Social Stratification – How Class Shapes Opportunity

Social stratification refers to the way society is structured into layers, with unequal access to wealth, power, and status. In A Level Sociology, social class is one of the most important forms of stratification because it strongly influences people’s life chances — including education, health, employment, and social mobility.

Although modern societies often describe themselves as meritocratic, sociological evidence suggests that class background continues to shape opportunity in powerful and persistent ways.

What Is Social Stratification?

Social stratification is the hierarchical ranking of groups in society. These rankings are usually based on:

economic resources (income, wealth, property)
social status (prestige, lifestyle, cultural influence)
power (the ability to influence decisions and institutions)

In the UK, class is often categorised using systems such as the NS-SEC (National Statistics Socio-economic Classification), which groups people based on occupation and employment relations.

How Class Shapes Life Chances

1. Education

Children from higher social classes tend to:

attend better-resourced schools
receive more educational support at home
have greater access to tutoring and enrichment activities
achieve higher exam results on average

Working-class students are statistically more likely to experience underachievement, exclusion, or early school leaving — not due to lack of ability, but due to structural disadvantage.

2. Health

There is a clear social class gradient in health:

life expectancy is higher in professional and managerial groups
working-class individuals are more likely to experience chronic illness
access to healthy food, housing, and healthcare varies by class

Sociologists argue that poverty, stress, and occupational risk contribute significantly to these differences.

3. Employment and Income

Class background affects:

access to high-status careers
job security
pay progression
exposure to unemployment or precarious work

Professional networks, unpaid internships, and cultural familiarity with workplaces often advantage middle- and upper-class individuals.

4. Cultural Capital and Social Networks

Pierre Bourdieu argued that class advantage is reproduced through:

cultural capital (language, tastes, knowledge, confidence)
social capital (networks and connections)

These forms of capital help middle-class individuals navigate institutions more successfully, even when formal opportunities appear equal.

Sociological Perspectives on Stratification

Marxism

Marxists argue that class inequality is rooted in capitalism. The bourgeoisie control the means of production, while the proletariat sell their labour. Stratification benefits those who own wealth and exploits those who do not.

Functionalism

Functionalists suggest stratification is necessary to motivate people to fill important roles. However, critics argue this ignores inherited advantage and structural barriers.

Weberian Approaches

Max Weber saw stratification as multidimensional — based on class, status, and power, not just economic ownership.

Feminist and Intersectional Views

These perspectives emphasise how class interacts with gender, ethnicity, and disability, producing layered and unequal experiences of opportunity.

Is Social Mobility Possible?

While some individuals experience upward mobility, large-scale data shows that social mobility is limited. Many people remain in similar class positions to their parents, suggesting that opportunity is shaped more by background than by individual effort alone.

Skills Highlight

Applying sociological theories to real social issues
Using evidence to explain inequality
Evaluating competing perspectives on class
Understanding life chances and social mobility
Developing analytical exam responses

Why It Works in Teaching

This topic connects sociology directly to students’ lived experience. It encourages critical thinking about fairness, opportunity, and the structure of society — and challenges the idea that success is purely the result of individual merit.

Sunday, 14 December 2025