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Social Structures Reading Response
Social Structures Reading Response
Question 1
Achieved status is attained on a basis of merit and denotes the position that one earns, choses, or is reflective of their individual efforts, abilities, or skills. For example, being a criminal lawyer or a financial market pundit is a status linked to one’s achievement. In contrast, an ascribed status goes beyond the control of an individual. One cannot earn it through effort but rather one is born with or lacks control over. For example, race, ethnicity, age, sex, or nationality. An ascribed status might impact an achieved status in different ways. For example, the racial background of a person may inhibit their employment status or the ability to better themselves. In this case, the ascribed status of the individual is an impediment to their success in the job market. It limits them to become better or to rise higher.
Question 2
According to Mead, the self is developed in a 3-stage role-taking structure. The stages are inclusive of the preparatory phase, the play phase, and the game phase. The first stage lasts about the first two years of one’s life where a child mimics their environment. In the next four years, the child enters the play stage where they engage in pretend play and not adhering to organized rules. In the game stage, a child understands and adheres to the rules of the game as they begin to comprehend the perspectives of other people and the viewpoints of a social group. in these processes, the mind provides individual importation for social processes. Mead terms the process as the “I and me” where ‘me” is representative of the social self while “I” responds to the “me”. The impulses of the individual are in the “I” and it is also the subject and “me” is the object. The processes are then able to inform human agency and determine how the self relates to the society.
Human agency can be termed as the capacity for decision making by humans and the ability to impose said choices on others (Halasz & Kaufman, 2008). Agency includes the actions and thoughts that people take to express individual power. For example, the Black Lives Movement has expressed individual power and how it creates a structure. Social structure is the interconnected and complex set of relationships, social forces, elements, and institutions that work in tandem to influence the life courses of people as well as their experiences, choices, and behavior. Agency contrasts social structure because it represents the autonomy of people to think for themselves and make choices or actions in a manner that shapes their life trajectories and experiences. Therefore, agency can take both collective or individual forms. Although social structure shapes people and groups, the former is also shaped by people and groups. Since society is a social creation, maintenance of order demands that there be cooperation between individuals and social structures.
Question 3
Drawing from Max Weber, George Ritzer defined McDonaldization as the mass production of culture as a result of similar cultural products available everywhere. Conventionally, corporates tend to acclimate to the local culture (Wynn, n.d.). However, McDonaldization is a trend towards the opposite where firms impose their own values and drive out local cultures. McDonaldization is, therefore, a form of cultural imperialism because it is an imposition by an economically dominant business of various elements of the American food culture onto other non-dominant communities.
McDonaldization may have led to an increased availability of products or services to more markets in the world as well as improved profits (Wynn, n.d.). However, it has also reduced the variety rendering what is there as bland, uniform, and generic. Culturally, a common culture is being achieved as similar products and their development, music, literature, knowledge ad fashion are dominating the world.
References
Halasz, J. R., & Kaufman, P. (2008). Sociology as pedagogy: How ideas from the discipline can
inform teaching and learning. Teaching Sociology, 36(4), 301-317.
Wynn, J. R., (n.d.). Culture: What is culture?
effects of Divorce to families
Name
Instructor
Course
Date
Divorce
Some family members view divorce as a way out of a dysfunctional marriage while others do not perceive it as a solution to the issues. In turn, people from a divorced family are exposed to various emotions that may affect them in different ways. Divorce is also viewed from various angles such as on a logical level where some comprehend it as unnecessary, but to others, it is necessary. It is also notable that the process has ethical appeals that make it a wrong act to execute, but to other people, they do not feel any ethical obligations. The law is put in place for the essence of regulating the divorce process. Despite the freewill connected to the divorce process, there is a dire need to regulate it with the aim of keeping sanity in the society and protecting the affected individuals (Funder and Kinsella 22). Texas has its own set of laws in connection to the divorce process. However, in the essence of protecting the involved parties, it is necessary to complicate the divorce process through the applied new laws.
Some of the current divorce laws in Texas include filing the process in the county where the two spouses reside. The law in Texas also expects one to file their divorce cases in court, which will either issue or deny the legal separation of the spouses (Divorce Source Web). However, the law expects that at least one of the involved spouses show up in court. The law in Texas also allows the spouses to agree on the amount of property each will part with upon separation. On the contrary, the court can decide on the shares of the property, in case of a difficult decision process between the spouses. When it comes to children, the Texas’ law has given the spouses the opportunity to decide on the parent to pay the child support fee. However, the majority of the cases in Texas have proved that the parent spending less time with the child will be paying the support fee. Filing for bankruptcy can be used by parents who would like to escape paying the child support fee. However, the Texas law prohibits such a case and despite filing for bankruptcy, the parent needs to continue paying the child support (Divorce Source Web). As such, it is clear that the law in Texas guides the divorce process, but there is a need to tighten them.
