Status Fit: The Impact of Social Class and Discrimination on Youth

Lusófona University is part of the Status Fit project, a research initiative coordinated by researcher Leonor Costa, which aims to analyze how perceptions of social class and experiences of discrimination influence the well-being and development of children and adolescents aged 10 to 16.

The project is based on the premise that social inequalities are not limited to racial or gender factors, but are also experienced and interpreted in young people's daily lives through their socioeconomic status. These experiences influence educational trajectories, interpersonal relationships, and physical and mental health, making an analysis focused on the role of social class as a structural factor in discrimination experiences essential. Unlike other studies conducted in Portugal, Status Fit stands out by placing young people's own perceptions at the center of the research, valuing how they interpret and experience situations of inequality. This approach allows for a deeper understanding of the social mechanisms shaping well-being during childhood and adolescence—crucial stages in identity formation. One of the project's central dimensions is its empirical focus, grounded in the systematic collection of data from youth aged 10 to 16, their families, and teachers. The project thus seeks to map vulnerability to class-based discrimination among Portuguese youth through a multi-level representative survey, contributing to an in-depth understanding of inequalities experienced in school contexts and generating relevant scientific knowledge in the field.