AS Sociology Unit 1: Wealth, poverty and welfare
2 mark questions

Explain what is meant by ‘informal providers of welfare’
(unpaid carers) people who care for family/friends/neighbours.

Explain what is meant by ‘subjective’ poverty.
When people feel that they are poor.

Explain what is meant by ‘dependency culture’.
The set of values and beliefs centred on preferring to live on welfare benefits. eg being workshy

Explain what is meant by ‘social exclusion’.
A situation where an individual or a group is denied access to some important area of social activity.
4 mark questions

Suggest two disadvantages of means-tested benefits
Complexity of administration, the poverty trap, complexity of application procedure, increased
stigma attached to claiming/receiving benefit, lower take-up rate.

Suggest two reasons why older people are more likely to experience poverty
Rely on state pension which may be inadequate, occupational pension may be inadequate, may be
denied access to labour market, have extra costs to pay, unwilling to claim benefits that they are
entitled to, unaware of benefits available, unable to work.

Suggest two functions of poverty.
It keeps wages down, it provides a mechanism of social control, it provides work for social workers,
etc, it provides a workforce for menial jobs, it divides the working class, it provides an incentive to
work hard.

Suggest two problems of measuring wealth.
Concealment of assets, fluctuating value of assets, everyday possessions are not counted, problems
of defining wealth, out of date data if estates method is used, no need to declare wealth.

Suggest two ways in which wealthy individuals are able to remain wealthy.
By working extremely hard, some rich people have a particular talent or ability that enables them to
generate wealth, by avoiding paying tax on their wealth, the wealthy are able to use their wealth to
generate even more by exploiting their workforce.

Suggest two criticisms of the concept of relative poverty.
Involves subjective judgements, makes comparisons difficult, relative poverty can increase even
though individuals become better off/about inequality rather than poverty, ignores individual
choices.

Explain the difference between income and wealth.
Income is the inward flow of money, wealth is a stock of assets.

Suggest two advantages of welfare benefits being universal, rather than selective
Are less bureaucratic to administer, reduce stigma attached to receiving benefits, have a higher takeup rate, eliminate poverty trap, are seen as a basic right.

Suggest two advantages of welfare provision by voluntary groups.
Less bureaucratic/more flexible, may meet needs not met by other providers, can benefit volunteers
involved by giving them a sense of contributing to society, can provide a specialist service, can act as
a lobby for the service users.

Identify two characteristics of the ‘culture of poverty’.
Sense of fatalism, reluctance to plan ahead, reluctance to work, marginalisation, lack of initiative.

6 mark questions
Identify three ways in which poverty may be passed on to the next generation.
Socialised into a fatalistic culture of poverty, lack of educational opportunities leading to
disadvantage in the labour market, poor quality housing leading to poor health, poorer diet/health
may mean poor do less well in school, lower value placed on education, example of parents
encourage reliance on benefits, lack of resources at home may mean poor do less well in education
system.

Suggest three policies that governments might use to reduce differences in living standards
between rich and poor.
Provide benefits in kind for poor, such as Sure Start, raise benefits in cash for the poor, such as
Income Support, raise income taxes on rich/make income tax system more progressive, impose tax
on wealth, get long-term unemployed into work, increase minimum wage, build social housing.

Identify three criticisms made of welfare services provided by private and/or voluntary
organisations. (6 marks)
May lead to a two-tier system, enables the rich to jump queues, insurance does not always provide
cover when needed, may divert resources away from the public sector, charities may employ less
well qualified staff, voluntary organisations may provide a sporadic service.

