ABSTRACT
Highly developed societies are characterised by a large spectrum of economic, social and cultural inequality. This results in differences in the socialisation processes of segments of the population with a high and low socio-economic status. For the large majority of the adult population, the opportunities to biographically shape the life course have steadily grown. Approaches of socialisation theory measured inequality one-dimensionally on a social rank from top to bottom. A historical glance shows that an awareness of social inequality had already increased during socialisation theory's founding phase at the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century, and that it would go on to become a significant issue. A decisive step in expanding the perspective of inequality research is the realisation that inequality exists not only in a material form but also in an immaterial form. The search for social inequality creates a greater sensitivity for further divisions and distinctions.
