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Relationships between social class and educational attainment
Social class/ poverty
Relationships between social class and educational attainment
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When it comes to the topic of social problems, most of us will readily agree that the United States has its fair share of issues. Where this agreement usually ends, however, surrounds the question of where these problems originate. Whereas some are convinced that it is an individual’s problem, others maintain that it is the system-based issue (Eitzen et al., 12). Through the use of Social Problems by D. Stanley Eitzen et al. throughout this course, the authors discuss the causes and solutions of social problems such as the inequality towards sexual orientation, gender, race and poverty, from a systemic perspective. Although I agree with the author’s systemic view on those issues, I cannot fully accept putting blame solely on our social system. Thus making my initial view on social problems a combination of the systemic and individual perspectives.
When I was a child, homosexuality was never a topic of conversation. Whenever it came to examples of love it was always between a man and a woman. According to Eitzen et al., “in the heteronormative system of contemporary U.S. society, heterosexuality is the expected sexual orientation” for it is considered normal (242). The number of adults who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual in the United States is 3.5 percent (Eitzen et al., 247). While that percentage may seem small, a whopping 25.6 million Americans admit to having some same-sex sexual attraction (Eitzen et al., 247). With a number so large admitting to homosexual behavior, why is homosexuality viewed as deviant?
People with power have become like lawmakers, deciding who and what is deviant. Major religious groups, such as Judeo-Christians, believe that homosexuality is a sin because The Old Testament only approves of “sexu...
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...th Ed. Boston: Pearson, 2014. [Textbook]
• Heldman, Caroline. “Out of Body Image: Self-objectification-Seeing Ourselves Through Others' Eyes-Impairs Women's Body Image, Mental Health, Motor Skills and Even Sex Lives.” Ms. Magazine, Spring 2008.B
• Keith, Thomas. (Writer/Producer). The Bro Code: How Contemporary Culture Creates Sexist Men [Film Preview]. United States: Media Education Foundation, 2011. Retrieved August 31, 2012 from http://www.mediaed.org/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=246
• Yen, Hope (a), “Census Shows 1 in 2 People are Poor or Low-income.” Last modified December 15, 2011. (http://finance.yahoo.com/news/census-shows-1-2-people-103940568.html).
• Yen, Hope (b). “80 Percent of U.S. Adults Face Near-Poverty, Unemployment: Survey.” Last modified July 28, 2013. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/28/poverty-unemployment-rates_n_3666594.html).
Poverty in America is a very complex issue that can be looked at from many directions. There are a plethora of statistics and theories about poverty in America that can be confusing and at times contradicting. It is important to objectively view statistics to gain a better understanding of poverty and to wade through the stereotypes and the haze of cultural views that can misrepresent the situation.The official poverty line in America begins with a person making at or below $12,060. To calculate the poverty line for a family, an additional $4,180 is added to the base of $12,060 for each additional member(“Federal Poverty Level Guidelines”). According to the last U.S. census, over 45 million or 14.5% of Americans are at or below the poverty line(Worstall). At this level, the U.S. poverty level has not changed much from the 1970s when the government began a “War on Poverty.” However,
Self-objectification leads to body dissatisfaction which is recognized through the constant evaluation and criticizing of one’s and others size, shape, and weight and diminishes woman’s sexual health through the hypersexualization and sexual objectification of the female body. I argue that self-objectification is a social problem that instills in body dissatisfaction from the perpetuation of the thin white female image in the media.
The number of poor people in 2012 was 49.7 million, or 16 percent. That exceeds the record 46.5 million,...
Unemployment rates, for example, do not capture potentially discouraged or underemployed workers and often mask out-migration. Because there are differences in opportunities for men and women, and thus differential participation in the labor force, employment and population ratios for men and women may measure labor market tightness better than overall unemployment rates. Job growth rates may better capture opportunities for low-income people than unemployment rates, although new jobs in a locality are often filled by migrants and in-commuters (Bartik, 1991; Raphael, 1998; Renkow, 2003). Moreover, Bartik (1996) suggested that job growth may be less endogenous than local unemployment rates. The labor market is, of course, not the only contextual influence on poverty. Such things as a lack of affordable childcare (Davis & Weber, 2001) and a lack of public transportation options in sparsely settled places (Duncan, Whitener, & Weber, 2002) may impose barriers to labor force participation and employment for low-income adults. This is often more constraining in rural areas in compassion with urban areas (Weber,
More than 70 countries around the world continue to criminalize same-sex sexual behavior between consenting adults, with penalties ranging from fines to imprisonment and even to death.18 These discriminatory laws against gay men and other MSM are more common in countries in sub-S...
B. The overall poverty rate among Idaho residents climbed to 16.0 percent in 2012, from 11.8 percent in 1999. (U.S. Bureau of the Census)
Body image is the perception, both thoughts, and feelings concerning an individual’s physical appearance. Research has suggested that exposure to an ideal standard of what it may mean to be beautiful is the norm for the media to expose a woman to. The results of an idea of feminine beauty can be disastrous for women, leading to depression, and an unrealistic body image. According to Posavac & Posavac in the article titled Reducing the Impact of Media Images on Women at Risk for Body Image Disturbance: Three Targeted Interventions...
