Low-status Positions Research Articles

Status positions and scientific Capital in Russian Science

The paper addresses scientific capital distribution and describes status positions of scientists in the field of modern Russian science. Inequalities in science are associated with a variety of factors including gender, wealth, symbolic and moral authority etc. However, technological development has emphasized the significance of new inequality forms based on digital and networking skills. An important question is how these new inequality factors change the field of science. The theoretical and methodological framework of the paper is based on the ideas of R. Merton on the differentiated allocation of rewards, as well as the provisions of P. Bourdieu on dominance in the field of science and on the types of scientific capital. The authors present the result of an online survey of Russian scientists (N=551), the aim of which was to identify the gaps and contradictions within the field of Russian science. To differentiate between the status positions of scientists the authors constructed an integral index of scientific status, according to which all the scientists were divided into three categories with low, medium and high status positions. Empirical data show that there is a contradiction between the scientific dominance based on formal status, and the one based on the production of advanced scientific knowledge. Formal characteristics of the scientific status do not fully reflect subjective perception of the return on the accumulated scientific capital. It is suggested that the elimination of contradictions by means of science policies may contribute to the development of Russian science.

Dónde Están Mi Gente?: perceptions of, and support for, professional advancement among latinx/a/o mid-level higher education administrators

ABSTRACT Latinx/a/os have significantly increased in number in the US population. The advancement of mid-level Latinx/a/o professionals in higher education is not occurring at the same rate as the increase of the Latinx/a/o population in the country. This study aimed to examine the perceptions of mid-level Latinx/a/os administrators in their workplace experiences in higher education to determine if structural inequality disproportionately impacts Latinx/a/os by relegating them to lower-status positions. A qualitative approach to this study allowed the researcher to interact with participants through interviews and gain a comprehensive understanding of their workplace experiences. A discussion of the study findings in light of earlier analysis and literature on the subject follows. Recommendations for practitioners and methods for implementing these findings are offered as implications for practice. The study’s anticipated effect is to expand the body of research supporting mid-level Latinx/a/o administrators in higher education and to improve the practice in this domain.

Status beliefs negatively affect expected university attainment of lower class students

ABSTRACT Lower class students are less likely to attend university than their higher class counterparts, even adjusting for academic performance. I argue this is due to “status beliefs” – widely-held views that high status individuals (e.g. men, ethnic majorities, higher class) are generally more competent than low status individuals (e.g. women, ethnic minorities, lower class). Lower class students are therefore attributed, and internalise, lower expected academic competence due to their low status position, regardless of true ability. However, studying the effect of status beliefs is difficult, since it is hard to identify contexts where status beliefs vary and yet objective characteristics do not. My solution is to leverage variation in a student’s reference group. I argue that when a lower class student is placed in a (relatively) higher class classroom, they are seen, by themselves and others, as subjectively more lower class than if they were placed in a lower class classroom. Since they are seen as lower class, they internalise negative status beliefs about lower class people. I present two studies, one applying a quasi-experimental design to observational data, and the other a vignette method, that provide complementary evidence that status beliefs are a consequential factor in determining educational inequality.

Community-based natural resource management and social exclusion in Zimbabwe

ABSTRACT Community-based natural resource management (CBNRM), which is aimed at ensuring meaningful participation of rural communities in decision-making and promoting sustainable utilisation of natural resources, has been criticised for excluding local communities from decision-making. Using the concept of social exclusion and a qualitative approach, the study's main objective was to analyse the exclusion faced by the minority Doma ethnic group in the Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE) programme in northern Zimbabwe. Findings showed that the Doma were excluded from decision-making related to wildlife management by powerful stakeholders, who included political elites, local authority officials, government conservation authorities, and the safari operator. The crux of this exclusion revolved around the large differences between their livelihood practices and those of the other stakeholders, their low-status position and peripheral location. The Doma also participated in their exclusion as they decided to take an indifferent approach to CAMPFIRE.

People's Preferences for Inequality Respond Instantly to Changes in Status: A Simulated Society Experiment of Conflict Between the Rich and the Poor.

