Social Trends

Social Institutions
 We normally study social issues by looking at
social institutions
 Social institutions are groups of social positions
connected by social relations performing a social
role
 Social positions – occupation, designation
• Teacher, politician, father, union leader
 Social relations – regulated, accidental, regular
• Teach, mediate, deliver speeches, give instructions
 Social role – behaviour, obligations, rights (governed
by a set of expectations)
• To nurture, to inspire, to discipline
Social Institutions
 Examples of social institutions
 Family
 Religious groups
 Interest groups
 Political parties
 Law makers
 Business
 Education
 Health service
Family Institution
 Two main family types
 Nuclear family – immediate family (mother,
father and children)
 Extended family – nuclear family plus
grandparents, aunties, uncles, cousins
 Another category of family
 Family of orientation – born into a family
 Family of procreation – adult who creates a
family (through marriage)
Family Institution
 Trend (spatial) – move away from
“family of orientation” – migrate to
the city
 Trend (increased participation of
women in labor force)
 Symmetrical family – where both
husband and wife equally share
household tasks
Family Institution
 Trend (Marriage)
 Raising family without getting married
 High rate of divorce
 High rate of remarriage
 Pre-marriage experiment
 Delayed marriage
• pursue education and career before settling down
• Staying together and having children without
getting married
• Implication of delayed marriage – childless because
too late to have children
Family Institution
 Trend (Marriage)
 High rate of divorce (reason)
• Women economically independent (working
and not financially dependent on husband)
• Current legislation make it easy to get
divorce
• Socially acceptable today compared to past
generation
Consumerism
 Consumerism is the belief that personal
happiness can be achieved by purchasing
material possessions and through consumption
 Businesses sell the idea that our lives are
incomplete if we do not keep on buying and
consuming products and services – we can be
happy if we buy things we do not have
 Consumerism teaches us to appreciate and long
for branded “quality” products
Consumerism
 The opposite to consumerism is the idea
of “simple living”
 Simple living – lifestyle in which
individuals consciously choose to
minimize the “more is better” pursuit of
wealth and consumption
 People who adopt a “Simple living”
lifestyle would rather pursue spiritual,
“quality time with family” and have a
more balanced work-life ratio
World Population
 What would be the impact of
growing world population?
 Allocation of national resources within a
country
 At what rates are the population
increasing and in which countries are
population decreasing?
World Population
 As of February 2008, the world
population stands at 6.69 billion
 It is forecasted that by 2050, the
world population will be 9 billion
Aging
 This century, the world is expected to
experience an unprecedented aging of
the human population in countries
worldwide
 Demographers predict that by mid-
century, people age 65 and over will
compose about 15 percent of the world’s
population (23 % by 2010)
 Japan will have 35 % of her citizen
above 65 by 2025
Aging
 Demographers generally agree that
population aging represents a "success
story," with increasing numbers of people
worldwide enjoying longer lives
 According to U.N. demographic
projections, a child born today can
expect to live, on average, until the age
of 65.  
 Half-a-century ago, life expectancy at
birth was less than 50 years
Aging
 Proportion of older people is high in
developed countries BUT the majority of
older people (79 %) live in the
developing countries
 In 2008, 1/5 of the working population
are in the 50 – 64 age bracket
 In 2050, it is forecasted that the
working population in the 50 – 64 age
bracket will be ¼
Aging
 The most rapid increase of the
elderly (65 years old and above)
are the 80 and above bracket (90
million)
 It is estimated that in 2050, the
elderly in the 80 and above
bracket will reach 400 million
Aging
 Reduction in mortality (people
living longer) is higher among
women
 Worldwide, women 60 years old
and above outnumber men by 70
million; there are 65 % more
women than men in the 80 years
old and above bracket
Aging
 Issues:
 Who are going to support and take care of these
retirees?
 What is the cost of health care and nursing for the
elderly?
 What if these growing elderly population do not plan
well for their retirement?
 What services must be provided to meet the special
needs of the elderly (as their numbers increases)?
 What is the cost to society to take care of the
elderly?
Discrimination
 Discrimination is the practice of
treating people differently based on
demographic / psychographics
 Discrimination has been a constant
phenomenon since the earliest
civilization; part of human nature
Discrimination
 Discrimination is even more
prevalent today due the following
 Active participation of women in the
work force; many earning high
academic qualifications
 Migration on the increase due to
economic pull, political asylum, war
 9-11 incident and paranoia of terrorism
Discrimination
 There is a difference between
discrimination and prejudice
 Prejudice is a predisposition or attitude
that may not result in action
 Discrimination is a behaviour or action
taken
 A person can have prejudice but may not
take action that is influenced by that
prejudice
Discrimination
 Types of common discrimination
 Racial
• we stereo-type people based on their race
• Usually against “minority” races of a country
 Age
• especially the elderly – called ageism
 Gender
• mostly against women (at work)
 Physically and mentally challenged
 Military status
• Many ex-military persons suffer from psychological
trauma after coming back from war
• Perceived as persons capable of killing and hurting people
Obesity
 Obesity (overweight) has become a public health
crisis
 64 % of all American adults today are
overweight
 Doctors define being overweight as having a
body mass index (BMI) of 25 to 29.9; BMI of 30
and above is considered obese
 Obesity is caused by consuming more calories
each day (on average) than we expend; calories
that are not used up are stored as fat
Obesity
 Keystone Forum (May 2006) observed:
 Frequently eating foods prepared away from
home is associated with obesity
 Eating more fast-food meals is linked to
eating more calories, more saturated fat,
fewer fruits and vegetables, and less milk
 People dine out more frequently today (total
number of food service establishments in USA
has almost doubled in the past 30 years)
Obesity
 Keystone Forum (May 2006) observed:
 Wide availability of (32-ounce or more) soft
drinks
 Widespread use of fructose as a sweetener by
the food industry (fructose tend to make us
lose our sense of feeling full)
 We have a wide variety of flavors in our diet
Obesity
 Lifestyle changes
 In married households, both spouses are working
more, less time to exercise and prepare meals
 More adults spend more time commuting (traveling),
reducing time to cook, exercise, family time
 Households have the TV on almost ¼ time more
compared to 30 years ago; this does not include sitting
in front of the computer; in the USA, children spend
(on average) 5 hours a day watching TV
 Children spend less time attending physical education
classes per week today
 Advertisements and marketing for food can be found in
most mass advertisement channels
Obesity
 The diet industry in US is a $ 50 billion
industry
 An overweight adolescent will have two
times greater death rate due to disease
before the age of 70
 Slimming after being obese may not
prevent some of the diseases associated
with obesity (including heart disease,
stroke, and cancer)