Social Inequality

Question 1

the uneven distribution of resources such as money and power or of opportunities and outcomes related to, for example, education and health

Answer 1

social inequality

Question 2

the way different groups in society are placed at different levels. a hierarchy of layers that are unequally ranked one above the other

Answer 2

social stratification

Question 3

a form of stratification in which a section of the society has no rights. individuals in this section of society are items of property which can be bought and said

Answer 3

slavery

Question 4

a stratification system in some parts of India, linked to Hinduism. An ascribed status - an individual cannot move from the stratum into which they were born. their social status is ascribed at birth

Answer 4

caste

Question 5

a position or social standing given to an individual on the basis of inherited characteristics. they are social positions fixed at birth and are unchanging over time i.e. Princess or Lord

Answer 5

ascribed status

Question 6

in South Africa (1948-94), a government policy of racial segregation known as this was used as the basis for stratification

Answer 6

apartheid

Question 7

a social position which individuals are able to gain through, for example, hard work and education qualifications

Answer 7

achieved status

Question 8

movement of individuals up or down a social scale

Answer 8

social mobility

Question 9

the chances that sections of society have of achieving positive or negative outcomes (eg relating to health, education, housing) as they progress through life. they are statistical averages

Answer 9

life chances

Question 10

the way in which members of a group use their resources. it reflects the attitudes and priorities of the group

Answer 10

lifestyle

Question 11

the class into which an individual places him or herself

Answer 11

subjective class

Question 12

the section of society composed of people engaged in manual work

Answer 12

working class

Question 13

the section of society composed of people engaged in non-manual and professional work

Answer 13

middle class

Question 14

an organisation established by employees to protect their economic interests

Answer 14

trade union

Question 15

an identifiable section of society with a distinct culture which constitutes a relatively small proportion of the population

Answer 15

ethnic minority

Question 16

being prejudiced against people because of their gender

Answer 16

sexism

Question 17

being prejudiced against people because of their race

Answer 17

racism

Question 18

being prejudiced against people because of their age

Answer 18

ageism

Question 19

the informal barrier that makes it difficult for women to achieve high-level positions at work

Answer 19

glass ceiling

Question 20

treating people unfairly because of their gender

Answer 20

gender discrimination

Question 21

treating people unfairly because of their ethnicity

Answer 21

racial discrimination

Question 22

occurs when the everyday practices and procedures of an organisation, eg police, lead to discrimination against ethnic groups either intentionally or unintentionally

Answer 22

institutional racism

Question 23

the assets owned by an individual eg house, savings, a business

Answer 23

wealth

Question 24

the money received by an individual in a period of time eg wages, interest on savings

Answer 24

income

Question 25

the proposition that members of the working class develop middle-class attitudes and patterns of behaviour as they become more affluent, creating a manual middle class

Answer 25

embourgeoisement

Question 26

the proposition that many non-manual jobs in a modern economy put their workers in situations very similar to that of the manual factory worker

Answer 26

proletarianisation

Question 27

the group of people at the very bottom of the social structure who, either by their economic situation or culture, are cut off from the rest of society

Answer 27

underclass

Question 28

a situation in which someone lacks the money to pay for the food, clothing and housing necessary to maintain a healthy way of life

Answer 28

absolute poverty

Question 29

a situation in which someone cannot afford to possess the kind of things and participate in the kind of activities considered by members of their society to be a normal part of life. It recognises the deprivation and suffering associated with social exclusion

Answer 29

relative poverty

Question 30

when people are unable, or feel unable, to play a full part in society. this may be owing to lack of material resources, discrimination by others and/or a sense that the rest of society neither wants nor respects them

Answer 30

social exclusion

Question 31

deprivation experienced in neighbourhoods that are ugly, dirty, unsafe and which lack adequate services and amenities

Answer 31

environmental poverty

Question 32

felt when people compare their own situation to that of others whom they believe to be unfairly better off. subjective poverty

Answer 32

relative deprivation

Question 33

the particular difficulties the poor may experience in, for example, finding a job that pays more than is received from benefits; saving money by buying in bulk or by buying hq goods; avoiding borrowing which adds interest payments to their spending

Answer 33

the poverty trap

Question 34

an individual who makes no contribution to society and exploits the benefits system, claiming as much as it is possible to get away with

Answer 34

welfare scrounger

Question 35

the difference between men’s and women’s hourly earnings

Answer 35

gender pay gap

Question 36

movement in and out of poverty at different stages during a person’s life

Answer 36

life cycle of poverty

Question 37

the idea that some groups remain in poverty because the welfare state encourages them to depend on overly generous state provision

Answer 37

welfare dependency

Question 38

movement up or down between the social layers as measured between the generations of a family

Answer 38

inter-generational social mobility

Question 39

movement of an individual over the course of their life up or down from one occupational classification to another

Answer 39

intra-generational social mobility

Question 40

within the same occupation, women and men tend to be found in jobs at different levels

Answer 40

vertical segregation

Question 41

a social process which may lead the children of poor parents to suffer poverty when adults. the factors identified as driving the process will depend on the perspective of the sociologist outlining the cycle

Answer 41

cycle of deprivation