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Master Status in Sociology: De nition & Examples

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 Lesson Transcript

Instructor: Christine Serva Cite this lesson

Christine has an M.A. in American Studies, the study of American

history/society/culture. She is an instructional designer, educator, and writer.

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This lesson provides examples of master status, and describes the importance it plays in our lives
and the lives of everyone around us. You'll consider what your own master status is, and take a quiz
to check your understanding of the concept.

De nition of Master Status

Master status is a term in sociology used to describe the status of greatest importance in a
particular person's life. This can be based on any status, such as your gender, ethnicity, skin tone,
physical and mental health or ability, economic status, sexual orientation, religious or spiritual
tradition, employment status, occupation or family responsibility, such as a parent or grandparent.

Master status is a type of label that may be given to you by others you encounter in the world, or it
may be the status that you personally feel is most important. It could be a part of you that is rst
apparent to others when they meet you, or it could be an element to your identity that others would
not realize simply by looking at you. Master status shapes a person's life and can be a positive,
negative, neutral or mixed label, and it can change over time. While disability is often viewed as a
master status, those with disabilities may have other areas of life that are dominant, such as being an
athlete.

For some, their master status may come with a sense of prestige, the consensus from the
community around them that a status is to be desired. On the other hand, when a status is seen as
undesirable, the status may be stigmatized. A stigma can result from choices someone has made,
such as breaking the law, or from circumstances outside of a person's control, such as illness or
disability. A person may shift over time from being stigmatized to having a prestigious status, and
vice versa. Status inconsistency occurs when one status does not appear to be coordinated with the

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 others in a person's life, so there may be times when a master status is far di erent from other
elements of a person's life.

Examples of Master Status

Imagine that you have a friend named Carla, and you try to pinpoint her master status. Since she is
the CEO of a company, you might start with the idea that her master status is her job. Occupation is a
common master status because most people spend many hours of their week working, and so it

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often dominates much of their identity.

Yet, occupation may be overshadowed by other important aspects of a person's life. For instance, if
Carla spends her free time participating in animal rights rallies, her master status may be that of an
activist, rather than a CEO. Since this particular area of her life dominates her thoughts and beliefs, to
her it may trump being a CEO.

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