Sociology · Oct / Nov 2016 · Paper 13 · Question 3

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This is an image of a man standing underneath a sign which segregates people on the grounds of race. This type of segregation is based on ascribed status.

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3(a)[2]
What is meant by the term ‘ascribed status’? [2]
Status which is given to an individual at birth and usually can’t be changed. One mark for partial definition e.g. The position you are born in. Two marks for clear definition e.g. The social position you are born in that can’t (usually)* be changed. *could be changed i.e. gender reassignment but candidates do not have to state usually to gain 2 marks.
3(b)[4]
Describe two ways in which status can be achieved. [4]
Candidates will have lots of choice here and will may be expected to give examples that show upward mobility but could also describe negative status like being labelled as a criminal Possible answers:
Promotion – working class individuals work their way up to CEO of company;
Hard work – individual from disadvantage background becomes successful entrepreneur;
Talent – individuals talents help them become rich and famous e.g. Movie Star;
Marriage – entering a higher social group through marrying into it e.g. Kate Middleton marrying Prince William;
Education – working hard at school to get good qualifications which then give access to better jobs;
Labelling – resulting in a master status e.g. mentally ill;
Criminal culture – achieving status through committing crime;
Any other reasonable response. One mark for each example identified (up to maximum of two). One mark for each description (up to a maximum of two).
3(c)[6]
Explain how a person’s ascribed status may change. [6]
Candidates must talk about a change from an ascribed status do not allow answers which discuss general changes in status without reference to ascription. Possible answers:
Monarch abdicates;
Gender reassignment;
Slaves set free;
Apartheid lifted;
Laws changed;
Marriage into royalty i.e. from commoner to HRH;
Wins lottery;
Upward mobility through hard work e.g. move from working class you were born in, to middle class;
Any other reasonable response. Band 0 No creditworthy response. Band 1 (1–3) Answers in this band will show only a limited awareness of the concept of ascribed status. Responses may be short and un/under developed. At the top of the band, there may be a tendency towards simplistic answers, engaging with sociological ideas without using sociological language. Alternatively, candidates may offer a wider range of weak points. Answers may be placed broadly within the concept of status in general. Band 2 (4–6) A clear and accurate explanation showing good sociological knowledge and understanding of ascribed status which is supported by relevant examples. Sociological terms should be expected. At the top of the band candidates will use sociological terms and concepts, referring to a range of factors. Candidates will address ‘how’ the change may happen.
3(d)[8]
Explain why forms of horizontal segregation still exist in modern industrial societies. [8]
Key to this question is that candidates understand the difference between horizontal and vertical segregation. Horizontal segregation is where the workforce of a specific industry or sector is mostly made up of one particular gender or ethnic group. Possible responses:
Results from gender specific socialisation;
Unequal rewards and opportunist;
Notions of ‘men’s work’ and ‘women’s work’;
Stereotypical views of men and women;
Discrimination in recruitment policy;
Failure of legislation to address inequality and discrimination;
Issue around working hours/flexible working;
Childcare issues;
Biological differences e.g. women bare children so see part-time work as more suitable for their needs;
Minority ethnic groups concentrated in certain jobs or sectors especially those which are low paid;
Any other reasonable response. Band 0 No creditworthy response. Band 1 (1–3) Answers in this band will show only a limited awareness of why horizontal segregation persists. Responses may be short and undeveloped. Sociological terms and concepts are unlikely to be used. At the bottom of the band, expect one weak point. At the top of the band, candidates may offer more than one weak point e.g. some people are not treated fairly by employers. Band 2 (4–6) 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, e.g. women are still concentrated in certain jobs because they still have the main child care responsibilities. At the top of 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. Band 3 (7–8) Answers in this band will show good sociological knowledge and understanding of why horizontal segregation persists. Sociological terms and concepts will be used accurately. Answers will be well focused on the question and there will be a range of reasons presented. At the top of the band explanations will be clear throughout.
3(e)[15]
To what extent do minority ethnic groups suffer inequality despite laws to make discrimination illegal? [15]
Candidates need to show awareness that legislation may not be effective, may not be enforced and may vary from society to society. Possible arguments for:
Legislation is ineffective;
Legislation is not enforce;
Discrimination is difficult to prove;
Prejudice still remains;
People may not bring prosecutions for fear of reprisal;
Any other reasonable response. Possible arguments against:
Inequality may be a result of other social factors like social class, age or gender;
In some societies minorities are concentrated in the underclass;
Some ethnic groups are very successful;
Ethnic minorities are not an homogenous group e.g. students from Indian and Chinese backgrounds are often very successful in the education system in the UK;
Legislation has seen improvements;
Multiculturalism has raised awareness of the culture of different ethnic groups and decreased prejudice;
Any other reasonable response. Band 0 No creditworthy response. Band 1 (1–4) Answers in this band may be vague and largely based on common sense showing limited knowledge of the debate. Responses may be short, undeveloped and one-sided. e.g. minority ethnic groups are always discriminated against by majority groups. At the bottom of the band, use of sociological terms or concepts is very unlikely. At the top of the band, candidates may understand that discrimination often happens despite the law e.g. minority ethnic groups often face discrimination because the law is ignored by the more powerful. Band 2 (5–8) In this band candidates will show some basic knowledge of the links between minority status and discrimination. Alternatively, they may offer an answer which is list-like in nature but there will be no real attempt to address the issues raised by the question. There may be limited use of sociological terms or concepts. Responses may be underdeveloped and lack range. Answers may be simplistic and two-sided responses are unlikely. At the top of the band, candidates may describe discrimination e.g. Minority ethnic groups will fail to get the top jobs because of their ethnicity. A one-sided answer cannot score higher than 8 marks. Band 3 (9–12) Answers in this band will show good sociological knowledge and understanding of the social factors which impact on the effectiveness of anti-discrimination legislation. 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 this may be unbalanced. At the bottom of the band, candidates may provide a narrower range of points. At the top of the band, expect a wider range of points and clear focus on the question. Band 4 (13–15) Answers in this band will show an excellent knowledge and understanding of discrimination. There will be a strong grasp of the argument 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 balanced. At the bottom of the band, some attempt at a conclusion will be made. At the top of 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 e.g. The extent to which racial minorities continue to suffer discrimination depends equally on the nature of the society and the impact of other social factors like social class. Permission to reproduce items where third-party owned material protected by copyright is included has been sought and cleared where possible. Every reasonable effort has been made by the publisher (UCLES) to trace copyright holders, but if any items requiring clearance have unwittingly been included, the publisher will be pleased to make amends at the earliest possible opportunity. To avoid the issue of disclosure of answer-related information to candidates, all copyright acknowledgements are reproduced online in the Cambridge International Examinations Copyright Acknowledgements Booklet. This is produced for each series of examinations and is freely available to download at www.cie.org.uk after the live examination series. Cambridge International Examinations is part of the Cambridge Assessment Group. Cambridge Assessment is the brand name of University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES), which is itself a department of the University of Cambridge.

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