Stratification and Differentiation | AQA A-Level Sociology (7192)
Stratification and Differentiation
- 76 questions
- 5 subtopics
- Paper 2: Topics in Sociology, two of eight
- Paper 2
Stratification and Differentiation is one of the optional topics on Paper 2.
It covers the theories of why societies are unequal, how inequality falls across class, gender, ethnicity, age and disability, the problem of measuring class, and how much movement between positions actually happens.
Sample questions from Stratification and Differentiation
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Theories of stratification
What is the basis of status in Weberian stratification theory?
Show the answer
Social honour and lifestyle. -
Theories of stratification
How did Castles and Kosack explain the position of immigrant workers in the class structure?
Show the answer
In their Marxist analysis (1973) they argued that immigrant workers formed a lower stratum of the working class, acting as a reserve army of labour in low-paid, insecure jobs. -
Life chances and dimensions of inequality
In which areas do ethnic minorities in Britain experience disadvantages compared to the white British population?
Show the answer
Employment, housing, education and health outcomes. -
Life chances and dimensions of inequality
How does Phillipson's Marxist political economy approach explain age inequality?
Show the answer
Phillipson (1982) argued that capitalism values people mainly as workers, so older people who no longer produce profit are treated as having little worth and the state keeps their pensions low. -
Defining and measuring social class
How were women historically classified in occupation-based class schemes?
Show the answer
By their husband's or father's occupation, rendering their own class position invisible. -
Defining and measuring social class
Why do wealth-based measures of class reveal greater inequality than income measures?
Show the answer
Because wealth is accumulated and inherited over generations, so it is far more concentrated than income, capturing accumulated advantages. -
Changing structures of inequality and globalisation
What is the main criticism of underclass theory?
Show the answer
That it blames the poor for structural inequalities and stigmatises those in poverty. -
Changing structures of inequality and globalisation
According to Sklair, which four groups comprise the transnational capitalist class?
Show the answer
Corporate executives, globalising politicians, globalising professionals and consumerist elites.
The 5 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Theories of stratification | Marx on class and exploitation, Weber on class, status and party, and the functionalist case of Davis and Moore. | 20 |
| Life chances and dimensions of inequality | How health, education and employment outcomes differ by class, gender, ethnicity, age and disability, and intersectionality. | 20 |
| Defining and measuring social class | The Registrar General's scale and NS-SEC, the problem of classifying women, subjective class, and Bourdieu on capital. | 12 |
| Changing structures of inequality and globalisation | Deindustrialisation, the underclass thesis, and Sklair on the transnational capitalist class. | 9 |
| Social mobility | Absolute and relative mobility, the Oxford Mobility Study, meritocracy, elite self-recruitment, and the barriers that persist. | 15 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby topics
AQA A-Level Sociology Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 1,116 questions with their answers.