How Do Different Socio Cultural Paradigms Impact Humans Life - Research Paper Example

Introduction Change is an intrinsic part of life and people and environment evolve with the changing times either consciously or unconsciously to maintain an equitable relationship with the world around them. It is a very important aspect of human evolution because it defines the increasing knowledge base of the development of human civilization, in terms of individual growth and advancement of human society with relation to its surrounding. Hence, the various parameters of social control that shape and influence people’s life become highly critical elements of social structure within the changing dynamics of society across the world. The paper would be divided into three parts and focus on the socio-cultural and economic paradigms which impact our lives. They are work and economy; inequality; and marriage and family. Part 1 Within the constraints of societal parameters, human life consists of materialistic aspirations which involve exchange of goods and service produced through segregated division of labor within the multicultural society. Hence economy and work significantly impact towards the development of society and are socially coordinated through well defined division of labor based on social status, skills, age, sex and relationships or kinship through which exchange of goods and services are facilitated in an organized manner. The globalization has brought in a new socio economic order with the advent of multicultural societies with people coming from different nation, race and culture. The wide scope of new social equation has also given us an opportunity to evolve new paradigms that promote understanding of mutual cultures and values. The industrialization had focused on the machine process of labor and redefined the production processes but globalization has considerably changed the dynamics of socio economic and political variables that have emerged as the most influential factors to impact the role models of social identity. The socio-economic variables of grandparents’ time has hugely transformed into more focused goals for improved living conditions for oneself and one’s future generation. The changing social values govern the changed attitude which is reflected through the constructive production applied towards improving one’s living conditions and environment. The scope and opportunities available to the human race through the changing times define the advancements of the society. The rapid globalization coupled with the technological advancements has seen the traditional process of labor deployment undergoing a fast transformation, both in terms of quality and quantity. The primary and secondary markets have been significantly impacted by the changing format of society. While the primary market is focused on the highly skilled professionals who command premium pay package with better work conditions and stability, the labor force of the secondary market are low skilled, lowly paid with relatively no job security. The work also offers no challenges or motivation. My parents and grandparents were employed in secondary market. While my grandparents were unskilled laborers, my father works in a wood mill and my mother is a highly skilled seamstress. I am working towards being a registered nurse and therefore, I can say that the changing times have increased our awareness towards issues and concept that influence our living standard. The positive attitude inculcated by my parents has become a major personality trait that sees the changing economy as a harbinger of better times ahead, both economically and socially. There is huge opportunity and scope for nurses and demand for qualified nurses would increase in future also. I would thus be entering into the primary labor market. Registered nurses (RNs) comprise 77% of the nurse workforce, and almost 60% of them are employed in hospitals. The nationwide unemployment rate for RNs is only 1%. Even with this low rate, vacancy rates nationwide are reported at anywhere from 13% to 20% and are rising. A serious nursing shortage is here, and it will continue at least until 2020 (AACN, 2010). The demand for nurses is expected to increase even more dramatically as the baby boomers reach their 60s, 70s, and beyond. From now until 2030, the population age 65 years and older will double. (Whitehead, Weiss, & Tappen, 2007). Hence, I would be having a secured job with wide scope of opportunities for promotion and good salary. Part 2 Class is major factor within the social framework that differentiates people on the basis of economic parameters and hence is often accused of creating social imbalances that deprive the majority of people from their right to basic human dignity that promotes universal belief in equality and right to live with dignity. Then again, the ideologies of larger political identities have different interpretations to the class based social identities. Marx’s theory of class conflict of the two social classes is best suited for the United States of America economy the way it is today. Marx emphasized that class and visible culture is primarily focused on labor division and the belief that they are products of consciousness. It is controlled by bourgeoisie and proletariat (Marx & Engels, 1848). The former defines the capitalists who control the labor force and the later are part of labor units who sell their skill for sustenance. Thus, the rich is getting richer, the middle class is shrinking, and the poor is getting poorer! But Wright’s typology of four social classes is also highly relevant. He asserts that social stratification and structure is defined by income determination based on labor specification (Wright, 1997). The four classes comprise of employers who own production unit and have at least one employee, petty bourgeoisie who are self employed, managers who are employees but also have control over other employees and lastly the workers or the general employees. But interestingly, the American class structure based on six classes actually defines the contemporary American society and is primarily based on academic model. According to Gilbert (2002), American social structure can be broadly categorized into capitalist class; upper middle class; lower middle class; working class; working poor; and underclass. Capitalists are group of people who may be highly qualified top level executives like CEOs and command niche pay package, high powered politicians or business magnates. The upper middle class comprises of qualified professional