Final answer:
The correct term for the number and type of positions available to a specific age level of people within a society is social 2) stratification. It includes the concept of social mobility and varies between different societies and within different stages of modernization.
Step-by-step explanation:
The number and type of positions available to a specific age level of people within a society is social stratification. This concept addresses the way society is organized in layers or strata and is concerned with the unequal distribution of resources and opportunities. For example, in the United States, social stratification can be observed through the division into various classes such as the upper, middle, and lower class, and the associated opportunity for social mobility—the ability to move from one social class to another.
Modernization theory suggests that societal development moves through stages from traditional to modern, whereas in more modern stages, social stratification might become more nuanced with expanded opportunities for social mobility. Countries that have achieved advanced stages of modernization tend to have a higher number of specialized jobs available, catering to a more educated and urban workforce.
Global stratification looks beyond individual societies to examine inequalities between countries. Dependency theory critiques modernization theory by arguing that global inequality is the result of exploitation by core nations of peripheral and semi-peripheral nations, forming an international system of 2) stratification.