Question

Paco is a Peruvian student who is interested in Sociology. He is concerned about minority issues in his country. Explain to Paco the difference between ascribed status and achieved status. Provide him with an example of how the two statuses are related positively and two examples of how they could be related negatively in your own society.

Answer 1

Ascribed status refers to the status people acquire just because of their birth. This would mean that one’s family would pass down the family status, power and wealth to their children. This is more inherited than achieved by oneself on one’s own. Achieved status refers to the status one achieves through one’s hard work, skills, knowledge, education, employment etc. Thus, no matter from where one hails but one has the opportunity to achieve a status in the society through one’s hard work. One of the most important positive connection is that people who are born in the lower social order would look at those who have ascribed social status and motivate themselves to achieve the same through their hard work. The negative connection is that those in the achieved status would do everything to prevent others from moving up in the social ladder by introducing certain elements such as race, religion, class etc. Secondly, they would also try to dominate them through their wealth and power in order to prevent them from getting the basic facilities such as, education and employment that would help them move up in the social ladder.