Most people in the United States agree they want some income inequality but debate exactly how much is fair. High-status people generally prefer more inequality than low-status individuals. Here we examine how much preferences for inequality are (or are not) driven by self-interest. Past work has generally investigated this idea in two ways: The first is by stratifying preferences by income, and the second is by randomly assigning financial status within lab-constructed scenarios. In this paper, we develop a method that combines both experimental control and the social experience of inequality-a simulated society experiment. Across two experiments (N = 138, observations = 690), participants voted on the distribution of rewards-first behind a veil of ignorance, and then when they were randomly assigned a status within a game of chance. Status varied repeatedly across five rounds, allowing us to measure dynamic preferences. Under the veil of ignorance, people preferred inequality favoring the top status. When the veil of ignorance disappeared, self-interest immediately influenced inequality preferences. Those who randomly landed in top positions were satisfied with the status quo established under the veil of ignorance, whereas those who randomly landed in bottom positions wanted more equality. Yet these preferences were not stable; decisions about the optimal level of inequality changed according to changes in social status. Our results also showed that, when inequality grows in a society, preferences regarding inequality become polarized by social status. Individuals in low-status positions, particularly, tend to demand more equality.

Racial and gender inequality regimes in sport: occupational segregation and wage gaps in the U.S. spectator sports industry

ABSTRACT Research question While previous studies of sport industry diversity highlight racial and gender inequalities amongst top management, coaches, and athletes, we lack an understanding of diversity across the broader workforce, particularly amongst lower status and part-time workers. This study examines occupational segregation and wage gaps in the U.S. spectator sports industry, drawing from racialized and gendered organization theories to understand how the industry (re)produces inequality. Research methods Using American Community Survey data, hypothesis tests compared percentages of workers by race, ethnicity, and sex for occupations to percentages of the U.S. population. Regression analyses further examined occupational segregation and earnings differentials by race, ethnicity, and sex, with comparisons to the broader workforce. Results and Findings Results show women and racial minorities are overrepresented in less powerful, lower-earning, and part-time jobs. Large earnings differentials by sex, race, and ethnicity are found across occupations within the sports workforce. Compared to non-sport industries, occupational segregation is greater, and earnings gaps are generally similar or smaller in the sport industry. Implications This research expands understanding of sport industry diversity by highlighting the overrepresentation of women and racial minorities in lower status positions in an industry where white men dominate positions of power. In doing so, it highlights the industry’s operation as an inequality regime, (re)producing inequality through structures and practices.

Cardiac deceleration following positive and negative feedback is influenced by competence-based social status

ABSTRACT Previous studies indicate that neurophysiological signatures of feedback processing might be enhanced when participants are assigned a low-status position. Error commission and negative feedback can evoke responses in the peripheral (autonomic) nervous system including heart rate deceleration. We conducted an exploratory study to investigate whether such activity can be modulated by the participant’s social status in a competence-based hierarchy. Participants were engaged in a cooperative time estimation task with two same-gender confederates. On each trial, they were provided with positive or negative feedback depending on their time estimation performance. Their social status varied during the task, so that they were either at the top (high-status) or at the bottom (low-status) of the hierarchy in different blocks. Results showed that cardiac deceleration was significantly modulated by feedback valence in the high-status but not in the low-status condition. We interpret this result as an increased activation of the performance monitoring system elicited by the desire to maintain a high-status position in an unstable hierarchy. In this vein, negative feedback might be processed as an aversive stimulus that signals a threat to the acquired status.

Reduction of Socio-economic Diversity through Standardisation of Language: Reflections and Challenges

Could the standardisation of language narrow disparities in achievement in education amongst people of different social class, and within and across ethnicities and genders, and could this have implications for injustices and inequities in wider society? In analysing socio-economic diversity through the lens of its correlation with language, this paper examines how the standardisation of language could be used as a means to reduce such diversity. It examines links between the standardisation of language, and the reduction of inequalities between socio-economic groups, in regard to achievement in education. It also examines the correlation between language and social class, and propensity towards being a perpetrator and/or victim of hostility and violence, as well as their relationship with health and life expectancy etc. The paper further examines the effect of the use of technology and teaching methods on the acquisition of knowledge, and how this impacts upon children of different social class within the learning environment. In order to help address some of these questions, an auto-ethnographic methodology is adopted with the aim of being able to explore, and reflect upon, personal experience, and to be able to weave greater understanding and connections between apparently disparate factors related to diversity, all through the lens of language and its relationship to aspects of culture relating to social class. Amongst its conclusions, the paper argues that the standardisation and enhancement of spoken language would narrow the disparities in academic achievement between socio-economic groups. The paper also argues that in order to challenge inequitable power structures which have arisen from historical injustices, then rather than concentrating on under-representation of groups of people within high status positions in society, the focus of diversity should be directed towards challenging the over representation, in a range of settings, of groups of people within low status positions in society. Keywords: auto-ethnography, socio-economic diversity, language, Standard English, inequality

Australian adolescents’ beliefs and perceptions towards healthy eating from a symbolic and moral perspective: A qualitative study

