classes of nobleman (nobility), the clergy and peasants. each was expected to perform his own duties, and like in india, people were essentially born into a particular class and had very little chance of moving between the classes.
In american society we have a relatively high level of stratification (class diference) between classes. While there is disagreement amond sociologists as to how many classes there really are in america, the classical appproach is to say that there are 3 social classes. the upper class (capitalists), the middle class (while colar workers, managers) and the working class. Class exists in america predominantly based on the capitalist model, so those who have money are essentially higher class. however the level of education and personal taste also goes into the equation. For example a college professor may not earn as much as a wallstreet lawyer, but will still be considered upper class because of his education and knowledge. As for why there are classes, thats really hard to say. Social custom may have somehting to do with it, as does the need for people to identify themselves with likeminded and socially/economically situated individuals. Pretty much every society has a socal class structure of some sort, though the lower the level of stratification, the more social classes tend to blend. So for example Sweeden which has a lower GINI (inequality) coefficient will likely have a lower level of distinction between classes since the barrier to entry from one class to another is relatively low. As for levels of sical status, as this short explanation implies, the number and description of a particular social class/staus will depend on the country and place, ie it depends on who is doing the defining.

Answer 2

According to the nominal approach, however, American society is sociologically and economically fragmented in such a manner that no clear class distinctions can be formed. This means that there are no pronounced breaks in socio-economic strata, which makes class division highly subjective and disputable.[1] Others such as sociologist Dennis Gilbert, however, dispute the idea pointing to distinct social networks, clearly identifiable as classes. Despite the lack of distinctive class boundaries and the vast majority of Americans being under the belief that they are members of the middle class, certain general assumptions have been expressed by leading social scientists, think tanks, research institutions, and social critics.[3] While it is generally agreed upon that American society has a highly developed and complicated class system, Americans often attempt to deny the existence of social class.

Answer 3

Of course America has "social status", it's just not legally formalized. Cities have their rich high-falutin' socialites and debutantes, politicians in Washington DC want to get invited to the best parties, the Clintons want to hang around Hollywood celebrities.

Ask some black kids in the slums if rappers and NBA stars don't have a better social status.

Social status exists everywhere there are human beings, it just takes different specific forms.