Sociology · May / June 2021 · Paper 12 · Question 3
0495
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Functionalists argue that in most societies there is a meritocracy and that social mobility is possible. Other sociologists argue that barriers such as the dependency culture and racism can negatively 3 affect the life chances of people in poverty and minority ethnic groups. However many sociologists agree that the roles of women have changed in modern industrial societies.
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3(a)[2]
What is meant by the term ‘meritocracy’? Acceptable answer:
a society in which individuals achieve the level that their talents and abilities deserve. One mark for a partial definition e.g. move up the social ladder. Two marks for clear definition e.g. a society in which most individuals earn or achieve their status and rewards.3(b)[4]
Describe two aspects of the dependency culture. Possible responses:
it arises when poor people live solely on benefits and become so used to them that they have no desire to work;dependency culture is linked with fatalism and the idea that an individual is destined or has no power to lift themselves out of poverty;a dependency culture is sometimes linked with negative social values like laziness and indolence which keeps people needing the help of the state or others for their welfare;New Right thinkers argue that the welfare state is linked to a dependency culture as overgenerous welfare benefits encourage people to stay on them rather than find employment;some might link dependency culture with life expectancy and the idea that old people become totally reliant on the younger generation within their family for help and support;some argue that a dependency culture inevitably links to the cycle of poverty in which the values of dependency are passed down to succeeding generations who similarly cannot escape the poverty of their parents;any other reasonable answer. One mark for each aspect correctly identified (up to maximum of two). One mark for each aspect developed (up to a maximum of two).3(c)[6]
Explain how the roles of women have changed in modern industrial societies. Possible responses:
due to changes in norms and laws women’s role in the home has changed dramatically with many women moving away from the traditional housewife role and into the workplace sometimes as breadwinners for their families;in terms of their gender role women used to be considered weak and passive but now women have become more confident and empowered due to feminism;feminists may argue that due to paid work many women now have a dual or triple burden and so their role within the home has now become more onerous;changing divorce laws have now freed women from bad marriages and allowed them to enter the workplace and become independent/ breadwinners;in the workplace there are now many successful role models for women to break through the glass ceiling e.g. Theresa May and Hilary Clinton in politics;some, like Wilmott and Young, argue that the traditional gendered division of labour has now receded to be replaced by a more equal and shared division of household chores;laws such as the Equal pay Act (1970) and the Sex Discrimination Act (1975) increased equality at work and paved the way for women to achieve higher pay and status in the workplace;the roles of women in the media have changed – there is now a range of representations rather than just the old sexist stereotypes;maternity leave and maternity pay reduced the loss of income women experienced when they had children and ensured that after having children women were able to return at the same level of pay as before;to any other reasonable answer Band 0 [0 marks] No creditworthy response. Band 1 [1–3 marks] Answers in this band will show only a limited awareness of the question. Responses may be short and un/underdeveloped. At the bottom of the band (1 mark), expect one weak point. Higher in the band (2–3 marks), candidates may offer more than one weak point, but there may be a tendency towards simplistic answers, engaging with sociological ideas without using sociological language. Band 2 [4–6 marks] Answers in this band will have clear and accurate explanation, showing good sociological knowledge and understanding. Sociological terms and concepts should be expected and explained. At the bottom of the band, the range of points covered may be narrow or lack detail. Higher in the band, answers will cover more than one point in a well-developed way or cover several points in less detail.3(d)[8]
Explain why racism can affect the life chances of some minority ethnic groups. Possible answers:
in education racism can result in an ethnocentric curriculum and teacher labelling which stereotypes and discriminates against ethnic minority pupils – this means that they are less likely to succeed in education which is arguably the key to other life chances;in employment ethnic minority applicants may face discrimination when applying for jobs or fail to get promotion due to racism thus inhibiting the chances of achieving higher pay, status and rewards;in housing ethnic minorities may find that the rules about who has priority mean that they find it difficult to get access to affordable housing;negative media coverage of ethnic minorities, refugees and asylum seekers means that their life chances generally are fewer due to entrenched stereotypes of ‘scroungers’ and ‘terrorists’ etc.;institutional racism – some ethnic minority groups may be targeted by the police and are this more likely to be stopped, searched, arrested and imprisoned by police than the majority ethnic group;Marxists argue that racist scapegoating is used on immigrant and ethnic minority groups which keeps them in poverty and socially excluded and also divides the working class;any other reasonable response. Band 0 [0 marks] No creditworthy response. Band 1 [1–3 marks] Answers in this band will show only a limited awareness of the question. A tendency to description