Life chances and intersectionality Cambridge IGCSE Sociology revision
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In plain words
Two babies are born on the same day in the same city. Tell a sociologist the class, gender and ethnicity of each, and the sociologist can tell you which of them is likely to live longer.
7 things to know
- Life chances are the opportunities people have to gain the things that are valued in society, such as a good education, good health, a good job, decent housing and a long life.
- Social class: on average, people from higher classes do better at school, get better-paid and more secure jobs, live in better housing, have better health and live longer.
- Gender: in many societies women earn less than men, and are under-represented in the top jobs. The barrier that stops them reaching the top is called the glass ceiling. In some countries girls get less education. Men are more likely to work in dangerous jobs, and on average women live longer.
- Ethnicity: members of minority ethnic groups may face discrimination in employment and housing, and are more likely to be unemployed or low paid in many societies. The pattern varies from group to group.
- Age: the young often face unemployment and low pay, and struggle to afford housing. The old may face poverty, poor health and ageism, which is unfair treatment because of age.
- Intersectionality is the idea that age, ethnicity, gender and social class combine. A person belongs to all four at once, and their effects add together and change each other.
- So a person can be disadvantaged in several ways at once, and the result is more than each disadvantage taken alone.
Worked example
An older woman from a minority ethnic group, who has worked in low-paid jobs, retires. Use intersectionality to explain why she is at high risk of poverty.
- Class: her low pay meant she could save little and built up only a small pension.
- Gender: women's pay is lower on average, and time out of work to care for children reduces a pension further.
- Ethnicity: discrimination may have kept her out of better jobs. Age: she can no longer earn.
- The four act together, so her risk is higher than any one of them would suggest.
Tips and tricks
- Life chances are about opportunities and outcomes: education, employment, health, housing, life expectancy. Use those five headings.
- Intersectionality is not a list. The point is that the factors combine, so say "together" or "at the same time".
It lands in your notebook with its questions as flashcards.
Life chances and intersectionality: 5 questions and answers
These are the quiz’s questions. Do the quiz first, then come back here for the ones that got you.
What are life chances?
Education, health, work, housing and length of life.
What is the glass ceiling?
The top can be seen but not reached.
What is ageism?
It can affect the young as well as the old.
Which is an example of a life chance?
Life expectancy differs between social groups.
Why is it not enough to study gender alone to understand a woman's life chances?Stretch
This is the point of intersectionality.
Quiz
5 questions
Tap an answer and you’ll see straight away whether it’s right, and why.
Worksheet
3 questions, 10 marks. Write your answers on paper, then check them.
Life chances and intersectionality
Cambridge IGCSE Sociology 0495 · 10 marks · papermunch.org
Name ______________________________ Date ______________
What is meant by the term "life chances"?[2]
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The opportunities a person has to achieve the things valued in society, such as good education, health, employment and housing.
Describe two ways in which social class affects life chances.[4]
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Any two, each described: education, where middle-class children on average gain higher qualifications; employment, where higher classes have better-paid and more secure jobs; health and life expectancy, where the better off are healthier and live longer; housing, where the better off live in better conditions.
Explain what is meant by "intersectionality".[4]
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It is the idea that aspects of identity such as age, ethnicity, gender and social class do not act separately. They combine in each person. Someone who is disadvantaged in more than one way experiences inequality that is greater than, and different from, each disadvantage alone.
Answers: Life chances and intersectionality
- 1. The opportunities a person has to achieve the things valued in society, such as good education, health, employment and housing.
- 2. Any two, each described: education, where middle-class children on average gain higher qualifications; employment, where higher classes have better-paid and more secure jobs; health and life expectancy, where the better off are healthier and live longer; housing, where the better off live in better conditions.
- 3. It is the idea that aspects of identity such as age, ethnicity, gender and social class do not act separately. They combine in each person. Someone who is disadvantaged in more than one way experiences inequality that is greater than, and different from, each disadvantage alone.