Unhealthy food choices among adolescents are considered a significant health concern. Current rhetoric adds a moral dimension to food and considers adolescents as moral and healthy eaters or less moral or less healthy eaters. While much research has investigated the structural barriers and facilitators to healthy eating, minimal scholarship has investigated Australian adolescents' symbolic and moral boundary beliefs and perceptions of healthy eating from different socioeconomic statuses. Using Lamont’s (1992, 2000) concept of ‘moral boundary work’ and Sayer’s (2005, 2011) ideas on the moral dimensions of social class, we explore Australian adolescents' beliefs and perceptions towards healthy eating from a symbolic and moral boundary perspective. The study consisted of seven focus groups interviews (N = 27) with Australian adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 (10 male, 17 female) across three different socioeconomic status secondary schools. An inductive thematic analysis approach was adopted to analyse the data. Adolescents associated healthy eating with 1) beliefs and perceptions, 2) moral judgement, and 3) ethical eating and food sustainability priorities. Overall, adolescents constructed and applied their own moral and symbolic meanings to healthy eating. Furthermore, adolescents exerted their moral boundaries by comparing their food choices with their families and peers. Current research is mixed if adolescents from low socioeconomic status positions engage in moral boundary work. This study makes an original contribution by introducing how Australian adolescents interpret healthy eating across socioeconomic status positions. The findings from the study suggest that Australian adolescents across a range of socioeconomic statuses do and can be engaged in moral boundary work and demonstrated a sense of self-worth and dignity regarding their dietary practices.

The effects of experimentally manipulated social status and subjective social status on physical activity among Hispanic adolescents: An RCT.

Low objective socioeconomic status (SES) and subjective social status (SSS), one's perceived social rank, are associated with obesity. This association may be due, in part, to social status-related differences in energy expenditure. Experimental studies are needed to assess the extent to which SES and SSS relate to energy expenditure. Assess the effects of experimentally manipulated social status and SSS on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary behaviour. One hundred thirty-three Hispanic adolescents aged 15-21 were randomized to a high or low social status position, facilitated through a rigged game of Monopoly™. SSS was assessed with MacArthur Scales. Post-manipulation 24-h MVPA and sedentary behaviour were assessed via accelerometry. Analyses were conducted with general linear regression models. Experimentally manipulated social status did not significantly affect the total time spent in MVPA or sedentary behaviour; however, identifying as low SSS was significantly associated with less MVPA (p=0.0060; 18.76 min less). Tewnty-four-hour MVPA and sedentary behaviour are not affected by an acute experimental manipulation of social status. However, low SSS, independent of SES, was associated with clinically significant differences in MVPA. SSS may be a better predictor of MVPA than SES among Hispanic adolescents, potentially influencing obesity, and other health-related outcomes.

Ideology shapes how workers perceive and react to workplace discrimination: An experimental study on parenthood discrimination

Employers use ideologically-tinged rhetoric to justify workplace discrimination. We argue that workers will be less likely to label biased treatment against them as discriminatory when they subscribe to those ideologies as well. We tested this prediction and the consequences of labeling for work attitudes and performance using an experiment that assigned parents to a low-status position in a work group, varying whether the decision invoked biased, ideological assumptions about parenthood. As expected, ideology drove mothers' (but not fathers’) labeling. Mothers were less likely to label biased treatment against them as discriminatory when they were conservative and when they subscribed to separate spheres and ideal worker ideologies. Mothers who labeled their treatment as discriminatory had more negative work attitudes than those who did not, but also tended to appeal the decision. Ideology thus shapes whether people label discrimination when it occurs as well as their subsequent work attitudes and justice-seeking behaviors.

Countervailing powers in the labor room: The doula–doctor relationship in the United States

How do health professionals with fundamentally different philosophies toward health, and different status levels, manage power in their work relationships? This paper argues that taking a negotiated order interactionist approach, which contends that the social order shapes behavior but is continuously negotiated through social interactions, and synthesizing it with a countervailing powers perspective can yield insight into the power dynamics between health professionals. It focuses on the birth field, with attention to the relationship between two very different types of birth professionals: obstetricians and doulas. Unlike doctors, who maintain a dominant place in health care and subscribe to a biomedical perspective of birth, doulas hold a low-status position and take a holistic approach toward birth, which may cause conflict in the labor room. In-depth interviews with 43 birth doulas based in the US (May–July 2018) found that the doula–doctor relationship is a complex story of power, deference, and countervailing responses. Doulas reported that doctors are more receptive to them now than in the past but that this is an outcome of creative countervailing responses involving deferential maneuvers and direct challenges to physician authority. Doulas’ strategic management of their relationships with health professionals has allowed them entry to the hospital, permitting them to represent a holistic voice in the labor room. A minority of doulas have begun to develop relationships with doctors that constitute a collaborative approach toward birth care, indicating that changes in standard care are possible. By revealing how a subordinate actor can challenge physicians and effect change in care, this study contributes to scholarship seeking to understand the nature of unequal relationships between health professionals in a context of biomedical dominance.

