Meaning of ascribed and achieved statuses:

1. Sociologists speak of two types of statuses, respectively called and achieved. Ascribed statuses are given to the individual because of the facts related to his/her birth. It is a matter of accident because of my birth in a Brahmin family. I happen to be Brahmin. I did not choose the social position of a Brahmin. In the same way, because of my birth as a female, I happen to occupy the position of a daughter, niece, granddaughter, and later in life, of a wife, mother, aunt and grandmother, etc. The position I occupy by being born in a family, a particular social category, or a particular sex category, are ascribed statuses. They cannot be changed. Once an individual occupies a particular social position because of birth, the other social positions that he would occupy over time, can be easily predicted. If an individual is born a male, we may easily predict that he would be a son, father, uncle, grandfather, and so on.

2. The other social position is called 'achieved status'. In each society, certain positions are left open to be filled in by competition. Individuals compete for certain social positions, and these positions for which there is competition are known as achieved statuses. If a person gets through the Civil Services Examination and becomes a civil servant, then we would say that he has achieved the status. In a simple society, social positions are predominantly ascribed, but there are certain positions that are filled by competition. For instance, the positions of the 'best hunter', the 'best craftsman', the 'best gardner', are the examples of achieved statuses. By comparison, in a complex society, social positions are largely achieved, but it does not imply that ascribed positions disappear. Rather, they continue to be important in many situations. Moreover, ascribed positions often influence the achievement of a status. Being a male in many societies also brings several privileges. A man may be more easily permitted to go for higher education than a woman. Thus there are more chances of males achieving certain statuses than of females.