Social standing refers to an individual’s social class or status in society. It entails grouping people in a stratified hierarchy based on income, occupation, wealth, social network, and education (Simandan, 2018). Typically, people with high social standing status belong to the upper class. Thus, they quickly access quality healthcare and prestigious schools. Besides, their political participation is substantial because they greatly influence the community’s politics. Those in the low social standing category often have limited access to essential resources because of their low income. The majority of the lower class struggle to get primary education or even a balanced diet. Therefore, it is true that a person’s social standing has a significant impact on their health, family life, values, and political power.
Indeed, social standing strongly determines a person’s health status and life expectancy as it impacts their ability to receive balanced nutrition and adequate medical care. The social health determinants are environmental, including risk factors found in an individual’s working and living conditions. These determinants include wealth and income distribution, and they help predict one’s risk of contracting illnesses, vulnerability, and injury sustainment (Simandan, 2018). For instance, people in lower social standing have poor physical and mental health because they have less insurance cover and limited access to quality health care than people in a higher class. Besides, poor neighborhoods and high poverty status among low-class individuals experience more chronic health issues like pressure and heart diseases.
Subsequently, family life, including the composition of household, marriage, stability of a home, and childbearing, are impacted by social standing. For instance, in America, the probability of initial marriage ending is significantly high for couples in a lower class than those in upper or middle status. The high rate of divorces is linked to financial stress and harsh living conditions that they experience. In addition, a person’s situation has both a cause and an effect relationship with family composition. Low class is often correlated with single-parent households. In comparison, home stability amongst those in upper social standing is good because they can get the resources they need, thus less struggle.
At the same time, the higher a person’s social standing, the higher their political participation and influence level. Political participation tells whether or not an individual engages in voting, campaign donation, or attending vital public forums like council meetings. Those with good education and wealth have a higher voting probability than people with low social standing (Kraus et al., 2015). The upper social class also frequently gives campaign donations to politicians to push their agenda. Moreover, higher-status people often hold political positions, unlike those with low status. The political identity of wealthy people is excellent, and so is their influence in various political issues and forums.
Furthermore, a person’s values are linked to their social standing. Values that people get are often earned through educational attainment. People from high social status are more likely to gain quality education through easy access to prestigious private schools, modern libraries, and qualified teachers. Due to the quality education, high-class people have a high probability of landing good jobs and high salaries. A combination of quality education, prestigious employment, and a significant wage, increases one’s values within society. Contrastingly, the crime levels tend to be high amongst those in the low class because they do not hold strong values due to limited educational attainment.
Conclusively, society establishes hierarchy from low to high based on power, wealth, behavior, and income. The existence of differences among those factors determines a person’s social standing. The gap between the upper and lower social standing groups directly links access to health, politics, family life, and values. People with more resources represent the upper layer, and they got values, substantial political influence, and good family life, unlike the low-status groups.
References
Kraus, M., Anderson, C., & Callaghan, B. (2015). The Inequality of Politics: Social Class and Political Participation”. Available at SSRN 2600107. https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2600107
Simandan, D. (2018). Rethinking the Health Consequences of Social Class and Social Mobility. Social Sciences & Medicine, vol. 200, pp. 258-261. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.11.037
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