AQA GCSE Sociology key terms

Directing children towards particular interests and activities, for example through gendered toys.

An economic system based on private ownership of the means of production, production for profit and the employment of wage labour.

A detailed investigation of a particular example, such as one family, organisation or community.

A stratification system in which membership is inherited at birth and traditionally linked to particular occupations and restrictions on social relationships.

The control or suppression of information and ideas, often through government control of communication.

A questionnaire survey intended to collect information about the whole population rather than a sample, normally conducted every ten years in the UK.

Authority accepted because followers believe a leader has exceptional personal qualities.

A family in which children’s care, education, safety and happiness are central priorities.

The argument that the criminal justice system treats women more leniently than men, particularly women who conform to gender stereotypes.

A school subject concerned with life in modern Britain, including citizenship and participation in society.

A strong association between social class and voting behaviour.

Carlen’s term for the promise that respectable working-class women can obtain consumer goods through paid work.

A weakening association between social class and voting behaviour.

Differences in family life associated with a family's position in the social class system, including its access to resources.

A society without divisions into social classes.

The widening division between the capitalist class and the working class, producing increasingly opposed class positions.

The continuation of class inequalities across generations, as children tend to enter class positions similar to those of their parents.

A sense of shared interests and mutual support among people in the same social class.

Conflict between social classes whose economic interests oppose one another; Marx regarded it as the driving force of social change.

A question offering a predetermined set of possible answers.

A society in which social positions are largely ascribed and movement between levels is severely restricted.

The use of force or threats to make people comply.

Living together as a couple outside marriage or a civil partnership.

A group of people who move through an institution or experience a process during the same period, such as pupils in the same school year.

Differences in family experiences between generations shaped by the historical periods in which they live.

A group of people who live together and share tasks, possessions and wealth.

Marx’s hoped-for classless society in which the means of production would be owned collectively rather than by a capitalist minority.

A court-imposed sentence served outside custody, which may involve unpaid work, supervision or restrictions on an offender's activities.