Social Mobility, Social Stratification and Life
chances
Learning objectives
Define the terms social class and life chances
Identify links between social class and life chances
Explain sociologists’ views on class and life chances
Key terms
1) Ascribed status: Social position is fixed at birth.
2) Achieved status: Where people earn their position in society because of their talent or
ability.
Starter: Which of the following people have achieved or ascribed status?
Can you think of any other examples of people who have achieved or ascribed status?
Life Chances
•
Key concept in studying social inequality
•
Life chances = people’s chance of achieving positive or negative outcomes as they progress through
life
•
Life chances are not evenly distributed
•



Social factors influence life chances:
Class
Gender
Ethnicity
Inequality relates to the following life chances:
 Health
 Education
 Wealth
 Income
 Life expectancy
 Employment prospects
Higher classes have access to things which are viewed as desirable
What is Social Stratification and life
chances?
Social Stratification
The way in which society is structured or divided into hierarchical ‘strata’ or
layers – with the most privileged at the top and least favoured at the bottom.
Social class is an example of social stratification
• Social mobility – movement up or down the social ladder.
• Open society – people can move up and down the social hierarchy.
• Closed society – people cannot move up the social hierarchy.
Forms of Stratification vary between societies
Stratification differs whether status is ascribed (fixed at birth and unchanging)
or achieved (earned based on personal talent)
Which type of society is most likely to to allow people to allow social mobility
and movement up and down the strata?
What do sociologists mean by social
mobility?
Which type of society is most likely to allow people to allow
social mobility and movement up and down the strata?
In a modern industrial society, such as Britain where class position
can be achieved
What is social mobility like in Britain? P306
Although long-range mobility has occurred
Children from working-class backgrounds have less
chance of moving into professional occupations than
Middle-class. Mobility may still depend on class not
Educational attainment
Example 1: Apartheid in South Africa
Apartheid: in South Africa, a Government policy of racial segregation was used as the
basis of stratification during 1948-1994
This position is ascribed and offers no social mobility
Example 2: The Caste System in India
Brahmin
Kshatriyas
Vaishyas
Shudras
Dalits ‘Untouchables’
Associated with the Hindu religion in Indian, people
are born into a particular Caste and their social
position is ascribed, they believe they are born into
each Caste as a result of their behaviour in a
previous life
1) Draw out the diagram on the left
2) Using the text book p280, add to
this diagram of the types of
people that would be in each
group.
Social Stratification in Britain
Social stratification is based on…
Social class
Social class is based on…
Economic factors – occupation or income, not racist ideas or religious teaching.
Is this open or closed stratification?
Open – it is said that social class is achieved and social mobility is possible
Who would disagree with this?
Marxists – ‘the rich get richer and the poor get poorer’
More power,
wealth,
income and
status
Classes in the UK
Upper class
Middle class
Less power,
wealth,
income and
status
Working class
Underclass?
More power,
wealth,
income and
status
Class according to Karl Marx
Upper class
Working class
Less power,
wealth,
income and
status
Marx Theory on Social Class
Marx found two main classes, membership was determined by
economic factors:
• The bourgeoisie – ownership of the means of production – ever
increasing profit
• The Proletariat – non-ownership, sell their labor in order to
survive – sought higher wages
Marx believed the bourgeoisie exploit the proletariat -> conflict
between classes -> eventually the P would rebel ->
revolution/radical change to society = social class system would
disappear and people would live in a more equal society
A revolution has not yet happen in the UK due to increased
standards of living and the development of the Welfare state
Max Weber on Class
Weber is a Social Action Theorist
Weber believes that class is formed in the marketplace – labour market -> one class hires labour the other sells
their labour
Weber identified four main classes, a class is a group of people with similar access to life chances:
•
Property owners
The petty bourgeoisie (shopkeepers)
•
Professionals
The working class
Each class has a different amount of status, wealth and power
Class is effected by economic factors but also non-economic->
Status – prestige
Power – political influence
Difference between class and status:
Class = formed in the marketplace (Status = identified by prestige and honor attached to their lifestyles
For example:
Nurses lack wealth but have high status
Lottery winners have wealth but lack status
Functionalist view
This approach explains social practices, such as, stratification, in terms of the functions they perform
for wider society.
Some positions in advanced industrial society are more important than others -> they are vital to the
continuation of society.
The holders of these positions = high-level skills and qualifications to be effective -> not everyone has
the talent/ability to fill this role ->
Those with raw talent need lengthy training to develop skills = sacrifice of some kind
These talented people will only be persuaded if they can see a reward -> so they positions are made
to look desirable in terms of high-status and generous financial gain
A system of inequality and unequal rewards in necessary in society to attract the best qualified
people to the top positions
Stratification is functional -> ensures most important jobs are filled by most talented people ->
although rewards are unequally distributed everyone considers it fair.
What would a Marxist
say when asked if life
chances are distributed
unequally in society?
A: Competition in society creates
winners and losers. The winners are
rich and powerful & have the best life
chances – best education, healthcare
etc. The losers are poor and have the
worst life chances…
What would a
Functionalist say when
asked if life chances are
distributed unequally in
society?
B: Welfare benefits, free education
and free healthcare mean that
individuals can improve their life
chances if they want to. Hard work
and a sensible lifestyle can turn these
opportunities into better life
chances…
Explain what sociologists mean by the
term… (4)
1) Status
2) Wealth
3) Income
4) Hierarchy
5) Ascribed status
6) Achieved status
7) Open society
8) Closed society
9) Inequality
10) Life chances
Choose 4
questions to
answer in 20
minutes.
A* 14
A 12
B 11
C9
D8
E6
F5
G4
Wealth refers to how
much money people have.
It represents how much
they are worth in terms
of finance, assets and
land. For example, the
queen is very wealthy as
although she doesn’t
work and earn an
income, she has palaces
and jewels that are
worth millions of pounds.
4/4
Clear definition
explained using key
terms
Example
explained using
key terms
Status refers to a
persons position in
society. Status can be
judged by a persons
wealth, income and
power. For example,
the Queen has a lot
of status as she is
worth millions of
pounds and is the
head of state. This
places her at the top
of the social
hierarchy.
Clear definition
explained using key
terms
Example
explained using
key terms
4/4