Dimensions of Human Behavior: Person and Environment

Chapter 9

Social Institutions and Social Structure

KEY POINTS ADDRESSED

Chapter 9: Social Institutions and Structures

Social Inequality by the Numbers Social Institutions and Structure Defined Global and National Trends

Family/Kinship Religion Education Government/Politics Economy Social Welfare Health Care Mass Media

Theories of Social Inequality Marx versus Weber Functionalism versus Conflict Human Agency versus Structural Determinism

Social Inequality by the Numbers

GLOBALLY Average incomes in the world’s richest regions was three

times greater than that of incomes in the poorest regions 200 years ago, nine times greater 100 years ago, and 20 times greater in 1998

Societies with high levels of inequality: make smaller investments in public education and other social

supports. have higher levels of violence, less trust and more hostility

lower levels of involvement in community life

Chapter 9: Social Institutions and Structures

Social Inequality by the Numbers (cont)

NATIONALLYThe United States is the highest-income country in the world but the most unequal society in the advanced industrial world.

From 1970 to 2001, the gross domestic product grew by 158% and the nation’s social health declined by 38%

All but one of the 19 advanced industrialized countries have longer life expectancy

U.S. has the highest childhood mortality rate of the 19 countries

13 have higher rates of secondary education (UNICEF, 2006).

6 countries with least inequality have considerably have higher rates of secondary education

Chapter 9: Social Institutions and Structures

Social Inequality by the Numbers

GLOBALLY Average incomes in the world’s richest regions was

three times greater than that of incomes in the poorest regions 200 years ago, nine times greater 100 years ago, and 20 times greater in 1998

Societies with high levels of inequality: make smaller investments in public education and other social

supports. have higher levels of violence, less trust and more hostility

lower levels of involvement in community life

Chapter 9: Social Institutions and Structures

A Slow Climb Forward

In the 1940s, the median income of black families was about 50% of the median income of white families, and in 2005, the median income of black families was 61% of non-Hispanic white families

Between 1959 and 2005, the percentage of the population 65 years and older living in poverty decreased from about 35% to about 10%

The proportion of the population under 18 years living in poverty showed a smaller decrease in this same period, from about 27% to about 18%

Since 1974, the poverty rate for persons under 18 has been higher than for the group 65 and over

Chapter 9: Social Institutions and Structures

Social Institutions

“Patterned ways of solving the problems and meeting the requirements of a particular society”

Social institutions organize rights and duties into statuses and roles and identify the expected behaviors for the roles

Social Institutions organize social relations in a particular sector of social life

Chapter 9: Social Institutions and Structures

Major Social Institutions and Specific Requirements of Social Life Addressed

Major Social Institution Requirements of A Particular Society Family and Kinship Procreation, the initial socialization of new

members of society and mutual support

Religion Spiritual and ethical issues; socialization, social control, and mutual support functions

Government and Politics

Decision-making and enforcement for the society as a whole; resolution of both internal and external conflicts

The Economy Production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services

Educational System Pass along formal knowledge from one generation to the next

Social Welfare Promote interdependence and deal with issues of dependence

Health Care System Promote the general health of a society

Mass Media Manage the flow of information, images, and ideas among all members of society

Chapter 9: Social Institutions and Structures

Social Structure

Another term for society A set of interrelated social institutions developed by human

beings to impose constraints on human interaction for the purpose of the survival and well-being of the collectivity

RELIGION

FAMILY

Human Behavior& Interaction

Social Structure

ECONOMY

GOVERNMENT

EDUCATION

MASS MEDIA

HEALTH CARE

SOCIAL WELFARE

SOCIAL INEQUALITY

and or SOCIAL

WELL-BEING

Chapter 9: Social Institutions and Structures

Globalization

The “process through which people’s lives all around the world become increasingly interconnected - economically, politically, environmentally, and culturally”

Chapter 9: Social Institutions and Structures

Consider: The formal definitions of social institution and social structure and globalization Use your own words to explain what these concepts

mean to someone who is not familiar with sociological terms.

Use the Meza family’s situation to illustrate the concepts.

Explain why the conflict perspective is helpful in understanding the various implications of different types of social institutions and social structure.

