Revision NotesPast Papers
GCSESociologyAQARevision NotesExam Guidance & SkillsExam Paper Guidance & StructureKey Terms and Concepts: Social Stratification & Sociological Perspectives

Key Terms and Concepts: Social Stratification & Sociological Perspectives (AQA GCSE Sociology): Revision Note

Raj Bonsor

Written by: Raj Bonsor

Reviewed by: Lucy Vinson

Updated on

Key terms and concepts: social stratification & sociological perspectives

  • In both Paper 1 and 2, you will be asked to define selected key terms as used by sociologists

  • You will also need to make use of appropriate specialist language in your answers to the exam questions

  • Apart from the terms listed here, you will not be expected to be familiar with any other key terms related to the social stratification topic

  • Knowing these key terms and concepts will:

    • make it easier for you to understand the subject content across the entire GCSE course

    • help you draw links across the topics so that you can answer the extended writing questions effectively

Social Stratification and Sociological Perspectives

absolute poverty

achieved status

affluence

ageism

aristocracy

ascribed status

assimilation

asylum seeker

authority

bourgeois

bourgeoisie

bureaucracy

bureaucratic authority

capitalism

capitalist

caste

censorship

charismatic authority

class alignment

class dealignment

class struggle

classless society

communism

community

competition

conformity

consensus

constituency

continuity

culture of dependency

cycle of deprivation

dark figure of crime

deferential

dictatorship

direct action

discrimination

distribution

economy

egalitarian

elite

embourgeoisement

emigration

employment

environmental poverty

ethnic diversity

ethnic group

ethnic minority

ethnicity

expectations

false class consciousness

fascism

feminism

feminists

feudalism

first past the post

functionalism

functionalists

functionally important roles

gatekeeper

gender

gender roles

glass ceiling

image

immigrant

immigration

income

industrial dispute

institutional racism

interactionism

interest groups

intergenerational

isolation

left and right wing

legal rational authority

liberal democratic values

life chances

life expectancy

lifestyle

lumpenproletariat

male domination

market situation (Weber)

Marxism

Marxist

mass media

means of production

means testing

Member of Parliament

meritocracy

middle class

migration

monarchy

multiculturalism

nation state

neo-conservatism

neo-liberalism

New Right

New social movement

news value

norms

oligarchy

organised religion

patriarchy

petty bourgeoisie

pluralism

political party

political socialisation

popular press

poverty

poverty trap

power

prejudice

pressure group

Prime Minister

privatisation

proletarianisation

proletariat

propaganda

proportional representation

quality press

racial discrimination

racism

relative deprivation

relative income standard of poverty

relative poverty

role conflict

roles

ruling class ideology

selective benefits

sex or gender discrimination

sex or gender equality

sexism

slavery

social change (of attitudes)

social class

social cohesion

social construct

social control

social exclusion

social inequality

social mobility

social network

social order

social security

social stratification

socialisation

socialism

society

state standard of poverty

status

subjective class

subjective poverty

surplus wealth

technological change

theoretical perspective

trade union

traditional authority

trend

underclass

under-employment

unemployment

universal benefits

upper class

value consensus

values

wage

wealth

welfare benefits

welfare reform

welfare scrounger or benefit cheat

welfare state

white collar worker

work life balance

working class

world view

You've read 0 of your 5 free revision notes this week

Sign up now. It’s free!

Join the 100,000+ Students that ❤️ Save My Exams

the (exam) results speak for themselves:

    Did this page help you?

    Previous:Key Terms and Concepts: Crime & Deviance & Sociological PerspectivesNext:Key Terms and Concepts: Research Methods
    Author
    Reviewer
    Raj Bonsor

    Author: Raj Bonsor

    Expertise: Psychology & Sociology Content Creator

    Raj joined Save My Exams in 2024 as a Senior Content Creator for Psychology & Sociology. Prior to this, she spent fifteen years in the classroom, teaching hundreds of GCSE and A Level students. She has experience as Subject Leader for Psychology and Sociology, and her favourite topics to teach are research methods (especially inferential statistics!) and attachment. She has also successfully taught a number of Level 3 subjects, including criminology, health & social care, and citizenship.

    Lucy Vinson

    Author: Lucy Vinson

    Expertise: Psychology Subject Lead

    Lucy has been a part of Save My Exams since 2024 and is responsible for all things Psychology & Social Science in her role as Subject Lead. Prior to this, Lucy taught for 5 years, including Computing (KS3), Geography (KS3 & GCSE) and Psychology A Level as a Subject Lead for 4 years. She loves teaching research methods and psychopathology. Outside of the classroom, she has provided pastoral support for hundreds of boarding students over a four year period as a boarding house tutor.