Statusvary

Statusvary is a theoretical metric used in sociology and network science to quantify how much social status varies among individuals within a population or network. It aims to capture dispersion in status indicators such as income, education, occupation, and wealth across a group.

Measurement approaches include constructing a composite status score for each individual by standardizing and weighting multiple indicators, then computing the standard deviation or coefficient of variation of these scores across the group. Alternative methods use entropy or distributional measures across predefined status categories. Some researchers also apply network-based variants that assess status variance within egocentric or community networks.

Applications include studying social mobility and stratification, evaluating segregation by status in cities or organizations, and informing marketing or policy analysis where status signals influence behavior. Statusvary can be used to compare groups, time periods, or cultures.

Limitations include sensitivity to indicator selection, weighting choices, and cross-cultural comparability. Because status is multidimensional and context-dependent, different weighting schemes can yield different results, and ethical concerns may arise from reducing individuals to scaled indicators.

Related concepts include status consistency, social mobility, class stratification, and inequality measures. Statusvary remains a conceptual tool in need of standardized definitions and validated applications.