class system; status system
Abbreviation of 身分制度. Refers to a social system where people are divided into hereditary classes or status groups, especially in historical contexts.
See also: 身分制度
The class system of the Edo period placed warriors at the top.
身分制の廃止は近代化の重要な一歩だった。
The abolition of the class system was an important step toward modernization.
Compound of 身分 (status, social standing) and 制 (system). The exact historical derivation is uncertain; the spelling is conventionally associated with the meaning.