Revision notes, exam requirements and exam questions
GCSE Sociology 2012
Absolute poverty | A situation in which someone lacks the money to pay for the food, clothing and housing necessary to maintain a healthy way of life. | Achieved status | A social position which individuals are able to gain through, for example, hard work and or educational qualifications. | Ageism | Being prejudiced against people because of their age. | Ascribed status | A position or social standing given to an individual on the basis of inherited characteristics. | Caste | A rigid system of stratification in which an individual cannot move from the caste into which they are born. | Cycle of deprivation | A social process which may lead the children of poor parents to suffer poverty when adults. | Embourgeoisement | The proposition that members of the working class develop middle-class attitudes and patterns of behaviour as they become more affluent. | Environmental poverty | Deprivation experienced in neighbourhoods that are ugly, dirty, unsafe and which lack adequate services and amenities. | Gender discrimination | Treating people unfairly because of their gender. | Glass ceiling | The informal barrier that makes it difficult for women to achieve high-level positions at work. | Income | The money received by an individual in a period of time, for example, wages or interest on savings. | Institutional racism | Occurs when the everyday practices and procedures of an organisation, for example the police, lead to discrimination against ethnic groups either intentionally or unintentionally. | Life chances | The chances that section of society have of achieving the things which are valued by their society. | Lifestyle | The way in which members of a group use their resources. Lifestyles will reflect the attitudes and priorities of the group. | Middle class | The section of society composed of people engaged in non-manual work and