Chapter 9: Social Institutions and Structures

Trends in Family and Kinship

GLOBALLY Modified extended family Mass migration Feminization of wage laborNATIONALLY Unmarried cohabitation, delayed marriage, declining fertility,

high divorce, increased life expectancy Greater valuing of autonomy and self-direction, as opposed to

obedience and conformity, in children Equalization of power between men and women

Impact on Social Inequality:•Global gender wage gap•Increased economic opportunities for some•Ongoing backlash and political fear campaigns

Chapter 9: Social Institutions and Structures

GLOBALLY More diverse Violent contests occur within and between religious traditions

NATIONALLY Christianity dominant within the United States Intense culture wars between the traditionalists and the

modernists

Impact on Social Inequality

Conflict centering on the definition of family, role of women, the beginning and end of life, same sex relationships, prayer in school, and creation

Trends in Religion

Chapter 9: Social Institutions and Structures

Trends in Government and Politics

GLOBALLY Neocolonialism Collapse of the Soviet Union and rise of the European Union Upward flow of power from nation states to worldwide organizations

NATIONALLY Downward movement of power to the states, devolution, new

federalism Outsourcing through privatization, contracting out, deregulation

Impact on Social Inequality:

Inequality has grown around the world, but nowhere at the same high rate as in the United States

Chapter 9: Social Institutions and Structures

Trends in the Economy

GLOBALLY Development of transnational corporations Corporate desire for bigger profits that come from cheap raw

materials and cheap labor Consumer desire for cheap and novel products Wage labor bifurcatation NATIONALLY Increase in contingent, peripheral workforce Corporate downsizing Work intensification Limited protection by organized labor

Impact on Social Inequality:

Rich nations have been getting richer; a few nations have made impressive gains; most poor nations have made few gains;and the poorest nations have lost ground

Chapter 9: Social Institutions and Structures

Trends in Education

GLOBALLY Reduced funding for educational levels in Asia, Latin America,

and Africa, and a widening gap in average years of education between rich and poor countries

NATIONALLY Reduced public resources for education in low-income areas

coupled with increased ability of upper-income families to supplement from private resources

Escalating cost of college education Shortage of teachers trained to teach English language learners

Impact on Social Inequality:

The education institution is becoming a prime force in perpetuating, if not exacerbating, economic inequalities

Chapter 9: Social Institutions and Structures

Trends in Social Welfare

GLOBALLY Aging population Labor market insecurities make families more dependent World Bank and IMF required poor countries to reduce social spending in

the face of rising numbers of orphans of the AIDS pandemic Increasing evidence of the importance of the early years

NATIONALLY Diminishing sense of public responsibility and an increasing

emphasis on individual responsibility Less generous public support to families than other countries Provision of social welfare services in “public-private partnerships” Greater attention to social control than to social reform

Impact on Social Inequality:

Increase in child poverty rates but not older adult poverty rates in the 1990s

Chapter 9: Social Institutions and Structures

Trends in Health Care

GLOBALLY Global inequalities in child and adult mortality are large and growing Infectious and parasitic diseases are rampant in poor countries

NATIONALLY The only affluent country with no universal health plan Rapid growth in therapeutic medicine An increased emphasis on culture Cost containment through “consumer-driven health care” Provider-based cost containment (managed care) Bioscience knowledge and bioscientific technology more sophisticated

and beyond the reach of understanding of non-scientists

Impact on Social Inequality:

Socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, and poverty seen as the driving force behind growing health disparities

Chapter 9: Social Institutions and Structures

Trends in Mass Media

GLOBALLY Worldwide immediate access to different cultures and different markets Widespread access to multiple forms of mass communication Media companies targeting a global market to sell product

NATIONALLY Growth in media outlets and media products More time and money spent on media products Integration of media functions Concentration of ownership

Impact on Social Inequality:

•Stereotypical media presentations of minority groups •Control of cultural meanings to benefit elites and silence dissident views•Unequal access to Internet serves to perpetuate social class standing

Chapter 9: Social Institutions and Structures

Thinking about Theory

In the conservative thesis, inequality is the natural, divine order, and no efforts should be made to alter it.

In the radical antithesis, equality is the natural, divine order; inequality is based on abuse of privilege and should be minimized.

Chapter 9: Social Institutions and Structures

Classical Theories

Marx Class differences based on

exploitation and domination by the owners of production and alienation among the workers

Social class as a central variable in human behavior and a central force in human history

Class consciousness—the awareness of one’s social class and hostility toward other classes – motivates people to transform society

Weber Class division based on “life

chances” in the marketplace Life chances reflect the

distribution of power within a community, including economic power, social prestige, and legal power

Life chances fall on a continuum

Great variability found along the continuum reflects the multiple sources of power

Chapter 9: Social Institutions and Structures

Contemporary Theories

Functional Theories Structural inequality and

social classes necessary for society

Unequal rewards for different types of work

Guarantee that the most talented persons will work hard and produce technological innovation to benefit the whole society

Poverty caused by traditional attitudes and the failure to modernize

Conflict Theories Emphasize the role of

power, domination, and coercion in the maintenance of inequality

Persons with superior wealth and income also hold superior social and political power

Persons with superior wealth use their power to protect their privileged positions

Chapter 9: Social Institutions and Structures

Consider:

What is structuration theory and why is it a preferred framework for social work practice?

What is neoliberalism and why is it the dominant economic philosophy today?

How does the World Systems perspective differ from neoliberalism?

Chapter 9: Social Institutions and Structures