Download the classroom PowerPoint

This downloadable PowerPoint brings together the key studies, theories and contemporary evidence students need for the Cambridge OCR A Level Sociology topic of Understanding Social Inequalities.

It includes OCR suggested studies on income, wealth, employment, social mobility and poverty, alongside key theorists such as Max Weber, Karl Marx, John Goldthorpe and Mike Savage. It also includes contemporary evidence from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Sutton Trust, Trussell and the Office for National Statistics.

Download the Social Class Inequalities PowerPoint

Why does social class still matter?

Social class remains one of the most important influences on life chances in contemporary Britain. It can affect the work people do, the income they receive, the wealth they can build, the homes they live in, the education they access and their health.

However, social class is not simply a label such as “working class” or “middle class”. Sociologists measure class in different ways. Some focus on occupation, while others examine wealth, ownership, social status, cultural capital or access to professional networks.

This matters because two people with similar jobs may experience very different levels of security. A graduate in a temporary role may have high qualifications but low income and insecure housing. A retired homeowner may no longer be in employment but may have substantial housing wealth and financial security. Understanding class therefore requires students to look beyond job titles alone.

Max Weber: class and life chances

Max Weber is central to the study of social class inequality because he developed the concept of life chances. Life chances are the opportunities people have to obtain valued rewards in society, such as secure employment, income, housing, education, health and status.

For Weber, class is closely linked to a person’s market situation. This means their ability to sell skills, gain employment, earn income and access goods and services. People with qualifications, property, savings or valuable professional skills may have a stronger market position than those in insecure or low-paid work.

Weber also argued that inequality involves more than class. He identified:

• Status: prestige, social honour and lifestyle.
• Power: the ability to influence decisions and achieve one’s aims.

This helps explain why people with similar incomes may still have different opportunities. A local business owner may have strong social networks and influence in their community, while a professional worker may have higher educational status but insecure employment. Weber’s approach is useful because it shows that inequality can involve money, status, security and power.

Karl Marx: ownership and exploitation

Karl Marx saw class inequality mainly in terms of ownership and control of the means of production. This includes land, businesses, factories, technology, investment and capital.

Marx argued that the key class division was between:

• the bourgeoisie, who own productive property and employ others;
• the proletariat, who do not own productive property and must sell their labour for wages.

From a Marxist perspective, inequality is built into capitalism because owners profit from the labour of workers. Marxists are therefore especially interested in the unequal distribution of wealth and power.

This approach is useful when examining very large differences in property ownership, inherited wealth and control over businesses. However, it can be less effective at explaining differences between people who all sell their labour, such as secure professional workers, self-employed tradespeople and workers on agency contracts.

John Goldthorpe: employment relationships and mobility

John Goldthorpe developed a class schema based on occupation, employment relationships and work situations. His approach distinguishes between people with secure salaried careers, routine non-manual workers, small employers, self-employed workers, skilled manual workers and unskilled manual workers.

Goldthorpe’s approach is particularly useful for studying social mobility. It allows sociologists to compare whether people move between occupational class positions across generations.

The key issue is not simply what job someone does. Goldthorpe also considers job security, authority, promotion prospects and the employment contract. A person in a secure professional role may have a salary, pension, paid holidays and career progression. By contrast, someone in temporary, agency or low-paid work may have less stability and fewer opportunities to improve their position.

Savage and the Great British Class Survey

The Great British Class Survey, led by Mike Savage and colleagues, provides a broader way of measuring social class. Instead of relying only on occupation, it uses three forms of capital:

• Economic capital: income, savings, property and investments.
• Cultural capital: education, interests, confidence, tastes and participation in cultural activities.
• Social capital: useful contacts, professional networks and friendships.

The survey identified seven class groupings, including the elite, established middle class, technical middle class, new affluent workers, traditional working class, emergent service workers and the precariat.

This approach is useful because it shows that class inequality is multidimensional. A person may have high cultural capital through education but little economic security. Another may have modest income but strong local networks, a secure home and access to useful contacts.

The limitation is that this approach can be harder to use consistently in official statistics. It is more detailed than occupational measures such as NS-SEC, but this can also make it more difficult to classify people clearly.

OCR suggested studies on social class inequality

The Cambridge OCR suggested-studies guide identifies several useful studies for understanding patterns and trends in social class inequality.

