The Field Guide › Paper

Status Characteristics and Social Interaction

Berger · Power & Equity · American Sociological Review · 1972 · Open access

The foundational paper for Status Characteristics Theory — the sociological account of how diffuse status characteristics (race, gender, age, education) shape patterns of participation, influence, and deference in task groups. Even when status is irrelevant to the task, higher-status members speak more, are listened to more, and are evaluated more positively. The theoretical underpinning of why hierarchy suppresses voice even when it shouldn't.

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