Ignoring Status ‘A Major Mistake,’ Says Cook-Gray Lecturer

How status perpetuates social inequality was the topic of the 2025 Alice Cook-Lois Gray Distinguished Lecture on Oct. 23. “Status: What Is It? Why Does It Matter for Race and Gender Inequality?” was presented by Cecilia L. Ridgeway, M.S. ’69, Ph.D. ’72. Ridgeway is Stanford University’s Lucie Stern Professor of Social Sciences, Emerita.

To an in-person audience of over 75 people and more online, Ridgeway observed that “status is often treated as a side topic by social scientists who care about inequality.” She underscored that ignoring status “is a major mistake that underestimates both the power of status as an individual motive and its central role in perpetuating durable patterns of inequality based on social differences, such as gender and race.”

The lecture, which was recorded, was based on Ridgeway’s book, “Status: Why Is It Everywhere? Why Does It Matter?” (2019).

Ridgeway defines status as a “human cultural invention” and “a form of inequality that’s based on differences in esteem and honor and respect.”  In her view, status is used to “organize and manage social relations in situations that are inherent to the nature of human life.” She gave an example of surviving the Ice Age and noted that cooperation can also improve happiness. 

These situations, she explained, have a “nested tension” as individuals compete over how they will cooperate in a group. This creates implicit rules about cooperation, such as rules for agreeing on who is in charge, who will do the work, and who will get the best outcome. Research shows that a group will grant the highest status to those with the highest perceived value to the group.

Ridgeway shared that an individual assigns status based on two factors: a “status norm,” which is an implicit rule learned from personal experience, and a “status belief,” which is based on culture in a specific place and time. Status beliefs reflect perceived social reality – the way things are. 

The lecture ended with thoughts on upending the often-overlooked role of status in creating social inequality. To create a more egalitarian society, Ridgeway emphasized, we must consider implicit status beliefs. “Status beliefs have to be widely held to have effect, and that can be disrupted … social change is possible, but it will not happen without sustained effort.”

Ridgeway earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan before earning her master’s degree and Ph.D. in sociology from Cornell University.

The lecture was organized by Pamela Tolbert, the Lois S. Gray Professor of ILR and Social Sciences in the Department of Organizational Behavior. It was co-sponsored by the Department of Sociology, Cornell University’s Center for the Study of Inequality, Cornell Population Center, and the Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy.

The Cook-Gray lecture is held annually to honor and advance the visions of ILR faculty Alice Hanson Cook and Lois Spier Gray. Cook and Gray were pioneers in their fields and advocates for gender equality in labor.