Meaning & use
socioeconomic status
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountableformaltechnical
A person's or group's position in society, based on income, education, and job.
Grammar: Usually used without 'a' or 'the' when talking about it in general, but can take 'the' when referring to a specific person's status.
Patterns
- someone's socioeconomic status
- high/low socioeconomic status
- based on socioeconomic status
Researchers found that students from low socioeconomic status backgrounds were less likely to attend university.
The study measured socioeconomic status using three factors: income, education, and occupation.
Policies aimed at improving health often focus on raising the socioeconomic status of disadvantaged groups.
Common combinations
- low socioeconomic status
- Children from low socioeconomic status families may need extra support at school.
- high socioeconomic status
- People with high socioeconomic status often have better access to healthcare.
- measure socioeconomic status
- The survey tried to measure socioeconomic status accurately.
- socioeconomic status and health
- There is a strong link between socioeconomic status and health outcomes.
Synonyms and how they differ
- social class
- Social class is broader and often includes cultural and social factors, while socioeconomic status specifically emphasizes income and education.
- social standing
- Social standing is less technical and focuses more on reputation and respect, not just economic measures.
Word family
- socioeconomic adjective
- Relating to both social and economic matters.
Commonly confused: socioeconomic status or social status?
socioeconomic status vs social status
Social status refers only to a person's rank or prestige in society, without necessarily including economic factors like income.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'socioeconomic status' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Option B correctly uses the phrase as a noun referring to a measurable position. Option An is wrong because 'socioeconomic status' cannot be described as 'happy'. Option C is grammatically wrong ('He' should be 'His'). Option D is also grammatically wrong ('They' should be 'Their').
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “socioeconomic status”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.