Suggest three reasons why people with disabilities may be more likely than other
social groups to experience poverty. (6 marks)
People with disabilities are more likely to: earn less, be unemployed/face discrimination by
employers, have particular health and/or social care needs that are costly, have a lower pension, be
unable to work, have poorer access to education, be dependent on state benefits.
24 mark questions

Examine the problems of defining and measuring poverty.
Concepts and issues such as the following may appear: primary, secondary, absolute, relative and
subjective poverty; poverty lines; deprivation index; multiple deprivation; consensual measure;
social exclusion. Analysis and evaluation may be developed, for instance through considering the
usefulness of different definitions and measurements. Students may locate these and other issues
within a theoretical framework (eg New Right, Marxist, social democratic).
Sources may include: Alcock; Bradshaw et al; Byrne; Joseph Rowntree Foundation; Townsend;
Rowntree; Mack and Lansley; Gordon et al; Piachaud; CPAG; Walker.

Examine the contribution of different types of welfare provider to meeting people’s welfare
needs.
Concepts and issues such as the following may appear: welfare pluralism; residual versus
institutional systems of welfare; two-tier systems; patriarchy; funding; accountability;
universal/selective benefits; welfare dependency; the welfare state; state/public providers; pprivate
provision; self-help; informal care; the care market; the role of the voluntary sector; the Third Way;
the Big Society. Analysis and evaluation may be developed, for instance through considering the
effectiveness of the different types of welfare provider. Students may locate these and other issues
within a theoretical framework (eg feminist, functionalist, New Right, Marxist, social democratic).
Sources may include: Field; Giddens; Ginsberg; Glendinning and Millar; Hills; Le Grand; Marsland;
Murray; Townsend; Westergaard and Resler.

Examine the role of the welfare state in reducing poverty.
Concepts and issues such as the following may appear: tax and benefit system; dependency culture;
welfare dependency; different welfare providers; welfare pluralism; privatisation; benefits in kind;
underclass; inverse care law; unemployment; means testing; universal benefits; targeted benefits;
the Third Way; the Beveridge report; cuts in provision. Analysis and evaluation may be developed,
for instance through considering different explanations for the gap between rich and poor. Students
may locate these and other issues within a theoretical framework (eg New Right, Marxist, social
democratic.
Sources may include: Alcock; Bartholomew; George & Wilding; Giddens; Le Grand; Marsland;
Murray; Page; Pierson; Townsend

Examine the reasons why women are more likely than men to experience poverty.
Concepts and issues such as the following may appear: patriarchy; dual labour market; reserve army
of labour; sex discrimination; glass ceiling; traditional gender roles; lone parents; part-time work;
access to pensions; life expectancy; welfare benefits; informal care; child care; educational
opportunities and choices. Analysis and evaluation may be developed, for instance through
considering the usefulness of the different explanations or the experiences of different groups of
women across class, gender, age etc. Students may locate these and other issues within a theoretical
framework (eg feminist, functionalist, New Right, Marxist, social democratic).
Sources may include: Barron and Norris; Beechey; Giddens; Glendinning and Millar; Field; Flaherty et
al; Levitas et al; Lister; McDowell; Murray; Toynbee.

Examine the reasons for the increasing inequality of wealth in the United Kingdom since the
1970s
Concepts and issues such as the following may appear: capitalism; the effects of labour market
changes; the property market; globalisation; tax and benefit policies; the underclass; the ruling class;
the super-rich; social exclusion; cultural capital; elite self-recruitment; the welfare state. Analysis
and evaluation may be developed, for instance through considering different explanations for the
gap between rich and poor. Candidates may locate these and other issues within a theoretical
framework (eg functionalist, New Right, Marxist, social democratic).
Sources may include: Barry; Burchardt et al; Byrne; Davis and Moore; Marshall et al; Marx, Saunders;
Scott; Sklair; Townsend; Weber; Westergaard.

Using material from Item 3B and elsewhere, assess the view that the attitudes and the
behaviour of the poor themselves are responsible for poverty.
Concepts and issues such as the following may appear: culture of poverty; underclass; dependency
culture; fatalism; socialisation; marginalisation; social exclusion; situational constraints; cycle of
deprivation; the welfare state; structural factors. Analysis and evaluation may be developed, for
instance by discussing the relative merits of different views of the causes of poverty.
Sources may include: Alcock; Blackman; Coates and Silburn; Craine; Dean and Taylor-Gooby; Field;
Kempson; Lewis; Marsland; Murray; Walker.

