How do sociologists explain why social inequality exists?
Sociological explanations of social inequality: the functionalist, Marxist, feminist and Weberian explanations, and the individualist versus structural debate about the causes of inequality.
An SQA Higher Sociology answer on the sociological explanations of social inequality. Covers the functionalist, Marxist, feminist and Weberian explanations of why inequality exists, the individualist versus structural debate, and how to evaluate the competing explanations.
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What this dot point is asking
The SQA wants you to explain the sociological explanations of social inequality: the functionalist, Marxist, feminist and Weberian views, and the individualist versus structural debate about why inequality exists. This applies the perspectives from Human Society to the evidence of inequality, and sets up the question of how society should respond.
The answer
The functionalist explanation
The Marxist explanation
The feminist explanation
The Weberian view and the individualist-structural debate
Examples in context
The poverty-related attainment gap shows the explanations in contest. A functionalist might argue that education sorts people by ability and that unequal outcomes reflect a system rewarding effort and talent. A Marxist would reply that the gap reflects class inequality: children from poorer backgrounds face disadvantages, from housing to resources, that reproduce the existing class structure. A feminist would add that gender shapes outcomes too, while a Weberian would point to status and power as well as economics. The individualist view might blame parental choices or effort, but the structural view notes that the gap tracks deprivation so closely, and persists across generations, that it cannot be explained by individual choices alone. Because the evidence shows inequality is patterned by group, weighing structural against individual causes and judging towards the structural is exactly what a "to what extent" answer rewards.
Try this
Q1. Explain the functionalist view that inequality can be functional. [4 marks]
- Cue. Unequal rewards motivate the most able people to train for and fill the most important roles, so inequality helps society work.
Q2. Explain the difference between individualist and structural explanations of inequality. [4 marks]
- Cue. Individualist views blame factors within the person (choices, dependency culture); structural views blame society and the economy (class, low pay, discrimination).
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of SQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
SQA Higher specimen16 marksAnalyse sociological explanations of social inequality.Show worked answer →
A -mark "analyse" question. Markers reward developed explanation of more than one perspective and how they differ.
Strong answers set out the perspectives: functionalists (inequality is inevitable and even useful, motivating people to fill important roles), Marxists (inequality flows from class and the ownership of production), feminists (gender inequality from patriarchy), and the Weberian view (class, status and power together shape inequality).
Analysis marks come from comparing the explanations and weighing the individualist versus structural debate. A clear judgement, for example that structural explanations fit the evidence that inequality is patterned by group, is the discriminator.
SQA Higher 201912 marksTo what extent is social inequality caused by structural rather than individual factors?Show worked answer →
A -mark "to what extent" question. Markers reward a balanced argument and a sustained judgement.
The individualist view blames factors within the person (poor choices, lack of effort, a dependency culture); the structural view blames factors in society and the economy (class, low pay, discrimination, unequal access).
Analysis marks come from weighing the two against the evidence, for example that persistent gaps by class, gender and ethnicity point to structural causes. A sustained "to what extent" judgement towards structural factors, while conceding some individual element, is the discriminator.
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Sources & how we know this
- SQA Higher Sociology Course Specification (C868 76) — SQA (2019)