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Life Chances: GCSE Sociology Definition

Raj Bonsor

Written by: Raj Bonsor

Reviewed by: Claire Neeson

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Contents

  1. 1. What are life chances?
  2. 2. GCSE Sociology Revision Resources to Ace Your Exams

What are life chances?

In GCSE Sociology, life chances refer to the opportunities an individual has to improve their quality of life and achieve success in areas such as education, employment, health, and income. This concept, introduced by sociologist Max Weber, highlights how factors like social class, gender, ethnicity, and family background can influence a person's access to resources and life opportunities. 

Life chances are studied in order to understand how social inequalities affect people differently, with some groups having advantages while others face barriers that limit their potential. Life chances help explain patterns of social mobility and the persistence of inequality in society.

GCSE Sociology Revision Resources to Ace Your Exams

Explore life chances in more detail and master other key social stratification terms and concepts using our detailed GCSE revision notes. 

Explore GCSE Sociology Revision Resources


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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.

Claire Neeson

Author: Claire Neeson

Expertise: Psychology Content Creator

Claire has been teaching for 34 years, in the UK and overseas. She has taught GCSE, A-level and IB Psychology which has been a lot of fun and extremely exhausting! Claire is now a freelance Psychology teacher and content creator, producing textbooks, revision notes and (hopefully) exciting and interactive teaching materials for use in the classroom and for exam prep. Her passion (apart from Psychology of course) is roller skating and when she is not working (or watching 'Coronation Street') she can be found busting some impressive moves on her local roller rink.

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