Social stratification Flashcards
Wealth
The amount of possessions a person has which they do not need in their daily lives. For example, savings, stocks and shares, property and expensive jewellery.
Equality
Fairness in society. This could mean equal opportunities or the way that wealth is shared out.
Life-chances
The opportunities people have of enjoying the good things in life and avoiding the unpleasant things.
Lifestyle
The quality of life and way of life people have. This includes housing, work, leisure and possessions.
Life expectancy
The term used to describe the average amount of time an individual is expected to live. It is usually based on the place they live and their gender, class and ethnicity.
Culture
A shared, learned way of life. This includes language, customs, beliefs, norms, values and traditions.
Quality of life
The standard of a person’s life in terms of health, happiness and lifestyle.
Absolute poverty
The situation when as person does not have basic needs, such as food and water.
Relative poverty
Being poor compared with other people. For example, families without internet access.
Communism
An idea of running a society with greater equality where wealth and possessions are shared. Businesses are owned by the community.
Capitalism
Societies where businesses are owned by individuals. People are paid wages to work for other people.
Welfare state
The idea that the government should look after its people in terms of education, health and wellbeing.
Private schools
An independent, fee-paying school.
Equality of outcome
The situation where everyone has the same amount of wealth and opportunities.
Equal opportunities
The idea that everyone should have the same chances of health, wealth and success.
Ethnic minorities
Groups within a society who have different national or cultural traditions from the main population. For example, Caribbean, African or Asian.
Sexism
The belief that males or females are superior to each other.
Racism
The belief that one racial group is superior to others; treating other groups discriminately because of that belief.
Stratification
Seeing the inequalities in society as different layers.
Social class
A way of dividing people into groups. This is usually based on occupation.
Apartheid
A racist stratification system of segregation used in South Africa up until the 1990s.
Ethnicity
The cultural group a person belongs to. It might come from their nationality, religion, language and/or way of life.
Caste system
A system of inequality used in India, dividing people at birth into different groups.
Status
The level of importance within society that a person or occupation is seen to have.
Underclass
A group that is lower in status than the working class. For example, homeless people.
Closed system
A stratification system where people cannot improve their status or position.
Open system
A stratification system where people can improve their status or position through education or hard work.
Social mobility
The movement of individuals up and down the stratification system.
Roles
The function assumed or part played by someone or something in a particular situation.
Role allocation
The way in which jobs are given to people in our society. In the UK, many jobs are filled based on educational qualifications.
Exploitation
A group taking advantage of another group for its own gain.
Identity
The idea you have about who you are. Class, gender, ethnicity, nationality and sexuality might be important parts of a person’s identity.
Market position
The ability to earn money based on skills or goods someone has to offer. A market position may change over time.
Gender
A role with norms and expectations of how to act, linked to whether you are male or female. Gender is not the same as biological sex.
