Sociology · Year 10 · The Sociological Approach · 1.º Período

Social Stratification and Control

Students investigate how society is stratified by class, gender, and ethnicity, and how social control is maintained. They will evaluate formal and informal mechanisms of control.

TL;DR:Social stratification is the way society is divided into layers based on factors like wealth, power, and status. In this unit, students examine the British class system, gender inequality, and ethnic stratification. They explore how these divisions affect 'life chances', the opportunities individuals have to achieve success in areas like health, education, and employment. This topic is central to the GCSE curriculum as it links directly to the study of crime, family, and education in later units.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• GCSE Sociology (AQA 8192) 3.5.1: Social stratification
• GCSE Sociology (OCR J699) 1.2: Social control

About This Topic

Social stratification is the way society is divided into layers based on factors like wealth, power, and status. In this unit, students examine the British class system, gender inequality, and ethnic stratification. They explore how these divisions affect 'life chances', the opportunities individuals have to achieve success in areas like health, education, and employment. This topic is central to the GCSE curriculum as it links directly to the study of crime, family, and education in later units.

Students also look at social control, the methods used to ensure people conform to society's norms. They distinguish between formal control, such as the legal system and the police, and informal control, such as peer pressure and family expectations. This topic comes alive when students can physically model the patterns of inequality through simulations that illustrate the difficulty of social mobility.

Key Questions

1. How is British society stratified?
2. What is the difference between formal and informal social control?
3. How does stratification impact life chances?

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

Social mobility is easy if you just work hard.

What to Teach Instead

While meritocracy is an ideal, sociologists study the structural barriers (like the 'old boys' network' or material deprivation) that make mobility difficult. A simulation showing how 'luck' and 'starting capital' impact outcomes helps students see the difference between individual effort and structural advantage.

Common Misconception

Social control is only about the police and laws.

What to Teach Instead

Students often overlook informal control. Peer teaching sessions where students give examples of how their friends use 'the look' or exclusion to control their behaviour can help them realise that informal control is often more powerful in daily life.

Active Learning Ideas

Simulation Game

The Life Chances Game

Assign students different 'starting positions' based on social class, ethnicity, and gender. They must navigate a series of life events (applying for university, getting a mortgage) where their starting position affects their 'roll of the dice', sparking a discussion on structural inequality.

50 min·Whole Class

Gallery Walk

Formal vs. Informal Control

Display images of various social controllers (a judge, a parent, a CCTV camera, a group of friends). Students move around the room to categorise each as formal or informal and write one specific sanction each controller uses to maintain order.

25 min·Small Groups

Inquiry Circle

The Glass Ceiling

In small groups, students research the 'Fortune 500' or FTSE 100 leadership statistics. They must identify patterns related to gender and ethnicity and create a visual representation of the 'barriers' that prevent certain groups from reaching the top of the stratification ladder.

40 min·Small Groups

Frequently Asked Questions

What are life chances?

Life chances refer to the opportunities people have to improve their quality of life. This includes access to high-quality healthcare, a good education, well-paid employment, and safe housing. Sociologists argue that life chances are not distributed equally but are significantly influenced by an individual's position in the social stratification system, such as their social class or ethnicity.

How does social stratification affect British society today?

Stratification creates a hierarchy that impacts everything from life expectancy to educational attainment. In the UK, we see this through the 'north-south divide', the gender pay gap, and the disproportionate representation of privately educated individuals in high-status jobs. Studying this helps students understand why social policies, like the minimum wage or pupil premium, are introduced.

What is the best way to teach social control using active learning?

Role plays are highly effective for teaching social control. By having students act out scenarios where a norm is broken (like talking loudly in a library), they can observe the immediate informal sanctions from others. Following this with a mock trial or a debate on police powers allows them to compare the visceral feeling of informal pressure with the structured nature of formal control.

What is the difference between wealth and income?

Income is the flow of money received on a regular basis, such as a salary or benefits. Wealth refers to the total value of assets owned by an individual, such as property, savings, and stocks. Wealth is often much more unequally distributed than income and is a key factor in maintaining social class across generations.