Life Changes

Individuals ‘life chances’ are the opportunities each person has to improve their quality of life.

2 factors influence your life chances:

—  Social factors (nurture) – e.g. your family / access to money, type of school you go to / the environment you have been brought up in.

—  Genetic factors (nature) – e.g. your levels of intelligence / your physical, cognitive and psychological capabilities.

Genetic Factors

Do parents have the right to influence a child's characteristics in order to improve life chances? (for example make choices about what kind of child they want at conception or chose not to continue with a pregnancy if they detect abnormality.)

In a way I think parents do have the right to influence their child's characteristics, for example if they are aware of a possibility of abnormality, it is their decision as to whether they feel they will be able to support the child's needs. Also, if they feel that this abnormality could cause problems for the child's life and perhaps may mean they lack life chances, then they could decide it is in the child's best interest to prevent this. However I think that parents should love their child no matter what is detected before birth - whether it be a preference in gender or ability.

Social Factors 

Your life chances are mainly effected by your circumstances. It is a question of who you know not who you are!

Case Study - Education

 The proportion of young people from working class families taking part in higher education is less than young people among better off families.

Why do you think this is the situation?

I think that people from better off families are lead to believe that higher education isn't as important for them as they are perhaps starting life into the working world with more of an advantage than those from working class families, who may feel that without a university degree they will get nowhere and earn no money. People from better off families may have parents in high up jobs who have connections, so that they can start on the career ladder straight away.

Is it nature or nurture? What is the key determination in life chances?

I think this is nurture - it's how the person is brought up and what their families views are like on higher education, aswell as their financial state.

The UK government use ‘mean test’ so that only certain groups are given benefits.

The government ‘Means tests’ focuses on offering financial support

to the most needy.

The government argue that a universal benefits scheme would mean supporting

Many people who do not need financial support.

Debate the argument above of a universal benefit scheme.

What do you think?

I think that the universal benefit scheme is in some ways a bad idea, as it can be a waste of money for the government as some people receiving benefits don't necessarily need them, when instead we can give those with larger financial issues more money in benefits so everyone is more equal. However for those that are only slightly above the income limit for benefits, it can seem unfair as this money could therefore help them out a lot. 

‘Some people are born to be leaders and should get all the privileges society has to offer’

How far and in what ways does evidence support the view above?