I just stumbled upon the term and ran with it.
The experience of deprivation: Does relative more than absolute status predict hostility?
"the absolute level of how well‐off people are", "objective resources"

I guess when there's pure relative change of status, absolute status is assumed to stay the same:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8P_AnvUIvJs
(Futurama: "Executive delivery boy")