Dailyn Barrantes Madrigal

Universidad Latina de Costa Rica

LIN-01 Language and Culture
Dailyn Barrantes Madrigal
Topic: Cultural perceptions of Social Status between Costa Rica and United
States of America
I.

Introduction
Definition of Social Status:

Social status is the position or rank of a person or group, within the society.

Categories:

Status can be determined in two ways. One can earn their social status by their
own achievements, which is known as achieved status. Alternatively, one can be
placed in the stratification system by their inherited position, which is called ascribed
status.
i.

Achieved status is a concept developed by the anthropologist Ralph

Linton denoting a social position that a person can acquire on the basis of
merit; it is a position that is earned or chosen. It is the opposite of ascribed
status. It reflects personal skills, abilities, and efforts.

ii.

Ascribed status is the social status a person is assigned at birth or

assumed involuntarily later in life. It is a position that is neither earned nor
chosen but assigned.

iii.

Social stratification

Social stratification describes the way people are placed of "stratified" in society.
Some of the more common bases for such raking include:
1.

Wealth and Income (most common): Ties between persons with the same

personal income
2.

Gender: Ties between persons of the same sex and sexuality

3.

Political Status: Ties between persons of the same political views/status

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4.

Religion: Ties between persons of the same religion

5.

Ethnicity/Race: Ties between persons of the same ethnic/racial group

6.

Social Class: Ties between persons born into the same economic group

7.

Coolness: Ties between persons who have similar levels of popularity

II.

Cultural Perceptions in Costa Rica (Social Class):

In Costa Rica most of the population can be positioned in the middle-class, and
even though extreme poverty is real, it's not as big a problem as it is in other Latin
countries. By the way Costa Rican incomes are very low, but when compared to other
neighbor countries, salaries and earnings demonstrate to be much better. Besides the
poor and middle classes, there is an upper class, which is very exclusive. As in other
countries, this class is composed by both traditionally rich families as well as by
"nouveau riche" families. Even with the existence of extremely rich or poor
individuals, Costa Rican society is composed mostly by a middle-class, which causes
the impression of class.
III.

Cultural Perceptions in United States (Social Class):

Socioeconomic status is just a way of describing the stratification system of the

United States. The class system, also imperfect in classifying all Americans,
nonetheless offers a general understanding of American social stratification. The
United States has roughly six social classes:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Upper class
New money
Middle class
Working class
Working poor
Poverty level

The Upper Class or Old Money: The upper class, which makes up

about one percent of the U.S. population, generally consists of those with vast
inherited wealth. Members of the upper class may also have a recognizable
family name, such as Rockefeller, DuPont, or Kennedy.

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New Money: The category called new money is a relatively new rung on

the social ladder and makes up about 15 percent of the population. New
money includes people whose wealth has been around only for a generation or
two. Example: Oprah Winfrey, Michael Jordan and Bill Gates.

The Middle Class: The members of the middle class earn their money

by working at what could be called professional jobs. They probably have

college educations, or at least have attended college. These people are
managers, doctors, lawyers, professors, and teachers.

The Working Class: The working class makes up about 30 percent of

the population. Its members may have gone to college, but more have had
vocational or technical training. The members of the working class have a
variety of jobs, including the following: Electrician, Carpenter, Factory worker,
Truck driver and Police officer. This category is also called the blue-collar class
in recognition of the likelihood that many of these individuals wear uniforms to
work rather than suits.

The Working Poor: People in the working-poor category have a low

educational level, are not highly skilled, and work at minimum-wage jobs. They
often work two or more part-time jobs and receive no health insurance or other
benefits. These individuals are vulnerable to falling below the poverty line.
They have very little or no job security and their jobs are easily outsourced to
countries where labor is cheaper.

The Poverty Level: People at the poverty level lack the means to meet

their basic needs for food, clothing and shelter. The poverty level, set by the
federal government in the mid 1960s, is an estimate of the minimum income a
family of four needs to survive.

