Role and Status

Introduction
Role and status are two interconnected aspects of sociology which share the
common boundaries depending upon the human beings and the society.

It is totally depending of individual social position or his/her status in society.

It gives responses to other humans of the particular human which helps in

identifying and placing an individual in a society.

1. According to young and mack “ a role is the function of a status”.1

2. Robert biertedt says that a “ role is the dynamic or the behavioural aspects of
staus --- a role is what an individual does in the status he occupies”.2
3. For kingsley davis role refers to “the manner In which a person actually
caries out the requirements of the position”3

STATUS

*IN every society,people build their everyday lives using the idea of status.

*Status is a social position that a persons holds.

{JOHN J.MACIONIS,2012}.

*Status is part of our social identity and helps to define our relationship to
others.
*before you deal with anyone in the society first you want to know the
person status and that’s how you deal with that person in this contemporary

1
2

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world , role and status matters a lot for a great and a healthy human
interaction specially status which others determine by their role in society.

*r.linton (1936) defined status as a position in a social system, such as

child and parent .
*basically in my words status refers to what a person is.
*it refers to some position in a social system which has a particular role
attached: grandparent and grandchild , for example
{ sage dictionary of sociology}.

 Status describes the position that an individual holds in a group or that a

group which determines the holistic fundamental character of that person.

 Status describes the position a person occupies in a particular setting.

We all occupy several statuses and play the roles that may be associated

with them. A Role is the set of norms, values, behaviors, and personality

characteristics attached to a status. An individual may occupy the statuses

of student, employee, and club president and play one or more roles with

each one.

Societies decide what is considered appropriate role behavior for

different statuses. For example, every society has the “mother” status.

However, some societies consider it inappropriate for a mother to assume

the role of authority in the family. Other societies ascribe lots of power to

the status of mother. In some societies, students are expected to be

completely obedient to teachers. In American society, the student role

involves asking the teacher questions and even challenging the teacher’s

statements.
  Legal status is the position held by something or someone with regard
to law. It is a set of privileges, obligations, powers or restrictions that
a person or thing has which are encompassed in or declared by
legislation.
 Status is a term that is used often in sociology. Broadly speaking, there
are two kinds of status, achievedstatus and ascribed status. Each can
refer to one's position, or role, within a social system—child, parent,
pupil, playmate, etc.—or to one's economic or social position within
that status.

According to sociologists, status describes the position a person occupies in a

particular setting. We all occupy several statuses and play the roles that may be
associated with them. A role is the set of norms, values, behaviors, and personality
characteristics attached to a status.

Status is a term that is used often in sociology. Broadly speaking, there are two
kinds of status, achieved status and ascribed status.

Each can refer to one's position, or role, within a social system—child, parent,
pupil, playmate, etc.—or to one's economic or social position within that status.

Individuals usually hold multiple statuses at any given time—lawyers, say, who
happen to devote most of their time to pro bono work instead of rising through the
ranks at a prestigious law firm. Status is important sociologically because we
attach to one's position a certain set of presumed rights, as well as presumed
obligations and expectations for certain behaviors.

 Types of status
Achieved Status

An achieved status is one that is acquired on the basis of merit; it is a position that
is earned or chosen and reflects a person's skills, abilities, and efforts. Being a
professional athlete, for example, is an achieved status, as is being a lawyer,
college professor, or even a criminal.

Ascribed Status

An ascribed status, on the other hand, is beyond an individual's control. It is not

earned, but rather is something people are either born with or had no control over.
Examples of ascribed status include sex, race, and age. Children usually have more
ascribed statuses than adults, since they do not usually have a choice in most
matters.

A family's social status or socioeconomic status, for instance, would be an

achieved status for adults, but an ascribed status for children. Homelessness might
also be another example. For adults, homelessness often comes by way of
achieving, or rather not achieving, something. For children, however, homelessness
is not something they have any control over. Their economic status, or lack thereof,
is entirely dependent on their parents' actions.

Mixed-Status

The line between achieved status and ascribed status is not always black and white.
There are many statuses that can be considered a mixture of achievement and
ascription. Parenthood, for one. According to the latest numbers gathered by the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 50 percent of
pregnancies in the U.S. are unplanned, which makes parenthood for those people
an ascribed status.

Then there are people who achieve a certain status because of an ascribed status.
Take Kim Kardashian, for example, probably the most famous reality television
celebrity in the world. Many people might argue that she would never have
achieved that status if she had not come from a wealthy family, which is her
ascribed status.