Rowlingson and Mullineux: income and wealth inequality

Rowlingson and Mullineux are useful for exploring the difference between income and wealth. Income refers to money received through wages, benefits, pensions or investments. Wealth refers to assets such as property, savings, shares and businesses.

Wealth can create a major advantage because it provides security during unemployment, illness or financial shocks. It can also be passed between generations through housing deposits, gifts, inheritance and support with university costs.

Atkinson: inherited wealth

Atkinson highlights the importance of inherited wealth. This is useful for challenging the idea that society is fully meritocratic.

Young people with family wealth may be able to accept unpaid internships, move to expensive cities for work, study for longer or receive support with a first-home deposit. Those without this support may need to enter paid work immediately and may have fewer opportunities to build careers in high-status occupations.

Roberts: social mobility and employment security

Roberts is useful for examining the role of middle-class employment security. Secure professional and managerial employment can provide regular income, pensions, paid leave, career progression and greater protection from economic uncertainty.

This may also affect children’s opportunities. Parents in secure work may be better able to provide educational support, careers advice, transport, accommodation or financial help during higher education.

Gallie: economic restructuring and deskilling

Gallie explores how working-class manual workers can be disproportionately affected by economic restructuring and deskilling. As traditional industries decline, some workers may face redundancy, reduced job security or movement into lower-paid service-sector work.

This is important because class inequality is not simply about being in or out of work. It is also about the quality of employment. Secure work can improve access to housing, savings, pensions and social mobility, while insecure work can increase stress and financial vulnerability.

Wakeman: food banks and nutritional inequality

Wakeman’s work links poverty to food-bank use and nutritional disadvantage. This is valuable because it shows how class inequality can affect health, family life and education.

Food insecurity may lead to stress, poorer diet, reduced concentration at school and difficulty participating in social life. It also demonstrates that hardship can affect people who are in work as well as those who are unemployed.

Contemporary evidence: income, wealth and poverty

Contemporary evidence shows why these studies remain relevant.

Income inequality persists in the UK, while wealth is distributed even more unequally. Differences in property ownership, savings and investments can shape who is able to cope with rising living costs, support children through education or access home ownership.

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation is particularly useful for showing that work does not always provide protection from poverty. Low pay, insecure contracts and limited working hours can leave households struggling to afford essentials. This supports Gallie’s argument that the quality and security of employment are crucial.

Trussell provides powerful evidence on food insecurity and severe hardship. Food-bank use should not be seen simply as an individual problem. It can reflect wider inequalities in income, housing costs, employment security and social security support.

Social mobility, education and place

The Sutton Trust is a valuable source for understanding social mobility. Its research shows that opportunity is not equally distributed across England.

Some young people grow up in areas with stronger access to high-performing schools, public transport, apprenticeships, universities, professional employers and careers guidance. Others may face weaker local labour markets, fewer opportunities and higher barriers to progression.

This supports Weber’s idea of life chances. Where someone grows up, the resources available to their family and the strength of their local job market can all affect their market situation and future opportunities.

Using this PowerPoint in the classroom

The PowerPoint can be used in several ways:

• as an introduction to social class inequality;
• as a revision lesson on key studies and theorists;
• as a source bank for OCR extended responses;
• as preparation for activities on income, wealth, employment and life chances;
• as a discussion starter on whether Britain is meritocratic.

A useful retrieval question after the presentation is:

Which approach gives the most complete explanation of social class inequality: Weber, Marx, Goldthorpe or Savage and colleagues?

Students should be encouraged to argue that each approach focuses on a different aspect of class. Marx is strongest on ownership and exploitation. Weber is useful for market situation, status and life chances. Goldthorpe is helpful for employment relationships and mobility. Savage and colleagues provide a wider picture through economic, cultural and social capital.

Download the PowerPoint

The full classroom presentation includes OCR suggested studies, key theorists, contemporary evidence and visual summaries of income, wealth, poverty and social mobility.

Download the Social Class Inequalities PowerPoint for classroom use

Key takeaway

Social class inequality is about more than income. It involves wealth, employment security, housing, education, cultural capital, social networks, status and power.

A strong sociology answer should use evidence to explain how these inequalities affect life chances. For example, insecure work may reduce income, which can affect housing and food security, increase stress, limit educational support for children and reduce opportunities for social mobility.