Database results:
examBoard: Cambridge
examType: IGCSE
lessonTitle: Social stratification in open societies - achieved status
Social stratification is how society organises itself into layers or strata based on wealth, power, status and other valued resources. Think of it like a layered cake, with different groups having different levels of access to what society values. This layering affects nearly every aspect of our lives - from the schools we attend to the jobs we get and even how long we might live!
Key Definitions:
Societies can be placed on a spectrum from closed to open:
Closed societies have rigid social hierarchies where your position is fixed at birth. Think of historical caste systems in India or feudal Europe where peasants couldn't become nobles.
Open societies allow movement between social positions based on individual achievement. Modern democratic countries tend to be more open, though none are perfectly open.
Your social status can come from two main sources:
Ascribed status: Positions you're born into or have little control over (e.g., gender, race, family background, age).
Achieved status: Positions you gain through your own efforts and choices (e.g., education level, occupation, wealth you've earned).
In open societies, achieved status plays a crucial role in determining where you end up in the social hierarchy. While no society is perfectly open (we all have some advantages or disadvantages we're born with), modern societies tend to place high value on personal achievement.
Achieved status is based on merit, effort and personal choices. It's the idea that what you do matters more than who you are or where you come from. This concept is central to the idea of meritocracy - a system where rewards and positions are distributed based on individual merit rather than factors like family background.
The qualifications you earn through studying and passing exams. A university degree is an achieved status that can open doors to better jobs and higher social standing.
The job position you work to attain. Becoming a doctor, teacher, or business owner is an achieved status based on your training, skills and work.
The respect you earn through your actions and contributions. Being known as honest, hardworking or talented is an achieved status built over time.
Achieved status is closely linked to social mobility - the ability to move up or down the social ladder. In societies that value achieved status, there should be opportunities for people to improve their social position through hard work, education and talent.
When someone moves to a higher social position than their parents, this is upward mobility. For example, the child of factory workers becoming a university professor.
This is more possible in societies that emphasise achieved status and provide equal opportunities for advancement.
When someone moves to a lower social position than their parents, this is downward mobility. For example, the child of doctors becoming unemployed.
In societies based on achieved status, this can happen if individuals don't maintain the achievements of their parents.
Some of the world's wealthiest people came from humble beginnings, demonstrating the potential for achieved status in open societies:
These examples show how achieved status can allow dramatic social mobility in relatively open societies, though it's important to note these are exceptional cases rather than the norm.
While achieved status is an important concept in understanding open societies, sociologists recognise several limitations to how it works in practice:
No society operates as a perfect meritocracy where only achievement matters. Even in the most open societies, ascribed statuses like family background, gender and ethnicity continue to influence opportunities and outcomes.
Children from wealthy families often have advantages that help them achieve: better schools, private tutoring, family connections and financial support. This means that what looks like pure achievement may actually be partly influenced by ascribed status.
For example, a student whose parents can afford to support them through university without needing to work part-time has more time to study and achieve good grades.
Discrimination, prejudice and structural inequalities can create barriers to achievement for certain groups. For instance, studies show that people with "foreign-sounding" names may need to send more job applications to get an interview, even with identical qualifications.
These barriers mean that equal effort doesn't always lead to equal achievement.
Sociologists use various indicators to measure the extent to which a society values achieved status:
The UK's Social Mobility Commission regularly reports on how achieved status works in practice in British society. Recent findings show:
These findings suggest that while the UK is an open society that values achieved status in principle, ascribed status continues to play a significant role in determining life chances.
Achieved status is a cornerstone concept in understanding how open societies function. It represents the idea that what you do matters more than who you are or where you come from. While no society perfectly implements this principle, the degree to which achieved status determines social position is a key measure of how open a society truly is.
For sociologists, studying achieved status helps us understand:
As you continue your sociology studies, remember that the balance between achieved and ascribed status is constantly shifting and varies significantly between different societies and historical periods.
Log in to track your progress and mark lessons as complete!
Login NowDon't have an account? Sign up here.