National Year 11 Sociology
Chapters: 2
1. 3.5 Crime and deviance
3.5.1 Social construction of crime and deviance · 3.5.2 Social control · 3.5.3 Criminal and deviant behaviour · 3.5.4 Data on crime
- Deviance and Social Control – Deviance is behaviour that breaks the norms a group expects. Social norms come from custom; legal norms are laws, and breaking them is crime or delinquency. Deviance is relative: it changes between groups and over time. Societies keep order through informal and formal social control, using positive and negative sanctions. Theories explain deviance through strain, learning in groups, weak social bonds and labelling, which can lead to stigma and a deviant career. Official crime figures miss a large 'dark figure' of unreported crime.
2. 3.6 Social stratification
3.6.1 Functionalist theory of stratification · 3.6.2 Socio-economic class · 3.6.3 Life chances · 3.6.4 Poverty as a social issue · 3.6.5 Power and authority · 3.6.6 Power relationships
- Social Stratification – Social stratification means that a society ranks groups of people in layers (strata). Higher layers get more money, power and respect. The four main systems are slavery, estate, caste and class. Class depends on income, wealth, occupation and education. Functionalists say unequal rewards help society; conflict thinkers say they help the rich stay on top. Moving between layers is called social mobility.
- Social Inequality: Life Chances and Power – Social inequality means some groups get more of the rewards society offers: money, health, education, respect and power. Max Weber called a person's chances of getting these good things their life chances. Life chances differ by social class, gender, ethnicity, age and disability, for example in life expectancy, exam results, pay and safety. Power is the ability to get your way even against resistance; authority is power people accept as legitimate. Power gaps show in who leads governments, companies and families. Many gaps have narrowed through laws, education and social movements, but they have not closed, and some, like wealth gaps, have grown.
- Poverty: Meaning, Measurement, Causes and Responses – Absolute poverty means lacking the basics needed to survive: food, water, shelter, clothing. The World Bank extreme-poverty line is about US$3 a person a day (2021 prices). Relative poverty means having much less than the usual standard in your society, often measured as below 60% of median income, so people cannot join normal life. Poverty is unequally spread: children, lone parents, disabled people, unemployed people, some ethnic minorities and rural families face higher risk, and wealth is even more unequal than income. Cultural explanations blame values passed on in families or a welfare-dependent "underclass"; structural explanations blame low wages, unemployment, insecure and de-skilled work, globalisation and welfare cuts. Responses include benefits, pensions, minimum wages and free services, with debate about dependency.
- Authority: Where Does Rightful Power Come From? – Power is the ability to make others act; authority is power that people accept as rightful (legitimate). Ancient Indian texts like Kautilya's Arthashastra and the Shukraniti said a ruler keeps authority through danda (fair punishment), nyaya (justice) and bala (strength to protect). Today in India authority comes from the Constitution, which promises justice and security and limits every office. Citizens give authority to institutions through elections, and institutions must answer back. Authority can be traditional, charismatic or legal-rational.