Social Stratifcation

Choose a social institution to describe and analyze the effect that the stratification elements of race have on that social institution. Include the following in your analysis:

Over the years, the fights against the stratification elements of race have been immense. This is because the unwelcome effects of racial tension that result from the various forms of racial discrimination cannot be overstated. Stratification elements of race have a wide range of implications on various social institutions. To further shed light on this fact, we will look at the economy as a social institution and identify the various ways that stratification elements of race impact it.

How race impacts the economy as a social institution

About a quarter of the of the United States is amassing wealth while the remaining three quarters are not (Godfrey & Wolf, 2016). Research shows that race among other factors is a major determinant of identifying whether someone is struggling or thriving. Among the findings made by the research, Godfrey and Wolf noted that African American and Hispanic families earned median incomes that were about 40% less than what white families earn. Asian families, on the other hand, had earned the highest median incomes among the study groups because they experienced a more rapid growth in median incomes.

Regarding wealth, White and Asian families had balance sheets that were more liquid compared to Hispanic and African American families. Liquidity, or otherwise the ability access assets quickly helps families get through financial shock that were not anticipated (Godfrey & Wolf, 2016). What the above proves is that race establishes a sort of economic division as highlighted by the difference in earnings. Due to the low earnings, Hispanic and African American families have limited financial freedom compared to White and Asian families. This thus cripples the ability of Hispanic and African American families to save and amass wealth.

Race also influences investment decisions by investors. For instance, economic institutions such as banks are usually skeptical when it comes to setting up branches in some communities such as those inhabited by African Americans. This is mostly because of the popular stereotype that the bank will be more susceptible to robberies since the African American community is greatly associated with crime. This, therefore, means such communities are left out of potential employment opportunities that may come with the opening of the bank. Lack of employment leads to unemployment and therefore lack of income. The result of lack of income is lack of economic freedom. This consequently limits African Americans from accessing economic benefits such as credit services to help them grow economically (Hall, Humphreys, & Ruseski, 2015).

Identify a form of race inequality associated with the social institution and use theoretical perspectives to explain the social behaviors that perpetuate the inequality.

As earlier outlined, the economy is the greatest social institution that experiences stratification elements of race. These include discriminations and inequalities that arise from racial lines. An example of inequality that is based on race is in employment. In the United States, the rate of employment for African Americans has always lagged by a whopping 10 to 15% compared to that of whites, in every month, ever since the year 2000 (Martinovich, 2017). Additionally, the African American men suffered more than the white men during the great recession and recovered relatively slower (Martinovich, 2017). These numbers show the extent of economic inequality between the African Americans and the whites.

One of the greatest contributors to this inequality is the fact that the whites are better trained than the African American. This fact is since schools built for whites are accorded more resources and a better studying environment compared to schools inhibited by the African American community. Most employers consider this during recruitment and therefore prefer recruiting whites compared to the African American as they feel the whites are better trained and therefore more suited for the job (Hall, Humphreys, & Ruseski, 2015). Another contributor to the economic inequality in employment is the fact that African Americans are associated with various social vices such as theft, drug addiction, and alcoholism. Employers, therefore, opt not to employ them in fear of losing their organization’s property due to theft or slowed progress because of poor performance and absenteeism.

Suggest measures for the social institution to implement to help alleviate the racial inequality you identified.

As identified above, African American have been the biggest community affected by inequality in employment. It is a rather unfortunate occurrence especially in an era where unity and cohesion have been the main themes of emphasis to promote world peace. The inequality, therefore, needs to be fought and eliminated to promote an all-inclusive growth of the economy. Some of the measures that will help alleviate inequality based on race include:

1. Fixing a minimum wage.

To promote equality, employees of the same class should receive equal remuneration regardless of their race. The government, therefore, needs to stipulate a minimum wage that all employers should follow. Failure to abide by the regulation should be met with serious legal action and injunctions.

2. Educating Employers

The best way of fighting the various racial stigma and stereotypes is increasing awareness among members of the society about the need for equality. This includes educating the employers too on the negative impacts the inequality in employment has on the progress of the economy and national unity. Employers, therefore, need to be educated on the fact that African Americans are also well trained and qualified for the jobs.

3. Offer security to investors.

As earlier identified, investors often pull back from investing in African American communities. This is due to fear of losing property because of criminal activities as African Americans are associated with crime. The government, therefore, needs to promote security by educating the communities on the importance of allowing investors to set up businesses in their area as it would provide employment opportunities for them which would consequently promote their standard of living. Additionally, the government should also set up patrol services to help protect the property of these investments. Finally, the government should also support insurance services which would help restore the investments back to their operational position in case some unseen occurrences such as theft or fire occur leading to the destruction of the investment property. Consequently, more jobs would be created and the employment rate in African American communities would increase.

References

Godfrey, E. B., & Wolf, S. (2016). Developing critical consciousness or justifying the system? A qualitative analysis of attributions for poverty and wealth among low-income racial/ethnic minority and immigrant women. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 22(1), 93.

Hall, J. C., Humphreys, B. R., & Ruseski, J. E. (2015). Economic Freedom, Race, and Health Disparities: Evidence from US States. Public Finance Review, 1091142116687840.

Martinovich, M., Stanford University. (2017, June 23). 3 areas that show America's racial inequality. Retrieved May 30, 2018, from https://www.futurity.org/racial-ethnic-inequalities-united-states-1467732-2/