is likely. Responses may be short and undeveloped and points stated without explanation. Sociological terms and concepts are unlikely to be used. At the bottom of the band (1 mark), expect one weak point. Higher in the band (2–3 marks), candidates may offer more than one weak point. Band 2 [4–6 marks] Answers in this band will show basic sociological knowledge and understanding. Responses may be underdeveloped and lacking in range. At the bottom of the band, candidates are unlikely to use sociological terms and concepts accurately. Higher in the band, candidates may be beginning to use sociological terms and concepts with greater accuracy. However, some aspects of the answer may only be partially developed/explained. Band 3 [7–8 marks] Answers in this band will show good sociological knowledge and understanding and will be well-developed and explained. Sociological terms and concepts will be used accurately overall. Answers will be well-focused on the question and there will be a range of points presented. At the top of the band explanations will be clear throughout.3(e)[15]
To what extent is there social mobility between social classes? Possible arguments for:
there is now a legal basis for equal opportunities, e.g. the Equal Pay Act, and this means that individuals from the lower social classes are now free to achieve upward mobility in terms of higher pay and status in the workplace;embourgeoisement and proletarianisation as examples of how workers may be socially mobile between classes;downward social mobility is a reality for some which illustrates that privilege and high status is no longer ascribed and fixed;intragenerational social mobility now occurs in which individuals work hard and move from the working class into the middle class;there are many examples and case studies of individuals who have risen to the top through entrepreneurial activity, such as Kylie Jenner, Richard Branson or Lord Sugar;intergenerational mobility can now occur wherein children of working class parents succeed in education and move upwards into middle class jobs as lawyers, doctors and accountants etc.;functionalists argue that modern industrial societies are mostly meritocratic, so it is accepted that people can rise to the top through hard work and ability;as societies move away from closed systems intermarriage becomes possible which may mean upward class mobility for some;any other reasonable answer. Arguments against:critics of social mobility point out that the upper class is still beyond the reach of most – they recruit from within their own class ranks and keep access to their wealth and privilege very restricted;feminists would argue that women face obstacles to social class mobility in a way that men don’t – via sexism and the glass ceiling for example;some ethnic groups find it difficult to achieve social class mobility due to barriers linked to institutional racism in all areas of society such as education, the media, employment practices etc.;old boys’ network and nepotism can both act as barriers to social mobility for those in lower social classes;it is difficult to measure social mobility – the Goldthorpe study for example has been criticised – so we don’t know precisely the types and degree to which social mobility occurs in a society;Marxists argue that processes such as proletarianisation occur which may give the impression of mobility but in fact ensure that most working people remain in the lower end of the class spectrum;any other reasonable answer. Band 0 [0 marks] No creditworthy response. Band 1 [1–4 marks] Answers in this band may be vague and largely based on common sense showing limited knowledge of the debate. Use of sociological terms or concepts is very unlikely. Responses may be short, undeveloped and one- sided. Lower in the band (1–2 marks), expect one or two weak points. Higher in the band (3–4 marks) candidates may offer more than two points and provide a weak definition of key terms in the question. Band 2 [5–8 marks] In this band candidates will show some basic knowledge of the debate. Alternatively, they may offer an answer which is list-like in nature but there will be no real attempt to assess the issues raised by the question. There may be limited/some use of sociological terms or concepts. Responses may be underdeveloped and lack range. Answers may be simplistic and two-sided or only cover one side of the debate. Lower in the band, the response may be rather narrow in the points covered and there may be some development. Higher in the band, more points are likely to be covered with some development. Alternatively, a list-like answer with some development covering both sides of the argument may score up to 8 marks. A one-sided answer cannot score higher than 8 marks. Band 3 [9–12 marks] Answers in this band will show good sociological knowledge and understanding of the debate. Sociological terms and concepts will be used with greater accuracy and/or frequency. For the most part, answers will be well-developed, focused on the questions and there will be a range of points presented. There will be a two-sided response but it may lack range on one side. At the bottom of the band, candidates may provide a narrower range of developed points. At the top of the band, expect a wider range of developed points and clear focus on the question. Band 4 [13–15 marks] Answers in this band will show excellent knowledge and understanding of the debate. There will be a strong grasp of the arguments as well as accurate and frequent use of sociological terms and concepts. Answers will be well-developed, clearly focused on the question and discuss a wide range of points. Responses will be two-sided and have a range of points on each side. At the bottom of the band (13 marks), the answer may lack a specific conclusion. Higher in the band, there will be a clear attempt to offer an assessment of the ‘To what extent.?’ part of the question through a focused conclusion.
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