noun
also pecking order
Etymology: translation of German hackordnung
1. : the basic pattern of social organization within a flock of poultry in which each bird is permitted to peck another lower in the scale without fear of retaliation and is expected to submit to pecking by one of higher rank and in which separate peck orders usually exist for each sex with all the males normally dominating all the females — compare hook order
2. : a hierarchy of social dominance, prestige, or authority
got to the top of the pecking order in their own town — Margaret Mead
the peck order in women's clubs, faculty groups, families, or churches — W.C.Allee