Q. 1) Choose a birth cohort, or generation, and describe briefly.

Then, explain ONE

cohort effect and ONE period effect for this birth cohort [10 points]

Sociologists refer to term ‘birth cohorts’ to describe sets of people who were born during the
same time period and face similar societal circumstances brought about by their position in the
age structure of the population. The baby boom generation consists of around 76 million people
born between 1946 and 1964, making up around 25% of the U.S. population. Cohort effects are a
phenomenon in which members of a birth cohort tend to experience a particular life course
event– marriage, childbearing, death, entry to the workforce –at roughly the same time. Baby
boomers have significantly impacted family as an institution, being the first generation to
redefine families to include a variety of living arrangements such as never-married women with
dependent children. They were also the first to grow up with effective contraception, causing low
birthrates, voluntary childness and delayed childbearing. Consequently, baby boomers have
fewer children to turn to for help as they reach old age and will be more likely than previous
generations to turn to social service and health care organizations to care for them. Period effects
refers to a change in the political conditions, unexpected historical events and major cultural
events. Following World War II, the generation of baby boomers was a result of the strong
postwar economy where Americans felt confident that they could support a large number of
children. Baby boomers influenced the economy as a core marketing demographic for products
tied to their age group, such as toys.
Q. 2) According to sociologists of gender, what is the difference between objectification and
sexual objectification? Explain, and then provide an example for each from the media industry
(including advertising) in your answer. [10 points]

The term objectification refers to the action of degrading someone to the status of a mere object.
A huge issue with the media is the way in which they portray female beauty; the average
American woman is 5’4” tall and weight 165 pounds, however, the average American model is
5’10” and weighs 107 pounds. Advertising and media images encourage girls to focus on looks,
harming their emotional and physical health. Women develop the ideal of seeing their bodies as
sexual objects which can develop into recurring problems such as eating disorders and low self-
esteem. A woman is sexually objectified when her sexual parts of her body are separated from
her person, ignoring her personality and dignity by turning them into objects as if they were
capable of representing her. The media industry often represent woman as sexual objects,
subordinated to men; such representation contributes to discrimination against women in the
workplace and normalizes attitudes which result in sexual harassment. Sexual objectification is
often seen in advertising. Misguided, a commonly known clothing brand, has been accused of
objectifying women in their video advertisement. The brand promoted its swimwear line by
showing models on a beach with their legs apart in seductive poses and a woman running her
hand up her inner thigh. This approach received backlash from the public, claiming that this
advertisement invites viewers to see women as sexual objects.
Q. 3) Ellen, Theodore, and Marisa volunteer at The Kitchen, a food pantry that serves poor
individuals. One afternoon, they find themselves discussing poverty. “I don’t think that we’ll
ever completely eliminate poverty, says Ellen. “There are poor people in every society,” she
continues. “That leads me to think that poverty must be serving some kind of purpose. Maybe it
somehow benefits society as a whole.” Theodore shakes his head. “I disagree,” he says. “The
structure of our economy benefits some people and places others at a disadvantage.” Theodore
continues to make his case: “Women and people of color are far more likely to be poor.
Generally speaking, the jobs women hold pay less than the jobs men hold.” Marisa, who has
been listening quietly, interjects. “You both have good points,” she says. “But I come at the
issue from another angle. Think about the language we use to talk about the different kinds of
work people do.” She pauses for effect. “What do we call the people who collect trash?
Garbage men. That’s degrading.” Seeing she has their attention, Marisa gives another example:
“When someone cleans houses or is a fast food cook, we say they do ‘menial’ work. Surely the
way we talk about different kinds of work has an effect on how much people are compensated
for doing it.”
Considering the three major theoretical perspectives in Sociology, what are the theoretical
orientations of Ellen, Theodore, and Marisa? Select two of them (perspectives) to explain and
compare. Justify your answer. [10 points]

Theodore’s approach to poverty uses the conflict theory perspective. This perspective addresses
the deficiencies of structural functionalism by viewing the structure of society as a source of
inequality that benefits some groups at the expense of other groups. Theodore states that “the
structure of our economy benefits some people and places others at a disadvantage.” He believes
that the various institutions in society promote divisions and inequalities between groups. When
Theodore states that “the jobs women hold pay less than the jobs men hold”, he is referring to the
feminist perspective which is a version of the conflict perspective. Feminist sociologists focus on
gender as the most important source of conflict and inequality in social life. Compared with men,
woman in nearly every society have less power, influence and opportunity. Ellen uses the
structural-functionalist theory to explain her view on poverty; she believes “poverty must be
serving some kind of purpose. Maybe it somehow benefits society as a whole.”. Structural
functionalists believe that aspects of social life, even those that seem dangerous and disruptive,
must somehow contribute to the survival of a society. In this case, Ellen believes that poverty
exists in every society and must therefore beneficial in some way.