Study of the Behaviour of Groups in a Social Environment - Assignment Example

Sociology How society constructs gender, race and religion Sociology deals with the study of people or a group of people’s behaviors in the society. Society often contains different people and groups and sociology tries to study them. From the sociological perspective, sociology has been able to study human beings in their social setting (Macionis, 2005). There are a lot of things, which the society constructs, for instance, gender, race and religion. The three have a way in which they intertwine to influence the way people in a given society behave. In society, the societies often have roles for people. The society often becomes mended in a way in which certain aspects affect the way that people live. In this essay, I will majorly emphasize on gender, religion and race. Gender refers to social positions and personal traits that members of a given society attach for being male or female. Gender is a way to bring a difference between men and women in terms of wealth, power and resources (Macionis, 2005). Men have roles in terms of their masculinity while women have roles to be helpers and carers of men (Macionis, 2005). The society often defines roles that men and women should play. With time, a lot has undergone in changing the notion in which gender in society ought to be viewed. Today, we have women who have taken the traditional roles of men in the society, likewise men. The problem with such men and women is that they are looked upon as outcasts in the society since they are not congruent to what the society defined them (Macionis, 2005). Religion entails a set of practices plus beliefs agreed by a number of individuals or sects. Personally, I am a Jehovah’s Witness, but I have lived in a society full of other religions. For example, I grew in a family that was protestant. My middle school was Catholic while my high school was Adventist. While in Iraq and Afghanistan, I managed to interact with the Muslim community. Religion is a completely different aspect that influences behaviours of people in a given society (Macionis, 2005). Experiencing the different religions as I grew up made me appreciate the way they were influencing people that lived in that society. Race entails a socially constructed group of individuals that share common biological characteristics. People can be classified to races in terms of skin color, hair color, body features, and hair texture. Although many people think of race as a biological concept, it is a socially constructed concept (Macionis, 2005). I am from a Hispanic family, and have interacted with a lot of races right from when I was young to my working place. I have interacted with black-Americans, whites, Caucasians, Arabians, Africans, Chinese and many more. Races often divide people into social stratification as other races believe they are superior to others compared to some features they possess (Macionis, 2005). While growing up in a white environment and being a Hispanic, I experienced a lot of racism from different races. Races often provide means of dividing people in the society. While growing up, the whites in the society were the rulers at that time and Hispanics and the blacks were the workers. Racism proved to be the order of the day as it took roots in every aspect of life. As man became enlightened and realized how racism drifted members of the society apart, different activists, movements and laws arosed towards eradicating it (Macionis, 2005). People were encouraged to see other human beings as whom they were and not based on their skin color. Ever since, a lot has changed in the American continent. In my area of work, take for instance working in Iraq and Afghanistan, I got many racist comments from the locals as they viewed me based on my skin color and religion (Macionis, 2005). Discrimination has constantly been an issue in many societies as other people regard themselves superior to others. With racism, a lot of prejudice has sprung along. Prejudice is a fixed premonition regarding a certain race. For example, in the United States, people have prejudice that Black Americans contribute to many of the theft cases (Macionis, 2005). If a white man and a black person are stopped by a police officer in the night, it is more likely the white man will go scotch free while the black person might end up arrested. Society always has a way in which it views different races. For example, Chinese people have become known as industrious in nature while the white people regard themselves as superior (Macionis, 2005). Serving as a military police officer posted in Afghanistan and Iraq, I realized a lot on how society influenced gender. In the Muslim society, men were superior while women were subordinates to them. Sometimes in a society, gender tends to work hand in hand with religion. Most religious teachings, like Christianity and Islam, women are regarded as the helper’s to men (Macionis, 2005). The society on the other hand, defines the role of women in the society as under men. Women ought to be the weaker sex in both religious teachings and from the societal perspective. Religion plays a big role in influencing people’s lives in the society. According to structural-functional analysis, religion plays a big role in society. Through religion, people have managed to get social cohesion (Macionis, 2005). Religion tends to unite people through some of their shared values, symbolism and norms. Religion makes the society orderly. Every society also tends to use religious ideas in order to promote conformity. Religion sometimes can be intertwined with race and gender. For instance, many whites and Hispanics became Christians while many Arabs became Muslims. In addition, nuns are women in the society while priests are mostly men. The society has constructed gender to take a foot in religion. In some countries, religion has taken control of the political system, for example, Muslim religious leaders play a significant role in the Middle East countries, there is a similar situation in the Vatican by Catholics (Macionis, 2005). Religion also tries to give meaning to life. In a society, where people know they have a short time to live, religion tries to provide meaning of some things that could not be explained on earth. In addition, religion also provides a way to endure problems they are suffering. For example, in having a supreme being in religion that comforts those facing problems, many are able to be consoled (Macionis, 2005). Furthermore, religion has in the past contributed to social inequality. For instance, many religions appointed men as their leaders while women became left in the congregation. In addition, religions like Islam muffled the voice of women up to now. Women became expected to follow certain norms while interacting with the rest of the people. In Hinduism, women are regarded as husbands, contrasting to the view of other religions (Macionis, 2005). Via religion, women in the past were oppressed in matters regarding their economic, social and political welfare. It is in recent times, when women started being accepted in politics and other areas after feminists and some religious groups decided to play a role in empowering women. In Afghanistan and Iraq, women become heavily oppressed, and this is majorly because of the Islam religion. Compared to women from Christian religious groups, women are more free and equivocal to men. Society has started experiencing change as women are becoming more empowered and taking control of their lives. In conclusion, race, religion and gender play a vital role in influencing the way people behave in the society. In relation to my experience, I have been able to see how gender, race and religion influence the way people in a society behave. I have been able to appreciate the three play roles in the society (Macionis, 2005). In the world, people often try to find meaning in whatever they do. In my life, I have experienced the impact of gender from my hometown to places I have gone, and compared and contrasted. Moreover, religion and race in the society also have a great impact ever since time immemorial and continue playing a role in shaping human behaviour. References Macionis, b. J. (2005). Sociology. New York: Pearson Education. (Macionis, 2005) Read More