Low competitive status elicits aggression in healthy young men: behavioural and neural evidence.

Winners are commonly assumed to compete more aggressively than losers. Here, we find overwhelming evidence for the opposite. We first demonstrate that low-ranking teams commit more fouls than they receive in top-tier soccer, ice hockey and basketball men’s leagues. We replicate this effect in the laboratory, showing that male participants deliver louder sound blasts to a rival when placed in a low-status position. Using neuroimaging, we characterize brain activity patterns that encode competitive status as well as those that facilitate status-dependent aggression in healthy young men. These analyses reveal three key findings. First, anterior hippocampus and striatum contain multivariate representations of competitive status. Second, interindividual differences in status-dependent aggression are linked with a sharper status differentiation in the striatum and with greater reactivity to status-enhancing victories in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex. Third, activity in ventromedial, ventrolateral and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is associated with trial-wise increases in status-dependent aggressive behaviour. Taken together, our results run counter to narratives glorifying aggression in competitive situations. Rather, we show that those in the lower ranks of skill-based hierarchies are more likely to behave aggressively and identify the potential neural basis of this phenomenon.

Group status rapidly shapes preschoolers’ social judgments in minimal group settings

Previous developmental research has consistently detected the presence of an explicit and implicit ingroup preference among preschoolers. More recent research has also demonstrated that this general ingroup bias is influenced by perceived social status when “real” groups are involved (i.e., groups with a previous history of interactions). Indeed, ingroup bias is significantly tempered among low-status group members. The main aim of the current study was to further investigate the role of social status by assessing both implicit and explicit intergroup attitudes in the context of newly formed groups. More specifically, children were randomly assigned to one of two fictitious groups on the basis of trivial criteria, thereby forming the so-called “minimal” groups. To manipulate group status, participants were then informed that one specific group—either the ingroup or the outgroup—was typically better than the other group during competitions. Finally, implicit and explicit intergroup attitudes were assessed. Overall, results showed that children rapidly formed implicit and explicit intergroup attitudes toward newly formed groups. Most important, the perceived status of the groups modulated such intergroup attitudes. Indeed, on both types of measures, ingroup bias emerged when the ingroup was associated with a high status, whereas it disappeared when the ingroup was in a low-status position.

The Black Lives Matter Movement: A Call to Action for Couple and Family Therapists.

The frequent police killings during the COVID-19 pandemic forced a reckoning among Americans from all backgrounds and propelled the Black Lives Matter movement into a global force. This manuscript addresses major issues to aid practitioners in the effective treatment of African Americans via the lens of Critical Race Theory and the Bioecological Model. We place the impacts of racism on Black families in historical context and outline the sources of Black family resilience. We critique structural racism embedded in all aspects of psychology and allied fields. We provide an overview of racial socialization and related issues affecting the parenting decisions in Black families, as well as a detailed overview of impacts of structural racism on couple dynamics. Recommendations are made for engaging racial issues in therapy, providing emotional support and validation to couples and families experiencing discrimination and racial trauma, and using Black cultural strengths as therapeutic resources.

Alleen maar een verlangen? jobgerelateerde risicofactoren en seksueel grensoverschrijdend gedrag in de Vlaamse cultuur- en mediasector

In this paper, we analyse how characteristics of the work environment in the cultural industries influence the likelihood of experiencing sexual harassment. We differentiate between communicational (remarks, jokes and infantilization) and behavioural (physical contact and force) forms of sexual harassment. Experiencing the work environment as highly competitive and having a large professional network prove to be the most important explanatory factors. Doing artistic work is a secondary factor that helps explain the prevalence of sexual harassment. Occupational status is also important, but this effect differs for men and women. Men experience sexual harassment more often when they have a lower status position within the cultural and media industries, while this is not the case for women.

Overcoming Resource Scarcity: Consumers’ Response to Gifts Intending to Save Time and Money

Consumers feel increasingly pressed for time and money. Gifts have the potential to reduce scarcity in recipients’ lives, yet little is known about how recipients perceive gifts given with the intention of saving them time or money. Across five studies (N=1,816), we demonstrate that the recipients of gifts intending to save money experience more negative emotions and infer a lower status position than recipients of gifts intending to save time. Recipients experiencing greater financial scarcity (who may benefit most from gifts intending to save them money), experience negative emotions to a greater extent and perceive an even lower status position than recipients who experience relatively little financial scarcity. These findings are the first to directly evaluate the implications of receiving gifts seeking to address time and money scarcity and suggest that recipients may respond negatively to gifts given with the intention of saving money.

