social change

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SOCIAL CHANGE 3

Social Change

Shanae Hampton

Cal Baptist university

Social Change

Social change is a concept through which humans interact and transform relationships in the cultural and social aspects over time. All these changes have an impact on society. Through social changes, people should understand that societies never remain the same because change is never a constant. According to the sociological perspective, social changes have often resulted from social movements such as civil rights, women's rights, and rights for homosexuality, among other movements. Social changes can be caused by various things, including technology, social institutions, population, and the environment in general (Evans, 2021). As society changes, many social issues abound. In this assignment, I will discuss social problems such as poverty and unemployment from a sociological perspective.

Poverty

Poverty refers to the lack of ability to meet or acquire basic needs such as food, shelter, clothing, or health. Currently, poverty is a social issue because of the adverse impacts or causes to the victims. Regardless of the causes of poverty across various parts of the world, its consequences are devastating for those who live in poor conditions. According to research findings, childhood poverty has lifelong effects because poor children are more likely to become poor adults because of the high chances of dropping out of school, becoming teenage parents, or having employment issues (Tshishonga & Matsiliza, 2021). More so, poor people are more likely to encounter family issues such as divorce and domestic violence because poor families are always stressed because they struggle to meet their basic requirements.

I choose to discuss poverty because it is an issue that cuts across nations and affects the globe in general. Since I am taking a career in social work, this topic of poverty interests me because of the adverse consequences on children and their future. According to the arguments in the article Getting under the skin: Children’s health disparities as the embodiment of social class, poverty affects the general development of children, hence shaping their future (Kramer et al., 2017). Therefore, studying poverty from a sociological perspective is paramount because it is a social problem that impacts individuals, society, and the globe in general.

Unemployment

The issue of unemployment attracts the sociological issue of poverty. Unemployment causes a decrease in the production and consumption of goods and services in a country, forcing the respective country to incur a burden of borrowing from other countries. Unemployed people are more likely to engage in antisocial behaviors in society.

I chose unemployment as a social problem because it impacts individuals and society in general. It has become a serious issue in societies today because of its adverse impacts on humanity's social and economic aspects. Unemployment causes personal and social issues, including financial hardships, poverty, debts, homelessness, and stress for housing. Unemployed individuals often undergo stress, stigma, shame, social isolation and alienation, and low self-esteem. Therefore, unemployment is an issue that interested me because it is currently one of the most devastating social issues among the youths and adult generations. With the current health crisis due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many businesses have closed, others have laid off their employees, leading to an increase in unemployment rates across nations. This also explains the increased costs of living and the economic drop-down. This makes unemployment an essential issue to study from a sociological perspective.

References

Evans, R. W. (Ed.). (2021). Handbook on teaching social issues. IAP.

Kramer, M. R., Schneider, E. B., Kane, J. B., Margerison-Zilko, C., Jones-Smith, J., King, K., ... & Grzywacz, J. G. (2017). Getting under the skin: Children's health disparities as the embodiment of social class. Population research and policy review, 36(5), 671-697.

Tshishonga, N., & Matsiliza, N. S. (2021). Addressing the Twin Challenges of Poverty and Unemployment through Community Work Programs in South Africa. African Journal of Development Studies (formerly AFRIKA Journal of Politics, Economics, and Society), 11(2), 217-235.