Inequality by Gender, Ethnicity and Age - Worksheets, Questions and Revision

12 original exam-style questions - 4 pages of questions with a full mark scheme - free printable PDF.

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This topic is chapter 6 of GCSE Sociology: Social stratification Practice Book.

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6.6 Inequality by Gender, Ethnicity and Age

AQA 8192 · about 55 minutes

Total Marks

Name: _______________________________ Date: ____ / ____ / ______

Answer ALL questions. Show your understanding by using sociological vocabulary and, where asked, your own examples.

Sociologists study inequality by gender, ethnicity and age as evidence of how society is structured.

Evaluate the view that structural discrimination, rather than differences between groups themselves, best explains patterns of inequality by gender, ethnicity and age in the UK today. In your answer you should refer to sociologists' views and consider more than one form of inequality.

(Total for Question 1 is 12 marks)

For each pattern below, state which form of inequality it best illustrates: gender, ethnicity or age.

(a)Women remain under-represented in the most senior roles in many organisations, despite entering the workforce in large numbers.(1)

(b)An organisation's collective procedures result in poorer treatment of people because of their ethnicity, without individual staff necessarily intending it.(1)

(c)Some older people's disadvantage is linked to exclusion from paid work created by policy and the organisation of the labour market, rather than only biological ageing.(1)

(Total for Question 2 is 3 marks)

Give one example of a workplace policy that could help reduce gender inequality linked to caring responsibilities.

(Total for Question 3 is 2 marks)

Explain two reasons sociologists say inequality by gender, ethnicity and age should be understood as overlapping, rather than always studied entirely separately.

(Total for Question 4 is 4 marks)

State one similarity between Townsend's concept of structured dependency in old age and feminist explanations of gender inequality.

(Total for Question 5 is 2 marks)

Explain why sociologists are careful to describe patterns of inequality by gender, ethnicity and age as being about groups on average, rather than about any individual person.

(Total for Question 6 is 2 marks)

Explain Sylvia Walby's (1990) view of patriarchy as operating through several different structures.

(Total for Question 7 is 4 marks)

Explain what sociologists mean by the term 'gender pay gap'.

(Total for Question 8 is 4 marks)

Explain what sociologists mean by the 'glass ceiling'.

(Total for Question 9 is 4 marks)

State what sociologists mean by the term 'ethnic penalty'.

(Total for Question 10 is 2 marks)

State one way ethnicity can be linked to differences in life chances in the labour market.

(Total for Question 11 is 2 marks)

Explain what sociologists mean by 'ageism'.

(Total for Question 12 is 2 marks)

Mark scheme · 6.6 Inequality by Gender, Ethnicity and Age

Question 1

Level 4 (10-12): A detailed, well-balanced evaluation that accurately explains structural and discriminatory explanations of inequality across at least two of gender, ethnicity and age, supported by accurate reference to named sociologists or sources. The answer analyses evidence of change and continuing debate, and reaches a reasoned, supported judgement. Throughout, patterns of inequality are treated as evidence of structure, discrimination and unequal opportunity, never as evidence about the characteristics of any group; sociological terminology is used accurately and consistently.
Level 3 (7-9): A clear evaluation that explains structural/discriminatory explanations for at least one form of inequality, with some accurate reference to sociologists or sources, and some awareness of debate or change over time. An attempt at a conclusion, which may be only partly supported. No content attributes inequality to the qualities of any group.
Level 2 (4-6): Some relevant explanation of one or more forms of inequality, with limited development or accuracy. Little clear evaluation or comparison. No content attributes inequality to the qualities of any group.
Level 1 (1-3): One or two isolated, undeveloped points about inequality, with little or no sociological terminology or accurate detail.
Level 0 (0): No relevant content, or content that inappropriately attributes inequality to the characteristics of a group rather than to structure or discrimination.
Indicative content:
- Gender: feminist sociologists such as Sylvia Walby (1990) argue that patriarchy operates through structures such as paid work and the unequal division of domestic responsibilities, helping to explain patterns such as the gender pay gap and women's under-representation in senior roles (the 'glass ceiling'), rather than differences in ability.
- Ethnicity: the Macpherson Report (1999) showed how institutional processes, not only individual prejudice, can produce unequal treatment; sociologists such as Heath have used the term 'ethnic penalty' to describe labour-market disadvantage that persists even once qualifications are taken into account, pointing towards structural and discriminatory explanations.
- Age: Peter Townsend (1981) argued that some of the disadvantage experienced by older people, such as exclusion from paid work and reduced income, reflects 'structured dependency' created by social policy and the organisation of the labour market and retirement, rather than simply being a natural result of biological ageing.
- Evaluation/depth: sociologists can point to evidence of real, continuing change, e.g. equality legislation and shifting social attitudes, which some argue have narrowed certain gaps over time, while others argue structural patterns remain persistent and well evidenced across each area.
- A candidate might also note that these forms of inequality can overlap for some individuals, for example a person's experience can be shaped by gender, ethnicity and age together, which sociologists study as intersecting rather than entirely separate influences.
- A balanced conclusion should recognise the strong sociological evidence for structural and discriminatory explanations of these patterns, while acknowledging ongoing debate about how much progress has been made and how far particular policies have succeeded in reducing them; it must not attribute the patterns to the inherent qualities of any group.

