Sociology · May / June 2022 · Paper 11 · Question 3

0495

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The question as text

Many people enjoy improved life chances in modern industrial societies. However, there are still many barriers to social mobility and in some countries individuals live in absolute poverty. There 3 is evidence that prejudice and discrimination is often linked to a person’s ethnicity or gender. There are many explanations for the causes of inequality, such as the dependency culture.

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3(a)[2]
What is meant by the term ‘absolute poverty’? One mark for a partial definition e.g. having nothing. Two marks for a clear definition e.g. being deprived of some or all of the necessities of life e.g. shelter, food, clean water, medicines, clothing etc.
3(b)[4]
Describe two examples of life chances. Possible answers:
educational opportunities such as the possibility to go to school and to achieve good qualifications;
employment opportunities – so that individuals can get a job to ensure their financial well-being;
the opportunity to enjoy good health and well-being – this may come via diet and/or access to medicines and medical treatment;
housing – the chance to have safe, good quality housing that is not overcrowded;
the opportunity to access social mobility via promotional opportunities and the removal of social barriers such as racism, sexism and the poverty trap etc.;
life expectancy – the chance that an individual has to enjoy a long life e.g. through the provision of pensions, health care and social initiatives that promote well-being for elderly people;
any other reasonable response. One mark for each example correctly identified (up to a maximum of two). One mark for each example that is developed (up to a maximum of two).
3(c)[6]
Explain how discrimination can affect women’s lives. Possible answers:
in the family women are encouraged to fulfil stereotypical roles such as housewives and mothers which may lead to a triple burden and a lack of opportunities for employment outside the home;
sexist attitudes and prejudices against women e.g. as the possession of men, can lead to domestic and sexual violence;
in some countries a preference for boy children has led to the abortion of female foetuses;
women may benefit from positive discrimination in schemes designed to redress inequalities, for example women-only shortlists or accelerated promotion schemes;
patriarchal ideologies about women’s place being primarily in the home has led to girls being less likely to go to school in some developing countries;
in the workplace there is vertical segregation in which women still struggle to access higher paid and higher status jobs;
women suffer horizontal segregation by being channelled into lower paid, lower status caring or cleaning jobs;
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. 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 a dependency culture exists in some societies. Possible answers:
New Right sociologists argue that welfare state benefits are too generous and discourage or dis-incentivise working as it is easier to live on income from the state;
an underclass has emerged whose values and norms are anti-social e.g. an entitlement culture where people lack a work ethic;
in some countries charities and other NGO’s provide food, healthcare and basic education which encourages people to stay reliant on handouts instead of becoming more independent and self-reliant;
Marxists argue that a welfare state encourages working class dependence and false consciousness by softening the harsher aspects of capitalism, thus making demands for radical change less likely;
capitalism is an inherently unjust system and there will always be those at the bottom of the system who are unable to properly care for themselves e.g. disabled and disenfranchised groups who lack power and resources. These people are always going to be dependent on the state or charity for survival;
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 ethnicity the most important influence on social mobility in modern society? Possible answers: Arguments for:
ethnicity gives individuals an ascribed status and in some countries being a member of an ethnic minority automatically means being assigned a lower status – this in turn will make it harder for them to move upwards in society as they face racism and prejudice;
in some countries ethnic minorities receive less or lower grade education than their ethnic majority counterparts – this affects their chances of gaining good quality skilled jobs and moving up the social ladder;
immigrants may suffer from a language barrier and hence be socially excluded from jobs which will give them access to higher pay and status;
Marxists argue that ethnic minorities are sometimes scapegoated in times of economic crisis and this can lead to prejudice and discrimination in the spheres of education and work, making it harder for ethnic minorities to move upwards in society;
negative stereotypes in the media can lead to institutional racism and discrimination in recruitment resulting in both horizontal and vertical segregation;
right wing sociologists see ethnic minorities as forming an underclass with fatalistic attitudes and a dependency culture, so being born into such groups and learning such values is likely to be a barrier to upward mobility;
any other reasonable response. Arguments against:
functionalists argue that society today is meritocratic and so regardless of one’s ethnic background it is possible to achieve upward mobility – many of the richest people in the UK are not from the ethnic majority e.g. the Hinduja Brothers, Muhammed al Fayed etc.;
whilst immigrants may initially struggle to achieve higher positions in the workplace and in society it is likely that their children will do so through inter-generational mobility due to assimilation into the values of the host culture, better language skills etc.;
feminists may argue that gender is the biggest impediment to social mobility as women face discrimination through the glass ceiling/vertical segregation etc.;
Marxists argue that social class is a more fundamental barrier to social mobility than ethnicity – whilst there is limited movement between social classes this is merely a safety valve and persuades people that the capitalist system is open and fair to all when in fact the working class are exploited and face unequal life chances;
structural barriers such as the cycle of poverty are more important as obstacles to social mobility than simply ethnicity;
disability is just as big a barrier to social mobility as ethnicity with disabled people suffering from stereotypes and social discrimination in terms of access to services and the proper support and equipment to function successfully in the workplace;
any other reasonable response. 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 question 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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