Sociology key terms

Men’s exercise of power and authority over women in society.

Encouraging or discouraging children’s behaviour through approval or disapproval, helping shape gender expectations.

The breakdown of a married couple’s relationship, which may lead to separation or divorce but does not necessarily legally end the marriage.

The introduction of market-like arrangements into education, including parental choice and competition between schools.

Introducing market-like arrangements into education, including parental choice and competition between schools for pupils.

Weber's concept of a person's position in the labour market, where factors such as skills in demand affect employment opportunities, earnings and class position.

A legally recognised union between partners.

A sociological perspective that explains class inequality through ownership of the means of production, exploitation and conflict between classes.

A sociologist who draws on Karl Marx's ideas to analyse capitalist society.

The socially shaped expectations and qualities associated with being a man.

Forms of communication that reach large audiences, including newspapers, television and the internet.

A status that becomes the dominant way others identify and judge a person, overshadowing their other characteristics.

A lack of financial and material resources, such as adequate housing or money for study materials.

The resources used to produce goods and services, including land, capital, buildings, machinery and labour power.

An assessment of income and savings used to decide entitlement to financial support.

An assessment of financial resources, including income and assets, to determine eligibility for a benefit. Pension Credit uses means testing.

Exaggeration of an issue’s significance through media coverage, including over-reporting to attract an audience.

The way people, groups and issues are portrayed through media content.

An overgeneralised media representation of people, groups or places that may be inaccurate and harmful.

An approach which explains disability primarily through a person’s impairment or condition.

An elected politician who represents a constituency in the House of Commons.

A system in which people gain positions and rewards through ability and effort rather than inherited privilege.

Using more than one research method to develop a fuller, more detailed understanding of social life.

A social class commonly associated with professional, managerial and other non-manual occupations.

Movement of people from one area to another within a country or between countries.

A failure by a court to deliver justice, such as finding an innocent person guilty.

Describes a teaching group containing pupils with different levels of attainment rather than separating them into sets or streams.

Teaching pupils with a range of assessed abilities or attainment levels together in the same class.

The use of more than one research method within a study.

An approach to sociological research that uses more than one method of collecting data.