Status Obligations

Probably the greatest set of obligations are conferred upon the status of
parenthood. First, there are biological obligations: Mothers are expected to care for
themselves and their unborn child (or children, in the case of twins, etc.) by
abstaining for any activity that could cause either of them harm. Once a child is
born, a host of legal, social, and economic obligations kick in, all with the purpose
of ensuring that parents act in a responsible manner toward their children.

Then there are professional status obligations, like doctors and lawyers whose
vocations bind them to certain oaths governing their client relationships. And
socioeconomic status obligates those who have achieved a certain high level of
economic status to contribute portions of their wealth to helping the less fortunate
in society.

Role
Role, in sociology, the behaviour expected of an individual who occupies a given
social position or status. A role is a comprehensive pattern of behaviour that is
socially recognized, providing a means of identifying and placing an individual in
a society. It also serves as a strategy for coping with recurrent situations and
dealing with the roles of others (e.g., parent–child roles). The term, borrowed from
theatrical usage, emphasizes the distinction between the actor and the part. A role
remains relatively stable even though different people occupy the position: any
individual assigned the role of physician, like any actor in the role of Hamlet, is
expected to behave in a particular way. An individual may have a unique style, but
this is exhibited within the boundaries of the expected behaviour.
Role expectations include both actions and qualities: a teacher may be expected not
only to deliver lectures, assign homework, and prepare examinations but also to be
dedicated, concerned, honest, and responsible. Individuals usually occupy several
positions, which may or may not be compatible with one another: one person may
be husband, father, artist, and patient, with each role entailing certain obligations,
duties, privileges, and rights vis-à-vis other persons.
Characteristics of the Role:
Characteristics of the role may be studied in the following heads:
1. Action Aspect of Status:

The role is in fact the action aspect of status. In involves various types of actions

that a person has to perform in accordance with the expectations of the society.

These actions are dependent not on the individual’s will but on the social sanction.

That is why it is said that every social role has a cultural basis.

2. Changing Concept of Role:

Social roles as already stated, are in accordance with the social values, ideals,

patterns etc. These ideals, values and objects change and so the concept of the role

also changes. The role which is justified at a particular time may not be justified at

some other time.

3. Limited Field of Operation:

Every role has a limited area of operation and the role has to be confined within

that. For example an officer has a role to play in the office but when he reaches his

family, that role ceases.

4. Roles are not Performed 100% for the Fulfillment of the Expectations:

It is not possible for anyone to perform his role fully in accordance with the

expectations of the society. There is bound to be some distinctions. For example

one may not be able to perform his role to the full satisfaction of the children.
5. Difference in the Importance of Role:

From the socio-cultural point of view all the roles are not equally important. Some

of the roles are more important while the others are less. The, roles that are most

important are called key roles while the roles that are of general importance, are

called general roles.

Role Conflict:
Role conflict is the psychological stress created when persons do not filter roles

(personal role-conflict), when relevant others disagree with the individual about his

or her role (intra role-conflict), or when several different roles make mutually

exclusive demands on an individual (intra role conflict).

Conclusion
In stratified societies, social status endows different value to individual members of
the society. If education and wealth are considered main indicators of social status,
then education will become more valued, and more expensive. American society in
the twentieth century witnessed inflation in the cost of higher education and an
emphasis on educational success. Globalization, however, has also shown people
that their social status is not forever fixed. Witnessing the possibility for people in
other cultures to move up and down in social standing may inspire them to
question how their own society works. People desire to move up in their social
status and many have different ideas on how to go about this, some of which result
in creative new ideas. This may create progress for a culture.
Historically, hierarchical social structures have been successful in
advancing civilization and culture. Nevertheless, a truly equitable society would be
one in which social status does not result in different value for individuals.
Recognition of the value of each person, as a unique individual fulfilling their own
potential and as a member of society fulfilling their role in service to the whole
community, is necessary for the establishment of a peaceful, just world.
Role and status are just an alterego of each other in the human life people behavior
are just going to change according to their status determined by the role of the
human in society.
Eg: if you see a person from a bmw your first impression was he/she is so rich and
accordingly you are talking with them in a obedient manner, which they gonna like
and it suits their attitude.
On the other hand if you see a bagger your behavior is maybe tends rude .
So I want to say role and status are inseperable things in human life.

Bibliography
 C .R Shankara rao : for law students
 C.N Venugopal and Oommen T.K : Sociology for
law student
 Schotter a (1981), the economic theory of social
institutions,cambridge university press.
 Some American podcast
 Status and role ( hughes,1945) journal
 Comparative analysis of role and status { a
semantic scholar}
SUBMITTED BY: ARBAZ
KHAN
BA LL.B (hons.) 1st
year
Roll no:74
Submitted to: rasheed
sir