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 povertyAchieved status Welfare dependency Ascribed statusDeprivation Underclass InequalitySocial stratification Wealth Gender pay gapGlass ceiling Income Life chances

Social mobility Vertical segregation Social exclusionCycle of deprivation

Social Inequality KeywordsIncome 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

Social Inequality KeywordsAbsolute 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

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

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

He defined people as belonging to a category:

or below the poverty line (in poverty)

above the poverty line (out of 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 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

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.

Absolute poverty:An individual’s biological needs:An individual’s biological needs:

•FoodFood

•WaterWater

•ClothingClothing

•ShelterShelter

Relative poverty:

An individual’s needs An individual’s needs according to a according to a generally accepted generally accepted standard of the standard of the society in which the society in which the individual is living at individual is living at that specific time.that specific time.

Relative deprivationTownsend 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?

Criticisms of Townsend

• What some people view as essential others may see as luxuries.

• What is considered necessity changes over time (e.g. carpets)

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?

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

Exam question practice

1) What is meant by absolute poverty? (4)

2) What is meant by relative poverty? (4)

3) Suggest one type of poverty and explain how it could be measured. (5)

4) 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

2) What are the causes and effects of poverty?

Learning objective: What’s your target?(D) 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?

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

No child poverty by 2020

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7638837.stm

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)

Low income family describe how they struggle to afford to pay for food and bills

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7643250.stm

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)

The Elderly People with disabilities

Children and poverty Women and poverty

Single parents Ethnicity and poverty

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

• 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

WomenMarried women rely husbandsFewer women have occupational pensionsWomen live longer, their pension has to last longer.Women earn less than men on average.Women are more likely to be single mums.

• 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.

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.)

- 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.

Exam question practice

1) What is meant by the poverty line? (4)2) Describe one way that the government has

tried to reduce child poverty and explain how successful this policy has been (5)

3) Describe one area that may be more likely to experience poverty and explain why this may be (5)

4) Discuss to what extent sociologists would agree that the best way to measure poverty is by income (12)

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.

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 2020.

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

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

1) Explain how poverty can be measured using income and the advantages and disadvantages of using this method

2) Explain how poverty can be measured using a list of items and the advantages and disadvantages of using this method

3) 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.

3) Cycle of DeprivationDo 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.

Discuss how far sociologists would

agree that if people are in poverty they only have themselves to

blame (12)

Culture of poverty

Welfare dependency

Social exclusion

Cycle of deprivation

Marxist views

Unemployment

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

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

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

Social ExclusionPeople 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.

Marxist views

• Capitalism means that rich stay rich and poor people stay poor.

• There will always be poor people in capitalist societies.

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.

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

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