Is Social Status Still Important Today?

In the past, people valued social status and hierarchies so much. This defined who they marry, interact with, and talk to. This gave them the jobs they suit into having, based on the eyes of the society. This specified their wealth and power. But in the society people are living in today, are social strata still important, and do these still define the things mentioned above? In my opinion, as much as I want to say that yes, it still matters, I think it doesn’t matter anymore, but it still exists. First, everybody has the right and CAN voice out their opinions and thoughts about something, may it be in favor of or against. Before, you’d be punished for speaking against the government, but now, we’re freer to tell them our thoughts. We now have multiple media to channel these thoughts—rallies, letters, and most especially, social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. (The rise of these social networking sites has broken down many old class barriers.) So in that manner, we can all be equal in letting our notions out. (But still, remember our social responsibility and the significance of respect.) Second, before, only the wealthy and the bourgeoisie can (or sometimes, were allowed to) study. Males were expected to be the ones knowledgeable, while females can stay at home and do household chores. But today, knowledge and information are already accessible for everybody, no matter what your gender is, no matter how much money you have. Schools are open to everybody, and public schools and scholarship grants are there to help the needy. Far more people go to university and colleges now than ever before. With these, anyone has the capacity to study and dream. Also, everybody has the right to choose and specialize in their own job, unlike before. When you’re a peasant, you are expected to be a farmer, and then that’s it, no further developments or anything (not that I’m belittling anyone here). Today, as long as you are qualified for something and are willing to work hard to improve in your craft, you can have the job of your dreams. Notionally, at least, we live in a society where opportunities and chances are open for everybody. Fourth, before, they believed that the rich is for the rich while the poor is for the poor. Meaning, they shouldn’t interact with each other since they don’t belong to the same social strata. But now, relationships and friendships are believed to not have any limitation, as what it should really be. One more idea to support this is the survey conducted by Mike Savage, a Professor of Sociology at University of New York. He asked people what class they think they belong, but most people where indecisive and ambivalent. On the contrary, it still exists in a way that it can still affect one’s perception of himself / herself and his / her environment. According to the same research, it isn’t just as simple as “wealthy-working classes”; today’s social classification is even more intricate, where more factors are considered such as the quantity and quality of friends you have; what you enjoy in your spare time; what club and organizations you belong to; how often you eat out, watch a movie, hang out with friends, or travel; and many more. Overall, in my own opinion, social classes aren’t really as important as it used to be before.