A divorce has different effects on the parents and their children, especially after finalizing it in court. The religiously staunch families view divorce as a wrongful act to undergo and for them, they would prefer avoiding it. The divorce process breaks families and encourages individuality, which is unethical in various communities. To some societies, divorce is viewed as an evil act and it is not supported by any ethical arguments. On the contrary, some individuals do not view it as a wrongful act, but a solution that does not have any unethical implications. Consequently, there are communities that do not judge divorced couples while others are keen on pointing it out as an unaccepted act (Everett 168).
Divorce has intensive emotional effects on children and the spouses, which is another reason that the state of Texas should make it a complicated process to accomplish. Firstly, children are confused about the living arrangement upon the separation of their parents. During this time, the children are prone to stress and depression because they develop negative feelings towards the divorce. Thus, the law should protect children from such an exposure where their feelings are hurt and they develop negative attitude in life. Some children face hardships when parents do not support them comfortably. The divorce process also affects the spouses emotionally. For example, a spouse separating from a person he or she used to love is extremely difficult. Sequentially, the spouses face difficulty in comprehending the situation, and some feel the need to turn to other activities for solace, for example, drinking alcohol. Such parents suffer emotionally and feel the urge of guidance from support groups and psychiatrists.
Logically, divorce is an option to solve problems in a dysfunctional family. However, it is also logical to protect the affected individuals and avoid cases of depression and other unwanted feelings (Everett 58). Despite divorce being a healthy solution to problems within a family, it is essential to note that children and some of the spouses face depression and stress because of it. It is essential for the Texas law to make it difficult for people to file for divorce and avoid cases of negativity in the society.
There are various ways the Texas State can amend the divorce laws, which will eventually make it difficult for people to get divorced. One of the laws that the state can adjust is the one requiring the presence of all spouses in court for the process to be accomplished. In addition, the court should be the one to decide on the division of the property and not the spouses. As such, making it difficult for the spouses to divorce creates a chance for people to reconcile and not view separation as a solution to their problems. In addition, the spouses will be forced to accord the matter the seriousness it deserves and avoid stressing all the involved individuals.
Works Cited
Divorce Source. Texas Divorce Laws. 2014, Web. 21 April 2014.
Everett, Craig. The Economics of Divorce: The Effects on Parents and Children. New York: Psychology Press, 1994. Print.
Funder, Kate and Kinsella, Simon. “Divorce, change and children: Effects of changing family structure and income on children.” Family Matters 30 (1991): 20-23. Print.
Social Stratification and Inequality An Analysis of Hong Kong’s Society
Social Stratification and Inequality: An Analysis of Hong Kong’s Society
1. Introduction
One of the most pressing global challenges confronting the world now is what to do with poverty and the over one billion individuals who live in destitute circumstances. This is one of the most important global concerns facing the world today. In The uses of global poverty: How economic inequality benefits the West, Eglitis (2010), the question on why the rich seem to do less in relation to helping the poor is addressed. The author digs deep into the concept of global poverty, pointing out why it exists and persists despite the interconnectedness of the world today. By applying the social conflict theoretical perspective, the main argument provided is that global poverty aids in ensuring survival but not the prosperity of the poor in a way that the West continues to benefit from the poverty of the non-industrialized nations.
2. The Global Poverty Concept
A major feature of global inequity is the accumulation of wealth in a small number of nations, which has a significant influence on the opportunities accessible to inhabitants of weaker and less powerful nations. It is common to see poverty and affluence side by side in close vicinity to each other. The two components are connected in the world since they have an effect on each other and affect both the ability and willingness of states to ensure a steady international order, which are both intertwined. Globalisation, particularly in relation to poverty, raises problems about the responsibility of richer persons and governments toward the impoverished and most vulnerable.
2.1 Global Poverty Definition
Global poverty is defined as the number of people who live below $1.90 each day in any given country. As defined by the World Bank (2020), an individual who earns just under $1.90 a day is regarded to be living in severe poverty. There are now more than a billion poor people on the planet, accounting for one out of every 7 people on the planet (Aguilar & Sumner, 2020). Children are particularly vulnerable, accounting for over 50 per cent of the poorest in the world population (Ravallion, 2020). The most significant causes of global poverty include reduced access to jobs and livelihoods, conflict, inequality, poor education, a lack of infrastructure, a lack of reserve resources, and limited government capacity. However, Eglitis (2010) note that the existence of such extreme levels of global poverty today are a means to ensure the welfare of western consumers through affordable products. For example, child labor, low wages, sweatshops, and migrant workers are some of the great benefits to the industrialized countries. The western countries are able to increase their profit margins. For example, industrial giants such as Apple and other manufacturers from the west are moving their production to poorer nations such as Vietnam, Cambodia, and China. The reason for this is to expand their profit margins by exploiting the local standards through cheaper labor and other inequalities.
2.2 Global Poverty Application in Hong Kong
In Hong Kong, Eglitis (2010) perspective on global poverty is applicable. There is a deep divide between the rich and the working class. The rich make only a small section of the ruling class, yet all the vital decisions of running the society are made by this very small group. Hong Kong is among the nations with the greatest rates of inequality among developed countries. Weekly violent widespread protests in prior years, followed by the COVID-19 epidemic, disproportionately harmed the precariously employed, widening the already widening difference between wealthy and poor even further (Wu & Chou, 2021). The end of the globalisation trend that made Hong Kong into the international powerhouse it is today, on the other hand, is having a detrimental influence on the city’s economy. The aid provided by the state is pitifully inadequate.
