Status is often context-specific to a given social environment, meaning it's not necessarily zero-sum. Mom can have the highest status in her church group, Dad

Status is often context-specific to a given social environment, meaning it's not necessarily zero-sum. Mom can have the highest status in her church group, Dad can have the highest status of the household by being breadwinner, and Junior can be subordinate to both while holding the highest status in his World of Warcraft guild. Nearly everybody has a high status in at least one arena and a low status in another.