Sociology · May / June 2024 · Paper 11 · Question 3

0495

As printed in the paper

The question as text

Social inequality is a feature of all societies. Gender and ethnicity are often reasons for inequality. For example institutional racism continues to be a problem in modern industrial societies. Some 3 sociologists argue a reserve army of labour exists. Sociologists disagree about whether inequalities between rich and poor can be reduced. Many sociologists believe some people experience a cycle of poverty.

Read automatically from the paper; the printed page above is exact.

Show the answer and mark scheme

3(a)[2]
What is meant by the term ‘reserve army of labour’? One mark for a partial definition e.g. immigrants and ethnic minorities. Two marks for a clear definition e.g. people who are employed when the economy is booming or when needed but are fired in an economic downturn.
3(b)[4]
Describe two examples of institutional racism. Possible responses:
in schools – ethnic minority students treated differently e.g. through labelling, setting and streaming practices, differential treatment and the ethnocentric curriculum etc.;
in housing – authorities have in-built prejudices against ethnic minorities in their policies and practices that mean that such groups do not have equal opportunity for decent housing;
in health – some ethnic groups may be disadvantaged by health priorities and by issues of access due to language problems and cultural sensitivities e.g. Afro-Caribbean’s have higher rates of sickle cell anaemia yet these differences are not always recognised or actioned appropriately;
the media – there may be bias against certain ethnic groups in terms of assumptions made and newspapers or tv news programmes may scapegoat them e.g. minority promoting a perception that some ethnic groups are more likely to be involved in crime;
in the workplace – hidden assumptions may impede the equal opportunities of some ethnic groups e.g. discrimination based on prejudice in recruitment based on people’s surnames;
in the criminal justice system – some ethnic groups may be stereotyped, targeted and unfairly blamed for crime due to the racial assumptions made by police and in the court system – this may lead to injustices such as in the cases of Stephen Lawrence, George Floyd and others;
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 people can experience a cycle of poverty. Possible responses:
across the generations – factors causing poverty create further poverty, e.g. a child born into poverty is unlikely to do well at school and get the skills and qualifications needed to move up the social ladder;
as a lack of resources – the poor often do not have the resources to get them out of poverty, e.g. they may not have enough money to pay for childcare to enable them to work or to pay for transport to get to an interview or a paid job;
as a lack of social and cultural capital (Bourdieu) due to being born in a low social position, so those experiencing a cycle of poverty are disadvantaged when applying for jobs or promotion to a higher status position;
as a poverty trap – it is expensive to be poor and people must spend a lot just to keep their existing standard of living so being able to help children improve their life chances is difficult;
as a culture of poverty – some argue that the poor have a distinct set of norms and values that keep them in poverty (for example fatalism and immediate gratification) and that these are then passed down to the next generation thus ensuring a poverty cycle;
as social exclusion – the poor are unable to take part in the normal activities of society or achieve the expected social goods are thus unable to give their children access to the same and the cycle of poverty continues;
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 feminists argue that society is patriarchal. Possible responses:
women still have a triple burden of work – caring for the family (emotional work), work for an income and domestic labour – in a way that is still not expected of men;
in most countries there is still a gender pay gap in which women on average earn less than men for doing comparable jobs;
women experience domestic and sexual violence to an extent that men do not and this threat underpins continued male dominance in society;
in some countries there has been a marked preference for male children and hence female foetuses may be more likely to be aborted;
in many developing countries girls are less likely than boys to go to school and this negatively impacts the life chances of girls;
women are more likely to live in poverty than men as they earn less, may be left with children to support and may be left with little or no income on the death of their husband;
Marxist feminists argue that continued male dominance and the exploitation of women in a part of the class structure of capitalism – women are used as a reserve army of labour;
radical feminists see a basic conflict between men and women that is universal – all societies are patriarchal and the mindset of domination is deeply rooted and linked to the way in which we value qualities associated with males and females;
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 have government measures reduced inequalities between rich and poor in society? Possible responses for:
the introduction of legislation has created a fair society – modern industrial societies are meritocracies so if individuals work hard at school and in work or capitalise on their natural talents there is no bar to what they can achieve in terms of status and rewards;
many governments have introduced welfare states which aim to reduce the gap between rich and poor e.g. unemployment benefits, free education and healthcare;
most modern societies now have equal opportunities legislation aimed at creating a more equitable social environment, particularly in the workplace where ethnicity and social class should not be a bar to promotion and greater prosperity;
many programmes exist to positively discriminate in favour of disadvantaged people e.g. in education, poor children may be given extra resources which give the greater chances to achieve good qualifications;
many governments now provide subsidised or provide free of charge goods and services for poorer members of society e.g. free bus passes or help with fuel bills during winter;
government measures on taxation and benefits narrow the gap between rich and poor by redistributing wealth and creating a more of a ‘level playing field’ in terms of income and wealth;
many governments have introduced minimum wage requirements so that even those on the lowest wages can survive and look after their families;
any other reasonable response. Possible responses against:
Marxists argue that the inequality is structural or built-in to society – there is a fundamental conflict of interest between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat which means that the wealth and income gap will continue despite government measures such as welfare;
a culture of poverty persists among groups such as the underclass – they hold values which actively prevent them from moving out of poverty e.g. fatalism, laziness and a desire for immediate gratification, hence there is a lack of social mobility out of this class despite government benefits;
even with free education and other government help, there is a cycle of poverty that means children born into poverty are likely to stay in poverty e.g. they are less likely to do well at school and get the skills and qualifications necessary for social advancement, so the inequality persists across generations;
there is a poverty trap which means that those on welfare cannot climb out of poverty e.g. they cannot afford to travel to cheaper supermarkets and so must buy goods from expensive local shops, hence the gap between rich and poor remains;
feminists might argue that there is gender discrimination (e.g. the feminisation of poverty) in spite of government measures to alleviate poverty which means that women are more likely to be in poverty than men;
welfare benefits have become too generous and therefore act as a disincentive to finding employment, thus only helping to maintain people on poverty level incomes;
government measures like the welfare state have not tackled social class inequality – right wing thinkers such as Charles Murray argue that the poor themselves are to blame for their poverty and low social status via the culture of poverty and the culture of dependency;
some ethnic groups remain more prone to poverty than others which proves that anti-discrimination laws and other government measures to tackle systemic racism have failed;
Marxists argue that the welfare state ultimately fails to reduce social inequality – it simply promotes the false consciousness that the system is less unjust than it really is, effectively ‘bribing’ the lower classes and making radical change less likely;
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.

Practise this paper →

Make a free account to save your answers and see your weak topics and ask the AI why a wrong answer is wrong.