Study Notes
See full content in separate field - over 3000 words covering all theoretical perspectives, poverty types, social mobility, and contemporary applications with asset markers for images and podcast
Social stratification examines how society is structured into hierarchical layers based on class, gender, ethnicity, and age, creating systematic patterns of inequality in wealth, power, and life chances. Understanding stratification is essential for GCSE candidates because examiners expect you to evaluate competing theoretical perspectives—Functionalist, Marxist, Weberian, and Feminist—and apply these frameworks to contemporary issues like poverty, social mobility, and the distribution of resources in modern Britain.
See full content in separate field - over 3000 words covering all theoretical perspectives, poverty types, social mobility, and contemporary applications with asset markers for images and podcast
3 detailed examples with solutions and examiner commentary
Test your understanding — click to reveal model answers
Describe two features of the Marxist perspective on social stratification. (4 marks)
Hint: Focus on two-class model and exploitation
Explain why the gender pay gap persists in the UK. (8 marks)
Hint: Multiple factors: horizontal/vertical segregation, motherhood penalty, discrimination
Discuss: Poverty caused by individual failings rather than structural factors. (15 marks)
Hint: New Right vs structural explanations, working poor evidence
Explain why social mobility is limited in the UK. (12 marks)
Hint: Educational inequality, cultural capital, networks, economic barriers
To what extent do Functionalist theories adequately explain stratification? (15 marks)
Hint: Davis and Moore, then critique with Marxist/Feminist/Weberian views
Essential vocabulary to know
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