1. Do it now! Match up the key words with their definitions.
Challenge yourself: Try to do it without looking at the keywords
Social inequality Absolute poverty Relative poverty
Achieved status Welfare dependency Ascribed status
Deprivation Underclass Inequality
Social stratification Wealth Gender pay gap
Glass ceiling Income Life chances
Social mobility Vertical segregation Social exclusion
Cycle of deprivation

2. Social Inequality Keywords
Income is insufficient to survive
Income is insufficient to maintain the same standard of living as most other people
Social position earned through talent or determination
Social position fixed at birth
Lack of material resources e.g. food, shelter etc
Idea that deprivation and poverty are passed on from parents to their children
Difference between men’s and women’s earnings
Invisible barrier to promotion faced by some groups including women
Idea that some groups remain in poverty because the welfare state encourages them to depend on benefits
Difference in distribution of resources (e.g. money) or outcomes (e.g. educational achievement)
Uneven distribution of resources such as money and power, or of opportunities and outcomes e.g. educational or health in society
Individual’s chances of achieving positive or negative outcomes e.g. health, education
Where people change position or status moving up or down the different stratas
Being shut out or excluded from participation in society’s social, economic, political and cultural life e.g. a homeless person
The way society is structured or divided into hierarchical layers or stratas, with the most privileged at the top and least favoured at the bottom
People who experience long-term poverty who are unable to obtain a living
Within the same occupation, men and women tend to be found in jobs at different levels
Resources individuals or households receive e.g. monthly salary (money) or monthly benefits
Ownership of asset e.g. property, land, savings accounts etc

3. Social Inequality Keywords
Absolute poverty
Income is insufficient to survive
Relative poverty
Income is insufficient to maintain the same standard of living as most other people
Achieved status
Social position earned through talent or determination
Ascribed status
Social position fixed at birth
Deprivation
Lack of material resources e.g. food, shelter etc
Cycle of deprivation
Idea that deprivation and poverty are passed on from parents to their children
Gender pay gap
Difference between men’s and women’s earnings
Glass ceiling
Invisible barrier to promotion faced by some groups including women
Welfare dependency
Idea that some groups remain in poverty because the welfare state encourages them to depend on benefits
Inequality
Difference in distribution of resources (e.g. money) or outcomes (e.g. educational achievement)
Social inequality
Uneven distribution of resources such as money and power, or of opportunities and outcomes e.g. educational or health in society
Life chances
Individual’s chances of achieving positive or negative outcomes e.g. health, education
Social mobility
Where people change position or status moving up or down the different stratas
Social exclusion
Being shut out or excluded from participation in society’s social, economic, political and cultural life e.g. a homeless person
Social stratification
The way society is structured or divided into hierarchical layers or stratas, with the most privileged at the top and least favoured at the bottom
Underclass
People who experience long-term poverty who are unable to obtain a living
Vertical segregation
Within the same occupation, men and women tend to be found in jobs at different levels
Income
Resources individuals or households receive e.g. monthly salary (money) or monthly benefits
Wealth
Ownership of asset e.g. property, land, savings accounts etc

4. Barriers to Achievement
Social Inequality
Social class
What is it?
How is it measured?
Social mobility (ascribed status/achieved status, open/closed society)
Is social class still important?
Life chances
What are they?
Why is the distribution of life chances unequal?
Barriers to Achievement
Gender
Age
Ethncitity
Wealth and Income Distribution
Difference between wealth and income?
Poverty (What is it and how is it measured?)
Causes of poverty
Effects of poverty

5. 1) What is poverty and how is it measured?
Learning objective: What’s your target?
(D) Define the key terms absolute/relative poverty, wealth and income
(C) Explain different methods of measuring poverty
(A*-B) Criticise different methods of measuring poverty

6. or below the poverty line (in poverty)
One individual who was extremely influential in defining poverty was Seebohm Rowntree who devised research at the beginning of the twentieth century to define whether people were in poverty or not.
He defined people as belonging to a category:
above the poverty line (out of poverty)
or below the poverty line (in poverty)

7. Below this level = Absolute Poverty
He argued that people needed:
Food
Clothes
Shelter
These were the minimum for existence.
The poverty line was drawn at the point where a minimum was needed to ‘maintain health’.
Below this level = Absolute Poverty

8. Problems with using absolute poverty
Even though you have the basics like food, water and shelter, you may be in poverty compared to those around you.
This is relative poverty.

