One of the most powerful ways to deepen students’ understanding of social inequalities is to give them opportunities to do sociology rather than simply read about it. While the OCR A Level specification (Paper 2: Social Inequalities) provides rich theoretical material, students often benefit from activities that encourage them to apply these theories to real data, real experiences, and real social patterns.

This extension activity — a student-designed research project on gender inequalities — is ideal for stretch and challenge, independent learning, or enrichment within the inequalities unit. It is also perfectly suited to students considering sociology at university, where independent investigation becomes central.

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Why Gender? Why Research?

Gender inequalities run through many areas of the specification: work, mobility, power, identity, family roles, poverty and wellbeing. The OCR course encourages students to assess how far different sociological theories explain these inequalities — but it can be difficult for them to grasp the complexity without exploring lived experiences for themselves.

This activity places students in the role of sociologists, asking them to investigate patterns in their own environment using primary or secondary data, while drawing on key OCR-approved research such as:

• McDowell (1992) – women’s concentration in insecure, part-time work
• Li and Devine (2011) – gender differences in social mobility
• Payne and Pantazis (1997) – gendered patterns of poverty
• Mac an Ghaill (1994) – the crisis of masculinity
• Warin et al. (1999) – pressures on men to be breadwinners and “superdads”

Using these foundational studies, students begin to see how sociologists link evidence to explanation — and how they might do the same.

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What the Activity Involves

Students work individually or in small groups to design a mini research project exploring one aspect of gender inequality, such as:

• attitudes toward breadwinner and caregiving roles
• expectations around future careers or social mobility
• worries about money or economic security
• pressures connected to masculinity and femininity
• gendered assumptions about work, education, and aspiration

They create their own research question, choose qualitative or quantitative methods, and then either:

• collect small-scale data (e.g., questionnaires, interviews), or
• analyse secondary data provided by the teacher.

The activity includes full guidance sheets, sample questions, ethical prompts, and evaluation tasks — allowing students to move through all stages of the research process.

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How This Supports the OCR Specification

This project reinforces some of the most challenging aspects of the inequalities unit, including:

✔️ Understanding sociological explanations of inequality

Students apply theoretical perspectives (feminist, Marxist, Weberian, postmodern) to real patterns in gender.

✔️ Engaging with key contemporary studies

The OCR-recommended research becomes a toolkit students use to interpret their findings.

✔️ Developing methodological awareness

Students must justify their sampling, evaluate validity and reliability, and consider ethics — all essential exam skills.

✔️ Strengthening AO2 and AO3 skills

Students move from describing theory to applying and evaluating it through real data.

Teachers often report that students who struggle with abstract theory begin to “see sociology in action” once they analyse their own evidence.

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Why This Makes an Excellent Extension Task

This project works particularly well for:

• high-achieving students who need greater challenge
• learners preparing for university-level research
• coursework-style enrichment within sixth-form enrichment programmes
• revision sessions focused on theory–evidence links
• independent learning tasks or stretch sheets

It can also be adapted as a mini EPQ-style investigation, or used to stimulate classroom debate on how gender structures experience.

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Downloadable Resources Included

The full activity pack contains:

• Student worksheets (research design, sampling, analysis, report writing)
• A structured PowerPoint outline
• Task instructions aligned with OCR terminology
• Guided prompts linked to the key studies

These resources are designed to be flexible: teachers can run the activity over one extended lesson, across several lessons, or as an independent assignment.

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Final Thoughts

Encouraging students to act as researchers not only strengthens their grasp of the OCR Sociology content — it helps them develop curiosity, independence, and critical thinking. Gender inequality is a topic students care deeply about, and when they investigate it in their own environment, the theories suddenly come alive.

If you’d like the full worksheet pack, PowerPoint slides, or additional teacher notes, the complete materials are ready to use — just plug them into your scheme of work and let your students discover what it means to do sociology.