Ascribed status refers to the position that one holds in society that is assigned at birth. It is neither chosen nor earned and goes unchanged throughout the course of one’s life. Ascribed status is based on such factors as gender, ethnicity, family origins and religion. People tend to be ranked by ascribed status in a caste, or closed class, system. People in these societies are generally confined to their ancestral occupations and social mobility is unlikely despite their achievements. Ascribed status plays an important role in that no matter where one's ascribed status may place them in the social hierarchy, each has a clearly defined set of roles and expectations and thus, a social identity.
In contrast, an achieved status is a social
In contrast, an achieved status is a social