Active learning ideas
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.
Activity 01
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.
How is British society stratified?
Activity 02
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.
What is the difference between formal and informal social control?
Activity 03
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.
How does stratification impact life chances?
A few notes on teaching this unit
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Social mobility is easy if you just work hard.
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.
Social control is only about the police and laws.
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.
Methods used in this brief
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