All people in the society the world over are important and play significant roles in the society depending on status.
Status means designation of comparative amounts of prestige, difference, or respect accorded to persons who bear assigned different roles in a group or community.
There are two types of statuses of ascribed, that is statuses acquired in the society through socialization for example political post of MCA, Governor, while achieved status is that which one struggles to achieve in academics by use of intelligentsia or talents, for example a doctor, engineer, lawyer, teacher and so on in the society.
It is quite wrong for members of the society to accord more respect to persons who have ascribed than achieved status.
Most politicians are in ascribed status and are accorded respect than a doctor of medicine who treats patients in a hospital. This has been evidenced in a social gathering for fundraiser or people in church worshipping.
For instance, when a doctor of medicine attends a church for worship happens to come early but members of the church might not recognize him/her, although they know his work in the hospital, but if a politician arrives late and the sermon is on, people or church members take attention or can stop the service to welcome such a person.
He is then directed by church attendants to go and sit in front and later be given a chance to address the congregation. This kind of behaviours is unwanted in the modern society where people are literate and wise.
The status of a person is high if the role s/he plays is considered important by a group of people in the society.
If the role is regarded less significant, its performer may be accorded a lower status. In this sense, the status of person is based on social evaluations.
But people do wrong evaluations by indexing the amount of money one has and uses in them within the society, which is why a Member of County Assembly may be accorded high respect than a professor in a university. This means the status and office gives a person respect in the society.
The office designates the position occupied by a person in a social organization governed by specific and definite rules, more generally achieved than ascribed. A person’s status determines his/her specific office in several ways and the office in turn affects his/her status.
That is why the office of MCA can be respected more than the office of a neuro-surgeon, or a professor teaching in a university. This can simply have attributed to two facts, that is, one, prestige, where people attach an individual value to an office independently, of who occupies it, and or how its requirements are carried out and two, esteem, where people attach value to the individual according to how well, or ill s/he carries out obligations of the office.
Therefore, it may be said, a person may hold a position of high prestige but may enjoy little esteem for example a surgeon can hold a high office, but may accorded little esteem by people compared to a chief or village elder in political gathering. In such cases esteem is always related to the expectations of a position whereas prestige is attached to the position as such. This attitude should change and accord respect to the amount put in solving a disturbing problem mentally not financially.
It is concluded that people are accorded respect due to their status. However, it is unfortunate to see people respecting politicians than doctors, engineers, lawyers who have done exemplary scholarly work, in social, education, and religious, cultural, economic or political gatherings.
This has been noticed practically in many gatherings of people such as fund-raiser, burial ceremonies, marriage weddings, political and community functions and worship in churches.
It is recommended in any gatherings of its kind those who deserve should be accorded high respect for example worshipping in church-pastors, educational functions-the scholars and academicians, in political gatherings-politicians, communication-journalists respectively and so on, without which those in high offices with high prestigious achievement might decline in attending such places where they are discriminated by others and adore some. This also will bring social organization in the society where each is valued whether has achieved or ascribed status.
Dr Okebiro teaches Sociology, Social work, Community and Development studies in Turkana University College. His contact: okebirog@gmail.com
Whether a position is ascribed or achieved, the perceived worth is due to societal interpretation of their worth: the diamond water paradox. How many doctors, lawyers, professors are there in the locality in comparison to elected MCA? Of what use is their qualifications to the common man’s plight? The ambidextrity of the politician make them appear more useful. They are more approachable, have solutions for everyone and everything. The achieved status comes with some element of elevated pride and ordinarily imagine that they should be approached for solutions. They are also mean in sharing their expertise compared to the ascribed individuals.