9. Absolute poverty:
An individual’s biological needs:
Food
Water
Clothing
Shelter
Relative poverty:
An individual’s needs according to a generally accepted standard of the society in which the individual is living at that specific time.

10. Relative deprivation
Townsend argued that poverty involves exclusion from the accepted lifestyle of the community. It can be measured by discovering the extent to which people are deprived of amenities and activities seen as normal by the majority.
He asked detailed questions on 60 indicators of deprivation.
These included
Refrigerator
Lack of an annual holiday
Carpets
A joint for Sunday roast dinner.
What criticisms can you make of this method of measuring poverty?

11. Criticisms of Townsend
What some people view as essential others may see as luxuries.
What is considered necessity changes over time (e.g. carpets)

12. Townsend 1899, Poverty line
He worked out a family budget based on the cheapest food and clothes which would meet the basic requirements.
He obtained expert medical advice on nutritional requirements and the food that could provide these.
He added allowances for rent, fuel and a small amount of ‘sundries’
Using this information he worked out an allowance according to the size of the family which he called the poverty line.
Households whose total income fell below this line were defined as being in poverty.
What criticisms can you make of this method of measuring poverty?

13. Criticisms Using a poverty line is too simple and is not accurate.
People may be only 1p over the line and classed as not in poverty

14. Exam question practice
What is meant by absolute poverty? (4)
What is meant by relative poverty? (4)
Suggest one type of poverty and explain how it could be measured. (5)
Suggest one way of measuring poverty and explain one problem with it. (5)
Vocabulary
Poverty line
Absolute poverty
Relative poverty
Necessities
Basics
Relative deprivation
Average income

15. 2) What are the causes and effects of poverty?
Learning objective: What’s your target?
Identify different groups that may experience poverty
(C) Explain why some groups in society are more likely to experience poverty than others
(A*-B) Criticise the effectiveness of government attempts to tackle poverty
Starter: Which areas of the UK do you predict will have the highest rates of poverty?

16. Link to exam: Describe one area that may be more likely to experience poverty and explain why this may be (5)

17. No child poverty by 2020
At the Labour Party conference, Gordon Brown said child poverty "demeans Britain" and repeated his party's pledge to halve child poverty by 2010, and ultimately to end it.
We have lifted 600,000 children out of poverty, we are introducing free nursery education for all two, three and four year olds and have seen an increase in educational outcomes at all ages.
Local authorities and other service providers had to help it raise family incomes, encourage people to apply for tax credit and benefits and help parents work.
Link to exam: Describe one way that the government has tried to reduce child poverty and explain how successful this policy has been (5)

18. Low income family describe how they struggle to afford to pay for food and bills
There are currently 3,900,000 children in the UK that are classed as actually living in poverty, which impacts on every aspect of a child's life.
"A child in poverty is 10 times more likely to die in infancy, and five times more likely to die in an accident.
"Adults who lived in poverty as a child are 50 times more likely to develop a restrictive illness such diabetes or bronchitis."
The campaign to end child poverty classes households as being in poverty if they are living on under £10 per person per day.
Link to exam: Describe one group that are likely to be in poverty and explain how it could affect their life chances (5)

19. The Elderly
People with disabilities
Children and poverty
Women and poverty
Single parents
Ethnicity and poverty

20. Living on state pension
Limited means of income
Health problems can cause expense
Cost of private healthcare

21. More likely to experience discrimination and not get a higher paid job
More likely to be in low skilled, low paid manual work – racism/ discrimination
Culturally seen as socially unacceptable to claim benefits they may be entitled to
Under achievement at school – less qualifications – lower paid work

22. Women Married women rely husbands
Fewer women have occupational pensions
Women live longer, their pension has to last longer.
Women earn less than men on average.
Women are more likely to be single mums.

