Defining the Life Course of Specific Groups Within the Culture - Research Paper Example

?Race, Gender and Age Race, Gender and Age: How do these variables intersect to define the life of specific groups within the culture? Include how these variables may influence education, economic opportunities, and health care for groups. In APA Style Name Race, Class, Gender and Age 2 Abstract This paper discusses how race, class, gender and age intersect to define the life course of specific groups within a given culture. It also touches on how these variables may influence education, economic opportunities and healthcare. The discourse of every variable is tackled in sections. The discussions include the dangers of not acknowledging the unique interrelationships among race, class, gender and age and how the variables intersect and be viewed in order to successfully achieve an accurate portrayal of a group’s given culture’s life experiences. Introduction Race, class, gender and age each signify vital cultural group memberships in the US. Such cultures can be considered as lenses through which all experiences and phenomena that concern individuals should be viewed. Looking at these variables in isolation will fail to reflect the accurate intricacies of most people. Failing to identify the intersection of race, class gender and age is contrasting with the practice of effectively portraying the life experiences of different groups in relation to their culture. In the historical existence of race, class, gender and age, they have undergone significant transformations. As the social and national systems change, these variables continuously undergo renovations. The importance of dynamically viewing these socio-demographic variables is to lessen the probability of overgeneralization of their applications. (Healey, 2009, p 87)They should be viewed within the specific societal context and should be concurrent to the systems of social hierarchies embedded in all social institutions and the Race, Class, Gender and Age 3 development of personal identity of groups on the basis of where they fall on a scale of socio-demographic dimensions. Race, Class, Gender and Age: Socio-Demographic Structure The definition of a social group is any group of people who share the same motives and goals and are aware of their commonalities. Social identity is perceived to being connected to the individual’s knowledge that he/she belongs to a certain social group alongside value and significance in the group membership. Hence, it is through the individual’s sense of belongingness to a specific group in a society that the person possesses an identity that defines his/her own specific individuality with a society. Social identity is a result of multifaceted intercessions with ourselves and other people in which for that reason, it is about differentiation, categorization and identification. (Healey, 2009, p 119) As a society of individuals, we put every single creature into categories. This is the very reason we put the labels Christians, Jewish, Muslims, Blacks, Whites, teenagers, adults, disabled, and many others. In terms of categorization, this makes people able to speak about ad relate with each other. In terms of identification, people have the tendency to associate themselves to other groups so to have a sense of belonging. In terms of differentiation, more often than not, people compare themselves to other groups with favourable biases towards their own group. Thus, discrimination comes into surface to thwart other groups from having the same opportunities and privileges on the basis of disparity. Intersections among various socio-demographic variables have so much influence on the omnipresent social systems – racism, classism, sexism and ethnocentrism. Race, Class, Gender and Age 4 In a society that has fallen into a system that segregates race, class, gender and age, it is apparent that groups of people in a society are widely seen by many as being essentially different. The society has fixed people in categories according to these socio-demographic variables. It is generally accepted that all of us have specific traits that are fixed from birth. However, social sciences now function on a different outlook that is the social formation of identity. Sociologists argue that we are active agents in a society and not simply passive recipients. Our identities are fluid and changing. We are participating actively in the reformation of the identities and shaping a multifaceted society. The structure society has set to view demographics as fixed since birth has prevented people to understand other standpoints and experiences. (Healey, 2009, p 171) This has caused tremendous misunderstandings in the social world due to the claim that we cannot understand thoughts, behaviours and desires of other people/groups that are belong to a different social group. Influence of the Socio-Demographic variables on Education In the late 1980s, theorist identified ethnic studies being inadequate in brining out school reforms in relation to academic needs of the student in a multicultural land. They shifted their focus to deep structural changes from measly inclusion of ethnic history. (Cordeiro, Reagan, Martinez, 1994, p 16) Aside form this; multicultural educators also developed a concept inclusion of other variables aside from ethnicity such as social class, gender race and others. Although the concept is distinct, the key socio-demographic variables – race, class, gender and are, are interrelated. In the 1970s, the National