Systems of Social Systems of Social Structure and Gender Structure and Gender structurestructureAlexa SmithwrickAP World History

What is social structure?What is social structure?

The people in a society considered as a system organized by a characteristic pattern of relationships. In other words, social structure is social organization based on established patterns of social interaction between different relationships. Social structure varies between countries and can play a key role in interaction between countries.

What Effect Does Social What Effect Does Social Structure Have?Structure Have?Social structure has influence on

all of the following:SocializationStatus ExpectationsLegal RegulationsIdeology

The History of Social The History of Social StructuresStructures Some believe that social structure is naturally developed. It

may be caused by larger system needs, such as the need for labor, management, professional and military classes, or by conflicts between groups, such as competition among political parties or among elites and masses. Others believe that this structuring is not a result of natural processes, but is socially constructed. It may be created by the power of elites who seek to retain their power, or by economic systems that place emphasis upon competition or cooperation. Alexis de Tocqueville was the first to use the term social structure. Tocqueville studied the effects of the rising equality of social conditions on the individual and the state in western societies. And his research has been very influential to the field of sociology. Later, Karl Marx, Herbert Spencer, Max Weber, Ferdinand Tönnies, and Emile Durkheim all contributed to structural concepts in sociology.

Alexis de Tocqueville

Comparing Social Comparing Social StructuresStructures

America IndiaUpper Class -also referred to simply as the rich, is often considered to consist of those with great influence and wealth.

Brahmins- priests and other religious leaders

Upper Middle Class-consists of those who have autonomy in their work, above-average incomes, and advanced educations.

Kshatriyas-ruler, warrior, or a land owner

Middle Class-consisting of professionals or business owners who share a culture of domesticity and sub-urbanity.

Vaisyas- merchants

Lower Middle Class-consist of "semi-professionals" and lower level white collar employees

Sudras-artisans and agriculturalists

Lower Class or “Working Class”- lowest class, associated with poverty

Harijan-”outside” the caste system, otherwise know as untouchables

Below the social structures of America and India are compared. As you can see America’s social structure is based on economy, but India’s is based on profession and ancestry.

What Is Gender Structure?What Is Gender Structure?

It is the way that gender is embedded in the individual, interactional, and institutional dimensions of a For example in some parts of the world the man is considered the head of the house. This is a form of gender structure.

What Effect Does Gender What Effect Does Gender Structure Have?Structure Have?Gender Structure can effect all of

the following:EducationMarriageLegal RightsProfession

Comparing Gender Comparing Gender StructuresStructuresBelow the gender structures of America and Afghanistan are

compared. The two are drastically different. This is due to that fact that the majority of the population of Afghanistan practices a Muslim faith. The Muslim faith is very restrictive to women.

Changing Social StructuresChanging Social Structures

As history shows, social structures can be changed. There was a time where women couldn’t vote in America. It was once absurd for a man to be a home maker. Times are changing and more people are becoming advocates for equality. Here are a few examples of recent changes in social structure:

Women now hold seats in the Afghan parliament In 2005 Egypt granted women expanded divorce rights Morocco got its first senior female political figure in 1997, a

secretary of state in the cabinet. In 2004 Algerian women comprised almost 20 per cent in the

upper house of that country’s legislature Algeria has 800 women judges, about half the total in the

country. There are also 1,065 women lawyers out of a total of 6,400.

CasteWatchUK has lobbied to include caste-based discrimination as part of a stream-lined single equality act that would go into effect in 2010.

Works CitedWorks Cited1. Kimani, Mary. "Women in North Africa Secure More Rights.“

Africa Renewal vol22,201/July/2008 8. Web.20 Aug 2009<http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/vol22no2/222-women-secure-more-righs.html>.

2. "Social Structure." Wikipedia. 2009. Web.20 Aug 2009. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_structure#History>.

3. Callaham, Terrence. "Indian Caste Systems." 20 Aug 2009

4. "American Middle Class." Wikipedia. 2009. Web.20 Aug 2009. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_middle_class#Lower_middle_class>.

5. "Afghanistan passes 'barbaric' law diminishing women's rights." guarian.co.uk 14/Aug/2009 Web.20 Aug 2009. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/aug/14/afghanistan-womens-rights-rape>.