The Peculiarities of Relationships of Disabled Preschoolers with Their Peers under Inclusive Education Conditions

Introduction. In modern society, there is a tendency to significant deterioration in the health of younger generations and increasing number of children and adolescents with disabilities, most of whom face great difficulties in communicating with peers and people around them. This problem is particularly relevant in connection with the introduction of inclusive education, which is still a new phenomenon under investigation in Russia (as in many other countries). The aim of the present research was to identify and analyse the peculiarities of interpersonal relationships of pre-school children under inclusive education conditions. Methodology and research methods . In the course of the research, the methods of observation, sociometry, projective tests, problem cases and statistical analysis were applied. For psychological diagnostics, the following tests were used: “Captain of the Ship” by A. A. Romanov, “Me and My Friend in a Kindergarten” by N. V. Miklayeva and U. V. Miklayeva, “Diagnostic of Relationships with Peers” by I. A. Orlova and V. M. Kholmogorova, “The Maze” by L. A. Venger, “Pictures” by E. O. Smirnova and E. A. Kalyagina. The results were processed using the Mann - Whitney U-Test. Results and scientific novelty . The peculiarities of interaction between nondisabled children and children with disabilities were investigated on the example of relationships between children in the private inclusive pre-school institution. The psychological problems in pre-school children with disabilities in inclusive kindergarten groups have been established. These psychological problems are reflected in children’s low status positions with underdeveloped communication skills and immature ways of solving conflict situations. These children are most often rejected by the peer group, although in some cases peers can play games and communicate with them. The data obtained in the course of diagnostic activities demonstrate that children with developmental disorders lack interest in communication with their healthy peers; also, they do not desire to interact with peers and response to peers’ initiatives. The authors have not confirmed the hypothesis that children of older pre-school age with disabilities have more favorable interpersonal relations with peers than in younger pre-school age. The theoretical significance of the current research is to enrich special psychology and pedagogical science in the field of inclusion with additional knowledge about the role of peers in the mental development of children with special educational needs. Practical significance . The proposed recommendations will assist the specialists of pre-school educational institutions to harmonise interpersonal relationships of children with disabilities through building their communication skills and increasing their sociometric status. The authors believe that these research materials can be useful for educators and psychologists employed in the filed of inclusive education.

Status and Vocal Accommodation in Small Groups

Sociological research on vocal dynamics demonstrates that as actors engage in conversation, their vocal frequencies tend to converge over time. Previous scholars have theorized that patterns of vocal accommodation serve as a mechanism through which speakers non-consciously communicate perceptions of each other’s relative status. In this article I discuss existing evidence linking vocal accommodation to status perceptions. Next, I report results from a laboratory experiment in which I test the proposed causal link between status and vocal accommodation by randomly assigning members of dyadic task groups to occupy either a higher or lower status position and assessing patterns of vocal accommodation. Results support the theorized causal relationship between group status structure and vocal accommodation. I argue that, as an unobtrusive and non-conscious indicator of status, vocal accommodation is a valuable, yet underused tool for assessing group status structures in a wide variety of situations and regarding many substantive sociological questions.

Austria: target country for care workers despite increased anti-migration policies

Abstract Background Austria is facing workforce shortages in long-term care making the country an important destination for migrant care workers, particularly from Eastern European countries. Many of them are working in low-status positions as carers in 24-hours care, although they are often qualified professionals. These 24-hour care positions are often in private households with no regulated workplace safety or standard minimum salaries. Despite this steady flow of migrant carers, shortage of nurses and carers in the country persists and is likely to increase. Methods A rapid review of available data and research was undertaken. Results The migration of nurses to Austria has played a significant role for many years, as the training of certified nurses within the country has only risen marginally. The annual inflow of foreign trained nurses reached a high in 2016 as did the number of 24-hour care workers, most of which are women. The recent cuts by the government towards family allowances for children not living in Austria will hit this population hard. Current anti-migration policies thus take the risk of reducing the numbers of migrant carers, although the government does not have a plan in place on how to fill the gaps and develop more effective health workforce planning and management. Conclusions Growing nationalism, a government pushing towards stricter migration laws and a restrictionist policy stance of unions relative to migrants, all create new threats to a health system heavily dependent on migrant carers.