1. The essentialist perspective recognizes differences such as race, sexual orientation, disability, etc., as objective categories that exist outside of societal views. They are seen as facts and as factors about an individual that are inherent and cannot be changed (Rosenblum & Travis, 2015).

2. On the other hand, the constructionist perspective recognizes that objective factors can be subjectively interpreted and vary from person to person. While factors such as race, sexual orientation, disability, etc. exist, the constructionist believes that each individual may assign a meaning to one of those factors that is not the same meaning another individual would assign to a factor (Rosenblum & Travis, 2015).

I consider my gender, as a woman, to be a master status of mine. Given that I adhere to what might be considered "traditional female roles," I often find myself gravitating towards activities and character traits that align with those more traditional roles. This is my personal preference and what I have chosen to build my identity upon, not something that I intend to or want to impose upon other women. 

Religion

My master status as a Christian plays a large role in my life and influences nearly everything that I do. As I have shared in class once before, it is because of my faith that I have chosen to pursue a career in Social Work. My desire to love and serve people predominantly stems from my faith. While I believe that I would still want to be a "good" person without my faith, it is my faith that truly pushes me to love people in a different, sacrificial way.

Age

My age also plays a large role in my day-to-day actions and activities. People perceive me as younger, and I recognize that while I am considered an adult, I am still very young and still learning many things. I want to take advantage of this time where I have so many people who want to help me in my education, my future career, and even just in life.

Dichotomies contribute to the ideas that one group is superior to another and that the various groups are in opposition to each other Rosenblum & Travis, 2015). It is natural for our minds to try to categorize individuals and our interactions with those individuals. However, as we recognize those differences in those individuals and our interactions with them, it is important that we are aware of the detrimental effects that dichotomization has on us and our society as a whole. Rather than categorizing a person within our mind, we can work to reframe our interpretations and approach each individual with curiosity and openness.

1. Visibility - A person's master status is often visible to those who interact with that person. Sometimes they might be immediately noticeable, other times they may be noticeable after a few minutes of talking with or observing that individual.

2. Social Impact - Master statuses have a strong impact on people's social circles and social interactions. Some examples of how a master status has a social impact include relationships, employment, and extracurricular/community involvement.

3. Overriding Other Statuses - A master status tends to "overshadow" other statuses that a person has. Both for the individual that the master status belongs to, and the individuals who interact with that person.

4. Resistance to Change - Oftentimes, a person's master status is the status that is most resistant to change because they are deeply ingrained within a person and/or society.

I could argue that, as a woman and a young person, there are stigmas against both of those master statuses. However, I consider myself privileged in all three master statuses.

As a young person, I consider myself privileged because I have many people around me who want to help me as I go through young adulthood. I have great professors, great mentors, and great leaders, who have all chosen to be alongside me in this period of my life and help me learn and grow. That is a privilege.

As a woman, I can have a job as a nanny, which allows me to work in such a way that I can be nurturing toward children. Unfortunately, many families are hesitant to hire males as their babysitters/nannies. My master status as a woman has helped me significantly in securing a role that I truly enjoy.

As a Christian, while there is a great amount of stigmatization, there is also a great amount of privilege in being a Christian in the United States. Our country recognizes Christian holidays, which allows me to have allotted time off to celebrate with friends, family, and those in my Church.