When an individual is sexually objectified, they are treated like an object that exists only for the pleasure of others and objectification theory asserts that women are uniquely subject to these types of experiences, especially in Western culture. Self-objectification (SO) leads the individual to create a third person perspective in their minds that they use to compare their physical selves to and in turn causes them to see themselves as an object instead of a whole person. SO also creates a form of self-consciousness, causing a habitual and vigilant self-monitoring of outward appearance. There are many cognitive and emotional consequences of SO. Among these consequences are increased body shame, increased appearance anxiety, and a decreased ability to reach high states of motivation.
The “Politics” section, from the UN’s 2008 report of the progress of the world’s women, discusses in detail how women’s roles in government and politics in general have expanded and can continue to expand. Moreover, it also explores different challenges and obstacles women may encounter when it comes to politics, and how these obstacles can be overcome. In discussing these issues, the author describes a “cycle of political accountability”. This so called cycle is a process by which women’s engagement in politics results in a positive “feedback loop” whereby a more gender-balanced political system may arise. According to the report, there are five stages: mobilization, representation, legislation & policy, implementation, and transforming politics. Of course, the cycle can also go backwards leading to the loss of rights for women.
Having a lack of self acceptance can cause men and women to spend a meaningless amount of time loathing on their imperfections, which can also degrade their self-perception on their bodies. Women who have a hard time looking at themselves in the mirror are in a constant battle with their inner demons, telling themselves that they are not beautiful enough. For example, in the article, "Out-of-Body Image" by Caroline Heldman, she says how, "[Women] are more likely to engage in "habitual body monitoring"-constantly thinking about how their bodies appear to the outside world . . ." (65). Women can spend a futile amount of time feeding negative comments to themselves about their appearance, which can heighten their chances of becoming bulimic and anorexic. Once women start to over-analyze their bodies, it can become difficult to reverse their mindset to generate positive feedback about themselves. Likewise, when men lose their confidence in their self-image, their self-perception can get misconstrued and suddenly they can only recognize their flaws. For example, in the article, "How Men Really Feel About Their Bodies," the author mentions how in general, men are in a constant competition against other males to improve their bodies so that they can survive in the male society ( Spiker, 73). Men are always under intense scrutiny regarding their bodies because they are engendered to be physically strong and built, and that is where the stigma begins in the male society. In order to sustain in the male domination, men are constantly trying to rebuild their bodies to match perfection. When men see others that are more built, their self-perception slowly starts to degrade their confidence, and that is when they have the difficulty of accepting themselves. As a result, men and women who lack self acceptance start to obsess over their
Society is created with both homosexual and heterosexual individuals. Previously when certain laws discriminated against others, such as law for women's rights to vote, these laws were changed. Changing the traditions of the country does not mean that it will lead to the legalization of other extreme issues. Each ...
On February 27, 2014 Daily News published an article on their web page called: Five arguments against gay marriage. In the article, author Seth Forman states his opinion on gay marriage. Forman says in the opening of the article “Putting gay unions on a legal par with heterosexual ones may radically alter our culture.” Forman then continues to provide his readers with five points explaining his position on the topic. His first statement is on religious freedom, this one of the main arguments against gay rights. The bible does not mention homosexuality specifically but it is evident that it is condemned. A passage in the Book of Leviticus identifies homosexuality as an abomination, and a detestable sin. Romans1:26-27 describes homosexual desires to be shameful. The bible also describes marriage and that it is to be between a man and a woman. Genesis 2:24:"Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh." Forman quotes opponents in a Newsday editorial saying opponents “will be seen by future generations in much the same light as those who opposed school desegregation.” Forman’s second concern is the rights of children. He st...
Choosing a sexual preference is considered one of the biggest decisions of one’s life. Among the human race, heterosexuality (the attraction to persons of the opposite sex) is considered normal. However, over the years, homosexuality (the attraction to persons of the same sex) has become more common. The origin of homosexuality dates back as far as the 5th century B.C. Homosexuality became very popular in ancient Greece. The Greeks approved of same-sex relationships. When homosexuality first became popular though, the relationships were rarely sexual. Most relationships were usually between older men and younger boys. These relationships were more of courtship rituals than anything. In other parts of the world though, homosexuality was kept a secret among couples for many years. Unbelievably, it is still hidden today. It is kept a secret because in society, homosexuality is not considered normal. Therefore, to avoid being judged, ridiculed and belittled, homosexuality is conducted in secrecy. Over the years however, homosexuals have grown tired of not being able to do what they believe in, when and where they pleased. Many homosexuals began to fight for their rights to do as they pleased. What non-supporters of homosexuality thought or said about homosexuals no longer affected the homosexual community. Although many people still disagree with homosexuality, our society today has begun to accept homosexuals as a norm.
and wages. It will also tackle what is being done to solve this problem and what
Gender Inequality at a Workplace Historically, males and females normally assume different kinds of jobs with varying wages in the workplace. These apparent disparities are widely recognized and experienced across the globe, and the most general justification for these differences is that they are the direct outcomes of discrimination or traditional gender beliefs—that women are the caregivers and men are the earners. However, at the turn of the new century, women have revolutionized their roles in the labor market. Specifically in industrialized societies, the social and economic position of women has shifted. Despite the improving participation of women in the labor force and their ameliorating proficiency and qualifications, the labor force is still not so favorable to women.