AQA GCSE Sociology key terms

The combined responsibility for paid employment and unpaid domestic work.

A family in which both partners pursue careers.

A family in which both partners pursue paid careers.

A family in which relationships or behaviour harm members or prevent their needs being met, for example through abuse or neglect.

The organisation of the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services.

Learning through which people acquire knowledge, skills, values and ways of behaving.

Success in education, indicated by outcomes such as examination results, qualifications and progression to further or higher education.

Continued participation in education, such as remaining at school at ages 16, 17 or 18.

A deliberate change to the organisation, provision or operation of education.

Expressing the idea that people are equal.

An examination taken around age 11 to select pupils for different secondary schools, historically under the tripartite system and still used for grammar-school entry in some areas.

A small, privileged group with a disproportionate share of power or resources.

The process through which working-class people are thought to become more middle class in their lifestyles, attitudes and values as their living standards rise.

The argument that increasing affluence leads working-class people to adopt middle-class lifestyles, norms and values.

Leaving one country to live in another.

Being engaged in paid work, whether as an employee or through self-employment.

A couple whose children have become adults and left the family home.

A marriage in which the couple remain together even though their emotional relationship has broken down.

A marriage in which the partners remain legally married but no longer have a meaningful relationship as a couple.

Deprivation arising from poor surroundings and living conditions, such as inadequate housing or air pollution.

A situation in which people have an equal chance to succeed, regardless of their social background.

A church formally linked to the state. The Church of England is established in England, with the monarch as its Supreme Governor.

An issue concerning the protection and fair treatment of research participants, including informed consent, confidentiality, withdrawal and protection from harm.

Issues concerning the rights, welfare and treatment of people involved in research.

A question about whether the way research is conducted or used respects people’s rights, privacy and well-being.

The presence of a range of different ethnic groups within a community or society.

People who share an identity based on cultural traditions or characteristics, such as language or religion.