Scholars have carried out numerous studies on various aspects socioeconomic status. Shavers (2007) paid attention to the factors influencing the development of socioeconomic status. The findings derived the study indicated that education, income and occupation are the main factors influencing the development of social status. However, the previous studies rarely highlight the most influential factor in the development of social status. Some studies have found that socioeconomic status can change if one or more of the influential variables change. Although Mazur, Malkowska-Szkutnik & Tabak (2014) focused on a slightly different topic, their study indicated that socioeconomic statuses of families can change. However, the existing studies on the issue mainly focus on socioeconomic statuses of families and communities, rather than individuals. Also, the studies rarely investigate how the changes in individuals’ socioeconomic status can affect the bias that other people may have about them.

Other researchers, such as Palardy (2008), have focused on the impact of socioeconomic status on people in different social classes. However, studies are rare investigating the social class that is more afflicted by socioeconomic status. There are also numerous studies examining the impact of socioeconomic status on quality of life of individuals of different ages. For instance Huguet, Kaplan and Feeny (2008) conducted a study on the same topic that focused only on the elderly people. However, studies are limited investigating whether socioeconomic status changes based on age. Although some scholars such as Javed, Khilji & Mujahid (2008) have investigated the extent to which education influences socioeconomic status, existing studies have produced mixed results. As such, the area requires more research. The research will aim to bridge the identified gaps through focusing on the aforementioned five issues that have not been adequately addressed.

References

Huguet, N., Kaplan, M. S., & Feeny, D. (2008). Socioeconomic status and health-related quality

of life among elderly people: Results from the Joint Canada/United States Survey of Healthstar. Social Science & Medicine, 66, 803-810.

Javed, Z. H., Khilji, B. A. & Mujahid, M. (2008). Impact of Education on Socio-Economic

Status of Villagers’ Life: A Case Study of Shrien Wala Village of Faisalabad District. Pakistan Economic and Social Review, 46(2), 133-146

Mazur, J., Malkowska-Szkutnik, A. & Tabak, I. (2014). Changes in family socio-economic

status as predictors of self-efficacy in 13-year-old Polish adolescents. International Journal of Public Health, 59(1), 107-115

Palardy, G. J. (2008). Differential school effects among low, middle, and high social class

composition schools: A multiple group, multilevel latent growth curve analysis. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 19, 21-49

Shavers, V. L. (2007). Measurement of Socioeconomic Status in Health Disparities Research.

Journal of the National Medical Association, 99(9), 1013-1023