Ordered into unequal layers or strata of wealth, status, power and privilege according to socially recognised differences so most wealthy, powerful and privileged at the top and poorest at the bottom This is known as social stratification Opportunity for members of...
Social Class and Life Chances Max Weber (1948) defined the term life chances to describe how some members of society had much better opportunities than others to achieve the things in life that most people would see as desirable These include: Live a long and healthy...
Functionalism Parsons: Value Consensus and Stratification Often described as a consensus theory as it suggests that society works best when there is an agreement or consensus over a shared value Parsons (1951) different forms of social stratification, including social...
Gender and Life Chances Used by Max Weber in relation to social class Describes the opportunities for advancement than individual or social group possess Includes chances for educational attainment, health, material reward and social mobility Education is often...
Public sphere of work and social life and in private sphere of family life and relationships, males and females often encounter different experiences These can translate into social inequalities Men have reported wishing to spend more time with their children but...
Number of theories that offer explanations for gender inequalities and difference including functionalism, new right, Marxism and Weberian theory Feminism that has provided the widest range of evidence when explaining gender inequalities Development of Feminism Agree...
Ethnicity and Life Chances According to office for national statistics (2014) the white ethnic group accounted for 86% of UK population in 2011, meaning that ethnic minorities in UK made up roughly 14% of total population Ethnic minorities are a diverse group of...
Ethnic Inequalities in Work and Employment Proportion on men aged 16 to 64 who were unemployed was highest in other black – 17% - white and black Caribbean – 16% - Caribbean – 17% ethnic minorities Highest rates of unemployment for woman were in Arab – 64%, Bangladesh...
Functionalism Argue that early ethnic inequalities experienced by immigrants were the product of their cultural differences and relatively low level of skills They are optimistic that in a meritocratic society ethnic minority would decline as immigrants adopted the...
Age and Life Chances Aging is physical or biological process that all human’s beings experience Most societies age is divided into – childhood, youth, young adulthood, middle age and old age They have different social meanings attached to them with regard to social...
Covert Participant Observation – Moore Dressed up as an old person over a period of 3 years to find out what it would be like to be perceived as old She used latex wrinkles, makeup, a wig and clothing Her findings were that assumptions were made about her perceived...
Gerontology Def. the scientific study of biological, psychological and sociological factors associated with old age and the aging process Recent area of study and consequently sociological theories are in their early stages of development Not all writers belong to a...
Key Research Concept Validity Valid data is data which is a true picture of what is being studied To achieve validity, sociologists should always ask whether the data collected is really evidence of what it claims to be Validity is difficult to achieve, particularly...
A theory is a model or framework which shapes what researchers expect to see and how sociologists interpret data or evidence that they collect Methods are the tools that sociologists use to collect data about how the social world is organised, how people behave, and...
Factors Influencing the Choice of Research Topic The Relationship between Sociology and Social Policy Social policy refers to attempts by governments to influence how society is organised and how members of society should behave by bringing in new laws, guidelines and...
Social Surveys Involves the systematic collection of mainly quantitative data from a fairly large number of people Social surveys usually obtain this information through questions or structured interviews Longitudinal Surveys Longitudinal studies gather data from a...