Back in the mists of time (ok about 8 years ago) the CAA ATPL became part of the GNVQ system and I believe that an ATPL IR was given the same level as a degree. Certainly the ATPL exams were a lot easier having had a degree in Engineering. Comparable? I don't think so. Chalk and cheese. The engineering degree was much harder work and took much longer, but was structured to give one a tool box to take into industry (and was certainly not a memory test). The ATPL is a bunch of hoops of varying relevance designed meerly as a selection process. Different courses for different purposes. The important part of training (and this applies to doctors, accountants, lawyers, engineers, in fact any profession/trade including flying) is what happens after the formal piece of paper arrives in the post. On the job training is what counts and what makes a helicopter pilot/doctor/lawyer/engineer employable.
As for social standing, that depends on how long you've spent in the industry. A 500hr pilot believes he is right up there next to a brain surgeon. The 5000hr pilot knows he is nomadic gypsy driving whichever bus has an empty seat in the front.