While political instability has flared up in recent years in Hong Kong, the country’s economic prosperity and terrible social consequences are cause for alarm. While Hong Kong is well-known for its thriving economy in terms of wealth, housing, and health, the reality that some individuals have benefited more than others and others have seen their gaps in these areas expand demonstrates that not everyone has participated in the advantages equitably. Poverty, as a component of the larger picture of social inequality, is a complicated issue that is entwined with a variety of other socioeconomic disadvantages. Despite recent advances, pervasive hardship and injustice continue to haunt people worldwide. Hong Kong’s experience may provide insight on the scope, magnitude, and nature of poverty and social disadvantage, as well as the social and economic sources and repercussions of these issues (Yang, Paudel, & Jiang, 2021), not forgetting the role that policy may play in alleviating the underlying problems. Despite the city’s unique history, cultural traditions, institutional and administrative structures, Hong Kong’s contemporary society continues to face difficulties and possible solutions.
3. Intergenerational Poverty in Hong Kong
Historically, people earning less than the poverty line have been the focus of poverty studies, which identifies those unable to satisfy their basic necessities. In contrast to the quantity of accessible resources (in this case wealth and money), deprivation is more concerned with the outcomes in terms of acceptable living standards. Financial and material deprivation (together with other variables) have a direct effect on the behaviors and social processes that cause individuals to seek and accept social exclusion, and these are the elements that are the focus of the social exclusion approach (Nghia, 2010). All of these related but unique notions interact differently with various types of social support and have varying policy consequences, including poverty (a lack of money and basic resources), deprivation (an inability to achieve widely recognized basic necessities), and social exclusion (a lack of ability to participate in traditional activities).
Intergenerational poverty is a social concept that is best highlighted in the Hong Kong society, a rich nation with aspects of poverty. Intergenerational poverty is defined by Castro Campos et al. (2016) as poverty caused by a person’s parents’ socially or economically challenging background. There are more than 120,000 impoverished households in Hong Kong with children under the age of 18 (Lau & Bradshaw, 2018). Because there are significant gaps between the lowest and higher classes in Hong Kong, education will not be able to address intergenerational poverty. The fundamental cause of poverty is a deficiency in social capital (Scorza et al., 2019). The system of social relationships that exist between individuals, as well as their common interests and rules of conduct, that facilitate and promote mutually beneficial social collaboration, is referred to as social capital. Poverty is strongly linked to a poor societal interconnectedness and low-quality social networks. The social network perspective is sufficient in explaining why the Hong Kong society is as separated as it is in terms of social and economic wellbeing.
4. Conclusion
In conclusion, the social conflict theoretical perspective presents that global poverty aids in ensuring survival but not the prosperity of the poor. This perspective is not only evident in the way the West continues benefit from the poverty of the non-industrialized nations, but also in the manner through which rich societies such as Hong Kong continue to see a deep disparity between the wealthy and the poor. Hong Kong’s rich society portrays intergenerational poverty as well as it shows the concept of global poverty. Even with state assistance, the social, political, economic, and legal parameters are not enough to curb the problem.
5. References
Aguilar, G. R., & Sumner, A. (2020). Who are the world’s poor? A new profile of global multidimensional poverty. World Development, 126, 104716.
Castro Campos, B., Yiu, C. Y., Shen, J., Liao, K. H., & Maing, M. (2016). The anticipated housing pathways to homeownership of young people in Hong Kong. International Journal of Housing Policy, 16(2), 223-242.
Eglitis, S. E. (2010). The uses of global poverty: How economic inequality benefits the West.
Lau, M., & Bradshaw, J. (2018). Material well-being, social relationships and children’s overall life satisfaction in Hong Kong. Child Indicators Research, 11(1), 185-205.
Nghia, N. C. (2010). Management research about solutions for the eradication of global poverty: a literature review. Journal of sustainable development, 3(1), 17.
Ravallion, M. (2020). On measuring global poverty. Annual Review of Economics, 12, 167-188.
Scorza, P., Duarte, C. S., Hipwell, A. E., Posner, J., Ortin, A., Canino, G., … & Program Collaborators for Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes. (2019). Research review: intergenerational transmission of disadvantage: epigenetics and parents’ childhoods as the first exposure. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 60(2), 119-132.
World Bank. (2020). Monitoring global poverty. Available at https://elibrary.worldbank.org/doi/abs/10.1596/978-1-4648-1602-4_ch1
Wu, A. M., & Chou, K. L. (2021). Intergenerational conflict or solidarity in Hong Kong? A survey of public attitudes toward social spending. Social Indicators Research, 158(2), 775-798.
Yang, F., Paudel, K. P., & Jiang, Y. (2021). Like parents, like children? Intergenerational poverty transmission in China. Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy, 1-20.