Sociology · Oct / Nov 2024 · Paper 11 · Question 3
0495
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The question as text
There are many ways in which poverty can affect a person’s life chances. Income levels and access to welfare differ from country to country. There are many different explanations of social inequality, such as feminist explanations. However, most sociologists agree that prejudice exists in all societies. 3
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3(a)[2]
What is meant by the term ‘income’? One mark for partial definition e.g. your wages Two marks for clear definition e.g. your wages and any other money that you might have from investments, pensions, profits, etc.
3(b)[4]
Describe two examples of prejudice based on age. Possible answers:
the elderly are stereotyped and considered too old and feeble to be employed;some may consider the elderly too feeble minded or infirm to drive/serve on jury;some elements within the medical profession may think the elderly won’t live long so some medical procedures may be refused e.g., resuscitation, cancer treatments etc.;the elderly may be represented as ‘old codgers’ who are in decline in the media;the young may be considered as trouble causers – labelled as delinquents;the young are often represented as folk-devils in media moral panics;the young are considered spoilt and over-indulged e.g., snowflakes;any other reasonable response. One mark for identifying a correct example (up to a maximum of two). One mark for developing a correct example (up to a maximum of two).3(c)[6]
Explain how poverty can affect an individual’s life chances. Possible responses:
one’s chances of a good education are lower, e.g., likely to have less access to both material and cultural advantages that aid educational success;the chances of accessing a good school are less, e.g., unable to move to a catchment area where there are better schools;the chances of good health are lower, e.g., lack of balanced diet impacts on health and illness and disease may result;life expectancy is reduced, i.e., individuals from lower socio-economic groups generally die younger;access to health care is reduced, e.g., likely to face longer waiting times and not get access to best drugs and treatment;people are more likely to face social exclusion, e.g., don’t have money to go out and meet people or own latest fashion or technology;people in poverty often become fatalistic and resign themselves to their state, inhibiting efforts to break out of the poverty trap;people in poverty may practice immediate gratification and prioritise their basic needs as they have little option, this means they cannot save for the future, invest in their children’s education etc.;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 some societies have a welfare state. Possible responses:
for moral reasons – it is seen by many that it is wrong for people to live in poverty while others have financial security and thus introducing minimum thresholds in income, health provision etc. is seen as the right thing to do;in times of ‘lockdown’ due to pandemics people are unable to work and earn money so a welfare state is necessary to protect citizens;for political reasons – Marxists may argue that welfare state measures are introduced to overcome the resentment of the poor against the rich and hence to prevent class consciousness and ultimately rebellion;feminists argue that the state pension is particularly important for women who live longer than men but are likely to have earned less during their lifetime and so changes to female pensions have now recognised this fact;ethnic minority groups are more likely to be unemployed so the welfare state provides the means for them to live whilst looking for work;increasing life expectancy leads to greater health issues for the elderly, the welfare state can offer support and care for these groups through the provision of care homes, community centres, sheltered housing schemes etc.;the welfare state helps provide health care for those who wouldn’t be able to afford it otherwise and this is seen to be a moral imperative in many modern industrial societies;social housing is offered to the to the poor in an attempt to raise their standard of living as substandard ‘slum’ housing is seen as unacceptable in a civilised society;People with disabilities often find accessing the job market difficult so the welfare state provides income to support them as part of an equal opportunities agenda which is now a necessity;child benefit is paid to parents so as to improve the equality of opportunity for the children of poorer families;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 are feminist explanations of social inequality the most useful? Possible arguments for:
liberal feminists argue that equal rights are achievable and that social inequality can be overcome through legislation;radical feminists believe inequality stems from a patriarchal society and that male power is deeply embedded in society;Marxist feminists argue that women function as a reserve army of labour, so many women often work part-time or on zero hours contracts which means that they can be fired easily in times of economic recession;women still face the glass ceiling (vertical segregation) in the workplace as statistics show they are still failing to reach the top in meaningful numbers in high status occupations like business, finance and computing;the gender pay gap – women are still paid less than men for doing comparable work and this illustrates that, despite a legal framework for equality being in place, discrimination persists;horizontal segregation in which minority groups or women are clustered in low status and low paid work, thus social inequalities continue to be present in MIS’s;many women face a triple burden (Walby) of paid work, childcare and emotion work supporting family members, and this limits their life chances;there are still educational gender inequalities in some countries with women being discouraged from schooling and this limits their freedom and ability to be independent;domestic violence blights the lives of many women and this cuts across different social classes and cultures;primary socialisation instils different values (Oakley) into girls and they are encouraged to take on domestic duties rather than being career focused;any other reasonable response. Possible arguments against:feminism is not a single set of ideas and as such the idea of a single feminist explanation for inequality is not coherent;other sociologists argue minority ethnic groups still suffer inequalities in the criminal justice system e.g. disproportionate stop and search on Black males, higher arrest and conviction rates;other sociologists argue ethnic minorities still do badly in education year on year and this means that they are disadvantaged in terms of their subsequent life chances in work;other sociologists focus on age and inequality arguing that ageism is the root cause of social inequality;Marxists argue that structural inequality is rooted in the class system and this provides a better explanation than feminism;Functionalists argue that inequality is inevitable but society is fair and meritocratic;New Right thinkers argue social inequality is best explained through welfare dependency and the culture of poverty;people cannot legally be discriminated against on the grounds of gender, in many modern industrial societies and this has helped to curb inequality;many girls now have equal opportunities to education and this provides the foundation for social mobility in meritocratic societies, thus helping to reduce social inequalities across all marginalised groups;there is now more equal access to justice e.g., through the legal aid system and this means that inequalities and discrimination can be challenged in the courts;legislation is now in place to reduce income inequalities, for example through the Equal Pay Act and the Sex Discrimination Act;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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