U.C.S.

What is Social Structure?

Social structure is the organized set of social institutions and patterns of institutionalized
relationships that together compose society. Social structure is both a product of social
interaction and directly determines it. Social structures are not immediately visible to the
untrained observer, however, they are always present and affect all dimensions of human
experience in society. It is helpful to think about social structure as operating on three levels
within a given society: the macro, meso, and micro levels.

What is Status in Society?

Social status defines being liked Some writers have also referred to a socially valued role or
category a person occupies as a "status" (e.g., gender, race, having a criminal conviction,
etc.) Status is based in beliefs about who members of a society believe holds comparatively
more or less social value By definition, these beliefs are broadly shared among members of a
society. As such, people use status hierarchies to allocate resources, leadership positions, and
other forms of power. In doing so, these shared cultural beliefs make unequal distributions of
resources and power appear natural and fair, supporting systems of social stratification Status
hierarchies appear to be universal across human societies, affording valued benefits to those
who occupy the higher rungs, such as better health, social approval, resources, influence, and
freedom.

Types of Social Status

Achieved Status

An achieved status is one that is acquired on the basis of merit; it is a position that is earned or
chosen and reflects a person's skills, abilities, and efforts. Being a professional athlete, for
example, is an achieved status, as is being a lawyer, college professor, or even a criminal.

Ascribed Status

An ascribed status, on the other hand, is beyond an individual's control. It is not earned, but
rather is something people are either born with or had no control over. Examples of ascribed
status include sex, race, and age. Children usually have more ascribed statuses than adults, since
they do not usually have a choice in most matters. A family's social status or socioeconomic
status, for instance, would be an achieved status for adults, but an ascribed status for children.
Homelessness might also be another example. For adults, homelessness often comes by way of
achieving, or rather not achieving, something. For children, however, homelessness is not
something they have any control over. Their economic status, or lack thereof, is entirely
dependent on their parents' actions.

Roles of Social Structure

There are many ways that people can influence our behavior, but perhaps one of the most
important is that the presence of others seems to set up expectations. We do not expect people
to behave randomly but to behave in certain ways in particular situations. Each social situation
entails its own particular set of expectations about the “proper” way to behave. Such
expectations can vary from group to group. One way in which these expectations become
apparent is when we look at the roles that people play in society. Social roles are the part people
play as members of a social group. With each social role you adopt, your behavior changes to fit
the expectations both you and others have of that role.
Rights and Obligations of Social Structure

The concept of a right relates to the freedom from interference by other individuals or the
government. Individual rights refer to the liberties of each individual to pursue life and goals
without interference from other individuals or the government. Examples of individual rights
include the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as stated in the United States
Declaration of Independence. Community responsibilities are an individual's duties or
obligations to the community and include cooperation, respect and participation. The concept
goes beyond thinking and acting as individuals to common beliefs about shared
interests and life. A basic community responsibility is voting in elections.
Social Institution of Status
Social Institutions are the establishment in a society that makes the society function. They work
as the backbone of a society. Without the social institutions a society cannot achieve fulfilment
in terms of economy, academy or relationships. When there are no rules and regulations in a
society, people are more likely to indulge in crime and other harmful activities. Social
institutions help in taming such activities. They contribute in organizing a society and its people.
There are different types of social institutions which come with a set of rules and norms and ask
the people to follow them. The violation of such rules often results in condemnation and
prosecution.

Politics as a Social Institution

What is the definition of Political Institutions? Politics is a significant social institution. It is the
function of a society in which all the powers are given to a particular group of people chosen by
the citizens through poles. From the type of food we eat to the type of security we get when we
go out of our houses, everything is decided by that group of people in power. So, voting for a
party is a crucial decision for every citizen. Every society has politics today by the name of
government. The government makes rules namely laws for the entire country, and asks the
people to follow them. Breach in those laws result in imprisonment and penalties. There are
different parties in politics of a country. A country’s economy can be improved if the government
complies.

Economy as a Social Institution

Economy is that social institution which produces and distributes the goods and services and
monitors their consumption. The goods and services are two of the basic things that the people
of a country require. The two main economic systems are Capitalism and Socialism. The
economy is an institution that keeps on changing. There are many economic trends like diversity
in the work place, globalization, self- employment etc. The transaction of goods and services
requires currencies as a medium. The introduction of currencies in today’s world has made the
transactions much easier and advance. Before the currencies came into existence, the barter
system was the only medium of transaction, barter system is where a person provides good and
services in return of other goods and services.

Education as a Social Institution

Education is another vital social institution. Just as economy and government, education also
caters to the opportunities of growth in a society. If a child is given a proper and sufficient
education, he gets an exposure to the worldly affairs and learns to judge situations better. He
also passes his knowledge on and contributes to the betterment of his society.

Family as a Social Institution

What do we mean by a Family? When we hear the word family, a house with a mother, father,
brother and sister comes into our mind and it is the most general description of a family. But a
family is actually the unity of two or more people through blood relation, marriage or adoption.
Family in a society works as a social support for an individual. When a child is raised in a family
with doting parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters he or she gets to experience a positive
upbringing which continues when he or she actually grows up.

Marriage as a Social Institution

Marriage is that social institution which was created to keep a healthy regulation of a person’s
life. It is in a close association with the institution of family. The norms of marriages vary from
culture to culture. A marriage is the process of uniting two different people from different
families together through a ceremony. It serves the purpose of finding companionship.