WJEC Eduqas GCSE Sociology sample

125 Social stratification The movement of people up and down the social class system is called social mobility . In the USA, the possibility of doing this forms part of the ‘American dream’. The idea of it is very strong in the UK too: if you work hard and have ability you can be successful and rise to be the ‘cream on the trifle’. A society where a person with skill can work hard and be successful is known as a meritocracy. CHECK IT Draw a diagram to show your school as a trifle. What different layers of people would there be? Now do the same for the UK as a whole. Label the trifle with Working class , Middle class and Upper class . If you can, add the types of people found in each layer. Add the underclass. ✓ In medieval times in England and in many places in Europe, there was a system of stratification called the feudal system. Power and wealth was based on ownership of land. King Nobles Knights Peasants Food and services Protection and military service Money and knights (military service) Land Land (feif: land with a fee/service) Land and protection Feudal pyramid of power One view of social class today. What do you notice about the sizes of the different classes? Upper class Upper middle class Lower middle class Working class Working poor Underclass SPOTLIGHT: Imagine you are a researcher who wants to investigate inequality in the UK. Explain what kind of sample of people you would use and how you would find your sample. METHODS SUMMARY Stratification is the way that society is divided up. Most societies have some kind of stratification system. Sociologists are divided between those who think this is a good thing and those who criticise it. There is also disagreement about whether the UK is a meritocracy. We will learn about these views in the following sections.