Eduqas GCSE Sociology key terms

A form of polygamy in which one woman has more than one husband at the same time.

Being married to more than one spouse at the same time.

A form of polygamy in which one man has more than one wife at the same time.

A system in which partners combine their income and both have access to shared household money.

A reward for behaviour that meets the expectations of a society or social group.

An approach to sociology that favours systematic measurement and quantitative evidence to identify social patterns and relationships.

Having insufficient resources to meet needs and participate in the living standards normally expected in a society.

The percentage of people in a specified population who live in poverty.

A boundary used to distinguish people classified as living in poverty from those who are not. Its position depends on how poverty is defined and measured.

The ability to influence decisions and other people's behaviour, even when there is opposition.

A judgement about a person or group made in advance, rather than on the basis of their individual qualities or actions.

The proportion of a population who experienced a particular crime during a specified period.

Information collected first-hand by a researcher for their own investigation.

The process through which children first learn the norms and values of their society, usually within the family.

A person’s ability to control access to their personal life and information.

A school outside the state-funded system that normally charges fees.

A home-centred lifestyle combined with treating work and collective action mainly as ways to improve one's own material living standards, rather than expressing wider class solidarity.

The working class who sell their labour to employers for wages.

A personal characteristic for which discrimination is prohibited under equality legislation, subject to the law’s scope and exceptions.

A false name used instead of a participant’s real name to help protect their identity.

An adverse effect on a person’s mental or emotional well-being, such as anxiety, humiliation or distress caused by research.

A sample deliberately selected because participants have a characteristic or experience relevant to the research.

A technique in which participants are deliberately selected because they have a characteristic relevant to the research.

Information expressed mainly in words, giving detail about experiences, meanings and views.

Research that collects detailed, non-numerical data to explore people's meanings, experiences and behaviour.

Numerical information, such as counts, percentages or rates, which can be compared and analysed.

Research that collects numerical data, such as counts, percentages or fixed-choice responses that can be summarised statistically.