Which sociologists do I need for the stratification topic?

Key named thinkers include Davis and Moore (the functionalist view that stratification is necessary), Marx (class conflict between the bourgeoisie and proletariat), Weber (class, status and power) and Townsend (relative deprivation and poverty). You should also know the difference between achieved and ascribed status and between absolute and relative poverty.

What is the difference between absolute and relative poverty?

Absolute poverty is a lack of the basic necessities needed to survive, such as food, clean water, shelter and clothing. Relative poverty is being poor compared to others in your own society, unable to afford the standard of living most people regard as normal. Townsend measured poverty as relative deprivation, supporting a relative view.

What is social mobility in the stratification topic?

Social mobility is movement up or down the social class system. Intergenerational mobility compares a person's class with that of their parents, while intragenerational mobility is movement within a person's own lifetime or career. A society with high mobility is more open; low mobility suggests class position is hard to escape.

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AQA GCSE Sociology: Social stratification overview

Q: What does the AQA GCSE Sociology social stratification topic cover?

The social stratification topic, examined on Paper 2, covers the definition of stratification and the difference between achieved and ascribed status, the theories of stratification (the functionalist Davis and Moore, the Marxist Marx and the Weberian view), life chances and absolute and relative poverty, and power, social mobility and the inequalities faced by gender, ethnicity, age and disability.

A complete overview of the AQA GCSE Sociology social stratification topic. Covers defining stratification and status, the theories of Davis and Moore, Marx and Weber, life chances and absolute and relative poverty, and power, social mobility and inequalities of gender, ethnicity, age and disability.

Generated by Claude Opus 4.814 min read8192Updated 2026-06-02

Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed

Jump to a section

Defining stratification
Theories of stratification
Life chances and poverty
Power and inequality
How to revise the stratification topic

Social stratification is one of the two topics on Paper 2 of AQA GCSE Sociology (8192), alongside crime and deviance. It asks how society is divided into layers, why inequality exists, how it shapes people's life chances, and how power is distributed. This overview maps the topic and links to the dot-point answer pages.

Defining stratification

Stratification is the division of society into ranked layers by wealth, power and status. Systems include the open class system and the closed caste system. A key distinction is between ascribed status (given at birth, fixed) and achieved status (earned through effort). See defining stratification.

Theories of stratification

Davis and Moore (functionalists) argue stratification is necessary to motivate the talented into important jobs. Marx argues it is class conflict and exploitation between the bourgeoisie and proletariat. Weber adds status and power to economic class. See theories of stratification.

Life chances and poverty

Life chances are a person's chances of good health, education, housing and jobs, shaped by class. Poverty can be absolute (lacking the basics) or relative (poor compared to others); Townsend measured it as relative deprivation. See life chances and poverty.

Power and inequality

Power operates in everyday life and through the state. Social mobility is movement up or down the class system. Inequality also affects women (the gender pay gap, the glass ceiling), minority ethnic groups, some age groups and disabled people. See power and inequality.

How to revise the stratification topic

Contrast the theories. Davis and Moore versus Marx is the classic evaluation; add Weber for depth.
Learn the key pairs. Achieved versus ascribed status, and absolute versus relative poverty, are tested directly.
Go beyond class. Bring in gender, ethnicity, age and disability for inequality questions.
Practise evaluation. Twelve-mark questions reward competing perspectives and a judgement.

Test yourself with the social stratification quiz.

Sources & how we know this

AQA GCSE Sociology (8192) specification — AQA (2017)