Question 2

(a) B1 gender
(a) Answer: Gender
(b) B1 ethnicity
(b) Answer: Ethnicity
(c) B1 age
(c) Answer: Age

Question 3

B1 identifies a genuine example, e.g. shared parental leave, or flexible working arrangements
B1 development, e.g. brief explanation of how it could reduce the impact of caring responsibilities on a person's career, whichever parent takes them on
Answer: Shared parental leave or flexible working arrangements could reduce the impact of caring responsibilities on a person's career, whichever parent takes them on.

Question 4

B1 identifies one reason, e.g. a person's experience of inequality can be shaped by more than one characteristic at once, for example an older woman may face barriers linked to both her gender and her age together
B1 development
B1 identifies a second, different reason, e.g. some structural explanations, such as caring responsibilities affecting access to paid work, can apply across more than one of these forms of inequality, so overlapping study can reveal shared causes
B1 development
Answer: A person's experience can be shaped by more than one characteristic at once, e.g. an older woman facing both gender- and age-linked barriers; shared structural explanations, such as caring responsibilities, can also apply across more than one form of inequality.

Question 5

B1 identifies a genuine similarity, e.g. both explain a pattern of disadvantage mainly in terms of how society and its institutions are organised, such as policy and the labour market, or the household and paid work, rather than in terms of the characteristics of the disadvantaged group itself
B1 brief development
Answer: Both explain disadvantage mainly in terms of how society and its institutions are organised, rather than in terms of the characteristics of the disadvantaged group itself.

Question 6

B1 identifies, e.g. patterns describe general tendencies across large groups, and do not predict or explain any single person's actual outcome, which is shaped by many individual circumstances as well
B1 development, e.g. this avoids stereotyping individuals based on a group-level pattern
Answer: Patterns describe general tendencies across large groups, not any single person's actual outcome, which avoids stereotyping individuals based on a group-level pattern.

Question 7

B1 identifies that Walby argued patriarchy is not a single cause but operates through several separate structures in society
B1 development, e.g. these include structures such as paid employment, for example patterns in pay and job segregation, and the household, for example the unequal division of unpaid domestic work
B1 identifies that Walby argued the strength of these structures could vary over time and between different groups of women
B1 development, e.g. this makes her account more flexible than theories that see patriarchy as a single, unchanging cause of gender inequality
Answer: Walby (1990) argued patriarchy operates through several structures, such as paid employment and the household, and that their strength can vary over time and between different groups of women.

Question 8

B1 identifies the gender pay gap as the average difference in pay between men and women across the workforce (oe)
B1 development, e.g. sociologists note it is a whole-workforce average, not a claim that any individual woman is paid less than a man for doing the identical job
B1 identifies a possible structural explanation, e.g. women being more likely to work part time or take time out of paid work for caring responsibilities, or being under-represented in some higher-paid roles
B1 development, e.g. sociologists study how these patterns relate to wider social expectations about caring roles, not to differences in ability
Answer: The gender pay gap is the average difference in pay between men and women across the workforce, linked to factors such as part-time work and caring responsibilities, reflecting social expectations rather than differences in ability.

Question 9

B1 identifies the glass ceiling as an invisible barrier that can make it harder for women, and some other groups, to be promoted into senior positions, even when they are qualified
B1 development, e.g. it is called 'invisible' because it is not a formal, written rule, but a pattern that can result from informal practices, such as who gets access to influential networks or flexible senior roles
B1 identifies that this concept is used to explain why women can remain under-represented in the most senior roles in many organisations, despite entering the workforce, and higher education, in large numbers
B1 development, e.g. sociologists treat this as a structural or organisational issue rather than a reflection of women's ability or ambition
Answer: The glass ceiling is an invisible barrier, resulting from informal organisational practices, that can make it harder for women to be promoted into senior roles despite being qualified; sociologists treat it as structural, not about ability or ambition.

Question 10

B1 identifies, e.g. sociologists such as Anthony Heath have used the term to describe disadvantage in employment outcomes experienced by some ethnic minority groups that remains even after accounting for factors such as qualifications
B1 development, e.g. this points sociologists towards looking at discrimination and structural barriers, rather than at differences in qualifications or effort, as an explanation
Answer: Sociologists such as Anthony Heath have used the term 'ethnic penalty' for employment disadvantage experienced by some ethnic minority groups that remains even after accounting for qualifications, pointing towards discrimination and structural barriers.

Question 11

B1 identifies a genuine point, e.g. some sociological research has found that job applicants with identifiably different ethnic-sounding names can receive different response rates from employers even when applications are otherwise similar
B1 development, e.g. sociologists use findings like this as evidence for the existence of structural discrimination, rather than differences in applicants' skills
Answer: Research has found job applicants with identifiably different ethnic-sounding names can receive different response rates from employers even with similar applications, used as evidence of structural discrimination, not differences in skill.

Question 12

B1 identifies ageism as prejudice or discrimination against people because of their age, which can affect younger and older people
B1 development, e.g. an older worker being passed over for a role because of assumptions about their age rather than their actual ability, or a younger worker's views being dismissed because of their age
Answer: Ageism is prejudice or discrimination against people because of their age, affecting younger and older people, e.g. an older worker being passed over based on assumptions rather than ability.

Inequality by Gender, Ethnicity and Age - Worksheets, Questions and Revision

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6.6 Inequality by Gender, Ethnicity and Age

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