Factors affecting life chances

Overview

Gender roles, institutional racism, ageism, scapegoating, the Equality Act 2010, private schooling and the old boys' network, the affluent worker studies, the glass ceiling, and Walby's patriarchy.

What you need to know

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Questions from this subtopic

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1. 1

   How can the social construction of gender roles affect a person's life chances?

   Model answer

   Girls and boys are steered towards different subjects and jobs by expectations learned in childhood. Women's concentration in caring work then contributes to lower lifetime earnings.

2. 2

   How does institutional racism differ from individual prejudice and discrimination?

   Model answer

   Prejudice is a hostile attitude to a group, and discrimination is unfair treatment that acts on it. Institutional racism is discrimination built into an organisation's routines, whatever individuals intend.

3. 3

   How can stereotyping and labelling lead to ageism at work?

   Model answer

   Older workers are sometimes stereotyped as slow or resistant to new technology. Employers acting on that label may pass them over, which is ageism, meaning unfair treatment because of age.

4. 4

   How can media representation create a moral panic that scapegoats a group?

   Model answer

   Sociologists argue exaggerated media coverage can present a group as a threat, creating a moral panic. The group may then be scapegoated, meaning blamed for problems such as housing shortages.

5. 5

   What does the Equality Act 2010 do?

   Model answer

   The Equality Act 2010 makes discrimination unlawful in Great Britain on the basis of nine protected characteristics. Among them are age, disability, sex, race, sexual orientation, and religion or belief.

6. 6

   How can belonging to a subculture affect life chances?

   Model answer

   A subculture's values can shape the choices its members make about school, work and lifestyle. Membership may bring support and useful contacts, or it may attract negative labels from outsiders.

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