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IV.

Presentation in the classroom: Example of a classroom activity in which you

have to make references to Social Status in Costa Rica and in the United States.

TARGET CONTENT N 7: MORALS AND VALUES.

Procedures.
o Warm up: Students will see some pictures the teacher will show, they
have to say a value which describes that picture. Example:

Respect

Freedom

Love

o Presentation:
Objective: LISTENING: Appreciating / evaluating the content in terms of previously
received information.
The teacher will show the students a short presentation about values in the school,
this in order to explain the importance of values in daily life at school and how values
are important in character building. Example of values: honesty, team spirit, trust and
integrity.
o Practice:
Objective: SPEAKING: Reacting to extreme points of view.
The Students will choose one of the values taught in the presentation. Then, they will
make a short description of what they think that value means for them.
o Production:
Objective: SPEAKING: Reporting information gathered from a text or a discussion.
The teacher will give the students an article about Social Status, after reading the
students will give a short summary of what they understood from the article and also
their opinion about How Social Status affects people values?

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The Importance of Status

Social status can be understood as the degree of honor or prestige attached to one's position in
society. Social stratification is associated with the ability of individuals to live up to some set of
ideals or principles regarded as important by the society or some social group within it. Although
there are a few societies around the world that ascribe everyone (at least adults) equal status,
most societies do have some form of social hierarchy with some people in stronger, more
dominant positions, and other people in weaker, lower positions. Often this inequity is built into the
social system itself through various forms of structural components and institutions. Social and
economic roles are distinguished and accorded differential status according to what a particular
society or culture deems valuable.
In some cases, the inequality in resources and authority may be so great that those dominated go
along with it with little self-awareness. But where resistance arises, social conflict results.
Domination conflicts are conflicts about who is on top (and bottom) of the social, economic, and/or
political hierarchy. Such conflicts may occur between individual people (for example, between
siblings, schoolmates, or co-workers), between groups (for instance between different racial or
ethnic groups), or between nations.
Occupying a high status due to a characteristic that one possesses means that on the basis of that
difference, an individual acquires more power and privilege. That person's opinions, ways of
thinking, values, needs, and feelings are thought to have more value. There is a heightened sense
of an entitlement to society's resources, including health care, education, and attractive
employment. Often these benefits are derived simply from having a particular skin color, being of a
particular gender, being dressed in a particular way, or having a particular profession or degree.
Indeed, various characteristics can be at play in determining one's social status. These include,
but are not limited to, an individual's race, ethnicity, gender, age, skin color, economic class, caste,
religious sect, and regional grouping. In stratified social systems, one group is materially and/or
politically dominant over another group or groups. Which characteristics are regarded as superior
depends on the norms and fashions prevailing in a particular time and place. Individuals tend to
evaluate others according to a particular set of values, and to rank people in terms of
these evaluations.

o Closure:
Objective: WRITING: Making effective use of resources to vary the style and scope
of their own writing.
Finally, the Students will make a written work in which they will mention at least three
values they consider schools and students are losing nowadays and how the losing of
those values affects the relation between classmates.

Materials: Flashcards, Power Point Presentation, Work Sheet.

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Questions to the students in order to evaluate their point of view BEFORE

the activity:
o What they consider are the most important values in society?
o How the lack of values affects the relationships in society?
o Mention some values that are important when sharing with people of
different status.

V.

References

American Class System and Structure: Definitions & Types of Social Classes (2016).
Retrieved October 28th, 2016 from http://study.com/academy/lesson/americanclass-system-and-structure-definitions-types-of-social-classes.html
Social

Class

Costa

Rica

(2016).

Retrieved

October

28th,

2016

from

incostarica.weebly.com/social-class.html
Social Status | Beyond Intractability (2004). Retrieved October 28th, 2016 from
www.beyondintractability.org/essay/social-status
Social

status

Wikipedia

(2016).

Retrieved

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_status.

October

28th,

2016

from