Examine the ways in which poverty may be functional for society.
Concepts and issues such as the following may appear: capitalism, functional importance, labour
market, role allocation, low wage labour pool, scapegoating of poor, meritocracy, social mobility,
social stratification, maintenance of social norms, welfare services, welfare professionals,
underclass. Analysis and evaluation may be developed, for instance through considering the
different functions of poverty. Candidates may locate these and other issues within a theoretical
framework (eg functionalist, New Right, Marxist, social democratic).
In answering this question candidates may refer to some of the following sources and/or relevant
alternative ones: Barry, Davis and Moore, Gans, Marshall et al, Marx, Parsons, Saunders, Tumin,
Weber.

Using material from Item 3B and elsewhere, assess different sociological approaches to
measuring the level of poverty in society.
Concepts and issues such as the following may appear: deprivation index, relative poverty, absolute
poverty, relative deprivation, social exclusion, consensual approach, budget standards, poverty line.
Analysis and evaluation may be developed, for instance by discussing the relative merits of different
approaches to the measurement of poverty.
In answering this question, candidates may refer to some of the following sources and/or relevant
alternative ones: Alcock, Bradshaw et al, Byrne, Gordon et al, Mack and Lansley, Piachaud,
Rowntree, Sen, Townsend, Walker.

Using material from Item 3B and elsewhere, assess the reasons for the widening gap between
rich and poor in the United Kingdom.
Concepts and issues such as the following may appear: globalisation; pay differentials; executive
pay; inheritance; tax and benefit policy; minimum wage; unemployment; market situation; property
values; dependency culture; trickledown; upper class reproduction; class polarisation; capitalism;
deregulation; the underclass. Analysis and evaluation may be developed, for instance by discussing
different perspectives such as Marxist and New Right.
Sources may include: Barry; Burchadt et al; Byrne; Davis and Moore; Marsland; Marx; McKnight;
Mingione; Scott; Sefton and Sutherland; Sklair; Townsend; Weber; Westergaard and Resler.

Using material from Item 3B and elsewhere, assess sociological explanations for the distribution
of poverty among different social groups in the United Kingdom.
Concepts and issues such as the following may appear: social class; gender; age; ethnicity; disability;
geographical distribution; dual labour market; the operation of the labour market; lone parents;
discrimination; inequality of opportunity, culture of poverty; feminisation of poverty; underclass;
dependency culture; fatalism; ageism; racism; patriarchy; capitalism; socialisation; marginalisation;
social exclusion; situational constraints; cycle of deprivation; the welfare state; structural factors.
Analysis and evaluation may be developed, for instance by discussing the relative merits of different
explanations for the distribution of poverty among different social groups.
Sources may include: Alcock; Byrne; Castles and Kozack; Craine; Flaherty et al; Levitas et al; Lister;
Murray; Pilkington; The Joseph Rowntree Foundation; Wilson

Using material from Item 3B and elsewhere, assess the view that poverty is caused by the class
structure of society.
Concepts and issues such as the following may appear: culture of poverty; poverty trap; underclass;
dependency culture; social exclusion; structural and situational constraints; exploitation;
reproduction of labour; capitalism; reserve army of labour; culture of dependency; cycle of
deprivation; the welfare state; discrimination; universalism; citizenship rights; two-tier welfare
system; the Third Way. Analysis and evaluation may be developed, for instance by discussing
Marxist, New Right, feminist or social democratic perspectives.
Sources may include: Alcock; Blackman; Byrne; Davis and Moore; Dean and Taylor-Gooby; Giddens;
Kincaid; Marsland; Marx; Miliband; Murray; Saunders; Townsend; Walker; Weber; Westergaard and
Resler.