23. Only one income
More likely to be in part time, lower paid work to fit around child care
Benefits not high enough to keep single parents out of poverty, but a soon as they earn more money they lose their benefits.

24. children
Rely on parents income, who may not have enough money to give them. (don’t work)
Children in single parent families are more likely to be in poverty
Arrival of new children, can push parents into poverty.
Young people may be put off going to Uni by the debt they will accumulate. (Graduates generally earn more than those without higher educational qualifications.)

25. Disabilities make it difficult to find work, may be restricted with choice of work/ face discrimination.
There are extra costs such as adapting the home which very expensive.
Changes by the conservative government means that benefits were lower for people with disabilities.

26. Exam question practice
What is meant by the poverty line? (4)
Describe one way that the government has tried to reduce child poverty and explain how successful this policy has been (5)
Describe one area that may be more likely to experience poverty and explain why this may be (5)
Discuss to what extent sociologists would agree that the best way to measure poverty is by income (12)

27. What is a ‘poverty line?’ (4)
A poverty line is a way of measuring poverty. It uses household income. Those earning below the minimum amount are considered in poverty. The average is a line that is drawn between those above and below the minimum amount. For example £10 per person per day.

28. Suggest one way the government has tried to reduce child poverty and explain how successful this policy has been (5) (5)
One way is through setting targets. For example Tony Blair pledge to eradicate child poverty by This has not been very successful as children still face relative poverty. The recession has meant that lots of parents have lost their job. The governments targets have not made any difference to children who have parents hat don’t have enough money.
2/2
3/3
5/5

29. Intro – explain the difference between absolute and relative poverty
To what extent would sociologists agree that the best way to measure poverty is by income. (12)
Intro – explain the difference between absolute and relative poverty
Explain how poverty can be measured using income and the advantages and disadvantages of using this method
Explain how poverty can be measured using a list of items and the advantages and disadvantages of using this method
Explain how poverty can be measured using subjective measures and the advantages and disadvantages of using this method
Conclusion: to some extent it could be argues that there is no one best way to measure poverty as there is no agreement among sociologists as to what being in poverty is or how to accurately measure it.

30. 3) Cycle of Deprivation Do you think the following statements are true or false and why?
1. There is just as much child poverty in the UK as there is anywhere else in the world
2. Once children are born in to poor families, they will stay poor all their lives.
3. The government do not do much to help children in poverty
4. It can never be a child's fault that they are in poverty
5. Children in poverty have to work twice as hard at school as rich children.
6. Children in poverty will never get the best jobs like Prime Minister.

31. Welfare dependency
Culture of poverty
Social exclusion
Discuss how far sociologists would agree that if people are in poverty they only have themselves to blame (12)
Cycle of deprivation
Unemployment
Marxist views

32. Culture of poverty
People in poverty have a set of beliefs that keeps them in poverty
Fatalistic
Think short term
No point in saving or planning for the future

33. Welfare dependency and the underclass
(New Right view)
The underclass are a group who live off benefits because they are too lazy to work
They become dependent on benefits

34. The cycle of Deprivation
Born into poverty Perform less well at school Limited opportunities Live in poverty as an adult Their children are born into poverty

35. Social Exclusion People are in poverty through no fault of their own.
People in poverty cannot fully participate in society because they cannot buy the same things or interact with others.
For example, cannot afford a television or to go out to the cinema with friends.

36. Marxist views
Capitalism means that rich stay rich and poor people stay poor.
There will always be poor people in capitalist societies.

37. Unemployment and inadequate welfare state
The recession has caused people to lose their jobs through no fault of their own
Benefits are too low to keep people out of poverty.

38. To what extent would sociologists agree that if people are in poverty they only have themselves to blame (12)
It is peoples own fault they are in poverty
It’s not peoples own fault they are in poverty
Culture of poverty
Welfare dependency
Cycle of deprivation
Social exclusion
Marxist views
Unemployment

39. To what extent what sociologists agree that if people are in poverty they only have themselves to blame (12)
It is peoples own fault they are in poverty
It’s not peoples own fault they are in poverty
Culture of poverty
Welfare dependency
Cycle of deprivation
Marxist views
Unemployment
Social exclusion