When sociologists decide on a sampling method, the aim is usually to try and make it as representative of the target population as possible. With stratified sampling, the sampling frame is divided up into various social groups (e.g. by age, social class, gender, ethnicity, etc.) and then random sampling is used for each group to ensure the final sample reflects the population in terms of the representation of said groups. For example, an easy stratified sample would be to ensure an equal number of men and women in the sample.