As with many social species, who must deal with the issues arising from relatively many individuals seeking the same wants and needs within a relatively small area, resource allocation among takmar is prioritized by social status - the expression of what, in biology, might be called dominance. Status and its interactions are especially important to and between females, whose settled communities tend to form the backbones of takma civilizations.
Status interactions are most obvious and formalized among takma females. For reasons related to the species' evolutionary history, females are typically the holders of territory and possessors and distributors of excess resources, and the leverage to obtain greater amounts of both has one's status as an important factor.
Female status hierarchies may take a number of forms, but are most often some variation of a nested despotic hierarchy: multiple females may be of the same rank, but are only directly dominated by a single individual, who herself may be subordinate to someone else. In some ways the arrangement resembles a military hierarchy of ranks and organizational units; a female of a high enough rank will generally have a group of lower-ranked females under her direct purview. She may give her “unit” instructions, but these are expected to be consistent with, and aid in, the implementation of her superior's own directives. Attempting to issue orders to members of another “unit” without permission, however, is greatly frowned upon; as in many things, a female with high enough status to have subordinates is likely to be territorial enough to be extremely jealous of an attempt to poach them from her. Female-led organizations and social structures, therefore, tend to be pyramidal, with either a single leader - if only a symbolic one - or a relatively small collegiate body of equally-ranked leaders, preferably each with well-defined responsibilities.
Some situations, usually in particular organizations, may have a formal mechanism for implementing particular changes in status desired or needed by the whole, usually reinforced by ceremonies or rituals. Regarding one's place in society as a whole, however, status is often, though not universally, an informal thing defined by a particular female's own qualities, attitude, material resources, reputation and accomplishments, or personal relationships, and may change as they change. The rise or fall of a female's status in such a milieu can trigger changes of allegiance, schemes to preserve or to appropriate status and its benefits, the breaking and formation of alliances, or the initiation of feuds.
The factors that play a role in determining status are numerous and can differ greatly from another; indeed, many of them will be culturally specific, depending on the particular values, approved personality traits, and socioeconomic structure where they are found.
Aspects of physical state, though rarely the most potent factors in determining status in society at large, are usually among the most universal, as what attracts and repels other people is rooted in instinctual preference as well as in culture; though there are certain individuals that would be rated more highly in one place than another, it is rarely hard to find those that a wide cross-cultural poll would agree looks good.
Higher status tends to be correlated, all else being equal, with:
There are two sides to the evaluation of a female's status. One is the judgment of other females, and because this is the one that determines how they behave toward an individual, it is in many senses the 'real' one. No one will take orders from someone purely on the basis that that person thinks they ought to. Nonetheless, one's self-assessment has a role to play as well, particularly since it is connected to traits such as confidence, bravery, and ambition - which, as previously mentioned, are themselves often factors in increasing status.
A female's sense of her own status - or, more precisely, her own self-worth and the security of her social position - has a visible representation in the generally drab-to-olive-colored markings present on the faces and across the spines of adult females. These markings vary in shade with the female's self-perceived status in relation to other females with which she is in contact; the higher the status, the darker the markings. The shade may change, particularly among those in the middle ranks who may have darker markings while around subordinates but lighter ones around superiors; the shade is regulated by hormonal levels.
Generally speaking, the markings of most females are by their very nature at least a roughly accurate indicator of status, since being able to know one's approximate place in the social hierarchy is a basic social skill. However, mismatches do occur, often with dire social consequences. A female with markings far darker than they 'ought' to be might indicate simply a high opinion of oneself or extreme confidence, but may also mean that their bearer has profoundly misjudged what others think of her, or that she is aware of her status but feels it is far less than what she deserves. Such a female is likely to become a lightning rod for attention; if her personality or behavior is considered repellent, she may simply alienate everyone, but she will be in greater danger if she has obviously admirable qualities or begins to attract a following, as she may be seen as someone looking to raise her own status to match her shade, which may not be taken well by those who have been her equals and immediate superiors. There may be attempts to put the upstart in her place by forcing a lower status on her, by ostracism or relegation to lower-status duties; how successful these are may depend on how much of a following she's gained, their loyalty, and whether she has support from upper levels of the hierarchy.
It is relatively rarer for markings to be far lighter than expected, except as a symptom of old age. It may occur for relatively limited periods during times of intense stress or personal loss, for which reason the mourning rituals of many takma cultures call for females to veil their faces or cosmetically alter their markings for a certain period. If sustained over longer periods, lighter markings may threaten a female's status, though the threat is more meaningful for those of middle rank than those of higher rank, who usually have the resources and connections to command a minimum amount of respect.
- Submission to/expectations of social superiors
- Relations among equal-rankers
- Changing behavior with increasing status
- Different statuses in different contexts
- Effects on relations with males