(Susana Gonzalez)

Our textbook defines a social role as being A set of expected behaviors for people who occupy
a given social status. In other words, we expect a certain behavior in the different positions
people hold in our society. For example, a woman gains the status of mother when she has a
child. Her social role would be to love, care, and protect that child. Another example would be a
woman carrying the status of being a homemaker. It's very popular in Latino families. This
means that women carry the role of caring for the children, cooking, cleaning, etc.
One can violate his/her role by choosing an occupation that isnt necessarily common for those in
his/her ascribed status. For example, a woman who is a welder must work harder to gain respect
for her work. The status of being a woman has devalued her work, people have the mindset that
women are incapable of doing a mans job. Since the majority of welders are men, this
automatically creates challenges for women.
Role exit is defined as The process of disengagement from a role that is central to one's self
identity in order to establish a new role and identity. This means that a person is detaching a part
of themselves (a role) and leaving it behind, this is done to make room for a new chapter (a role)
in their lives. When someone decides to go through a role exit, they must go through the
socialization process after. Since they left a piece of their identity they will then go on to find a
new piece of identity. The socialization process will help them learn the attitudes, values, and
behaviors from a certain cultures.
A primary group is a small group and has a long period of interaction. An example would be
your closest friends. A secondary group is a large group with a short duration of interaction. An
example would be your mailman.