Council for Social Studies Race, Class, Gender and Age 5 (NCSS), together with the National Council of Teachers of English, the American Association of Colleges of Teachers Education and some other organizations, issued policy statements and publications that supported the incorporation into the schools and teachers curriculum. Teaching Ethnic Studies was NCSS’ title for its 43rd yearbook in 1973. In 1976, the Curriculum Guidelines for Multiethnic Education was published by NCSS and was revised in 1992 as Curriculum Guidelines for Multicultural Education, replacing multiethnic with multicultural. In 1977, abut 80% of the programs of teacher education was required to put courses, components and programs in multicultural education into practice. (Cordeiro, Reagan, Martinez, 1994, p 33) This was caused by the development of the multicultural education and the issuance of the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) of standards for the accreditation of teacher education. This turning point made a big change in the history of educational system in the US. The US has developed the modifications made in the past to further accommodate other cultures in the land. As time went on, more ethnic contents have appeared in the textbooks oh elementary and secondary education. This caused a rise in numbers of teachers who use anthologies in literature programs that include selections of books written by women and authors of other ethnicities. A number of reputable schools like University of California at Berkeley, University of Minnesota, Harvard, Brown and many other schools, ivy league and not, either changed their core curriculum or established ethnic studies course requirements. (Cordeiro, Reagan, Martinez, 1994, p 42) As a result, books that deal with multicultural education grew significantly as it increased its market. Race, Class, Gender and Age 6 Benefits of the Socio-Demographic variables on Economic Opportunities In an increasing global marketplace, creating a world with consumers can identify adds to the value of a product. The socio-demographic variables – race, class, gender and age, play an important role at the onset of a venture, image, and marketing strategies of thousands of products that are now successful in the global market. Multinational companies are aware of the benefits of diversification and customization of their products according to the socio-demographic variables present to be able to penetrate different markets and expand their horizons. (Henderson, 1994, p 38) In result, cultural diversity today is important on the private sector as it does on political aspect. Although diversity is based on race, class, gender and age, it doesn’t just rely on those socio-demographic variables. It is more on the relations and interactions. It is a bridge between the organizational life and the reality of people’s lives and the framework for interrelationships amongst all cultural groups. Effects of the Socio-Demographic variables on Healthcare The Division of Health, together with Health Policy and Health Services recognized the importance between inequalities formed around race, class gender, age and other socio-demographic variables like sexuality. A number of members of the Division look at social justice and justice in health as indivisible. To them, a just society would look upon the maintenance and restoration of health as a basic human right. These socio-demographic variables have become a hot topic since a number of debates about injustices relating these variables to the healthcare system have caught the attention of the Health Division. Race, Class, Gender and Age 7 Theories of feminists groups propose that aside from age and social class, universal and poverty-based programs/benefits should be organized around the other socio-demographic variables – gender and race Studies show that Blacks, Hispanics and women of any race have greater and longer health care needs with fewer economic resources than white men. This shows that these groups are likely to suffer more than white men the consequences of a poverty-based healthcare system. (Sullivan Commission on Diversity in the Healthcare Workforce, 2004) Although the healthcare system, in relation to the abovementioned socio-demographic variables, is still a big talk until now, improvements and modifications have been applied to further attain the equality on healthcare. Conclusion The existence of the socio-demographic variables in society has changed every aspects of the human life. With all the changes and improvement these variables have brought to the society, it is an inevitable fact that these should be taken consideration with in any endeavour. These have contributed a umber of developments in the society and have led us to cultural diversification and to the doorstep of globalization. Healey, J. F. (2009). Race, ethnicity, gender, and class: The sociology of group conflict and change. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Pine Forge Press. (558) Henderson, G. (1994). Cultural diversity in the workplace: Issues and strategies. Westport, Conn: Praeger. Cordeiro, P. A., Reagan, T. G., & Martinez, L. P. (1994).Multiculturalism and TQE: Addressing cultural diversity in schools. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Corwin Press. Sullivan Commission on Diversity in the Healthcare Workforce. (2004). Missing persons: Minorities in the health professions : a report of the Sullivan Commission on Diversity in the Healthcare Workforce. Durham, N.C.?: Sullivan Commission Read More