with good salary and autonomy in work area. Lower middle class are those who earn average salary and skilled persons or semi professionals. Working class people do mundane clerical jobs having high school education. Working poor are low educated, non skilled workers with high insecurity in job. Underclass people comprise of those people who rely on government welfare and do not contribute towards labor force. I personally believe that it is very important to have different social classes as it provides the requisite challenge and motivation to move up in social hierarchy through higher academic qualification and work paradigms. While right now we are in the lower middle class but once I obtain my Bachelor of Science Nursing, I will move up into the middle class and out of the low class. With social stratification I can be placed in a higher category this year and through continuous hard work I intend to strive towards an upwardly sustainable class structure that would provide my family with a good lifestyle and education. I envisage a future where I may not come into upper middle class but my kids, future kids, and grandkids will move up. I believe each generation should be setting up the next generation with financially. My future planning includes adequate insurance for my children’s education, life insurance for myself and my wife so that in case of any accident or untimely death, the future of my family is secured and they are able to continue with their studies and are able to maintain the current standard of living. In recent times, the gender biases have catapulted into major controversial issues and the religious sanctions, some approved and some disproved, have invited more vociferous debate on them. The patriarchal society, primarily governed by the religious diktats have treated women as second class citizens and deprived them of their identities as an individual with equal rights. Indeed the work paradigms need to become the major incentive and men and women need to look at themselves as effective elements to improve and improvise the performance outcome of organizational goals and objectives. In the cutting edge competition, merit outplays the gender biases and people need to overcome their psychological barriers to compete as individuals. It is essential that people are able to exercise their freedom, choose judiciously and interpret things and issues with wider perspectives. While some scholars assert that the gender segregation in occupation has become a major indicator of gender inequality (Reskin and Roos 1990, Walby 1997), but my experience contradicts their theory in nursing profession. In the area of nursing, there is clear shortage of qualified and dedicated nursing staff and hence, probably the impact of gender and sexual inequality is minimal. As for me, my gender has not helped or hurt me during my life time so far. For ten years I was part of system were gender did not play a role whether I got promoted or not. In the Marine Corps your performance was the key to getting promoted. The main goal of getting promoted was based off of four scores combined into something called a composite score. If the promotion score was 1600 and if any male or female in that occupation with the score of 1600 they would have been promoted. In the future I really do not know whether my gender will help or hurt me, but with my race that is a different story. The concept of pink collar job has become redundant in the current era of gender equality. The pink collar jobs were defined as those jobs that are traditionally considered as that of women like nanny, maid, waitress etc. (Naffziger, 1974). Today, the societies comprise of people coming from different race, culture and nation. The changing paradigm of social equations, pose more challenges to the people which need to be addressed at the earliest for peaceful existence. The race and ethnicity have a huge impact on the personal choice and individual behavioral pattern which can be easily observed in the pluralistic identity that one exhibits in a society. But in the last few decades, the values have tremendously changed. The blacks are no more looked down by the hitherto privileged class. Equal opportunity has provided the masses with education and employment, considerably raising the living status of the blacks and the minority. The affirmative actions have gone a long way in ensuring justice to the minority group. In future, I see a more progressive structure of society where race, ethnicity and gender would not be an issue with regard to situations like glass ceiling in the jobs. The glass ceiling refers to the persons whose job advancements are blocked due to discriminatory practices within the workplace (Hesse- Biber & Carter 2005). With stringent laws and affirmative actions, I sincerely believe that neither I nor my children would come across such situation in America. Part 3 The institution of marriage has long since been regarded as one of the most important pillars of societies across the world. The sanctity of marriage vows is symbolic of mutual trust and respect between two individuals against all the trials and tribulations of one’s life. Indeed, the marital bond has the approval of the peer population and our elders that lends credibility to the family. Hitherto, the marriage symbolized the growing up of young boy into a responsible adult and a way of carrying forward the tradition of family name. For women, it was a financial security and more freedom than that of their parental home. My grandparents were firm believers in the institution of marriage and parents’ happy married life has strengthened my belief in the institution. But old value system that guided the young adults into the matrimonial bond has lost its relevance in the contemporary times. Concept of living together has become a popular alternative to the traditional matrimony. Co-habitation is being practiced for a variety of reasons: as a prelude for successful marriage, as an exercise for saving money; to test the compatibility; maintain individual freedom etc. The fast advancing technology and emerging new opportunities and creative approaches have opened huge plethora of options for partners from diverse areas. The effect of marriage squeeze which reflected the imbalance in the number of males and females in the marriageable age has become a thing of the past! The various networking sites and internet based marriage cum partners bureaus have provided the young and the old with vast options of choosing sexual partners that have strangely evolved new social equations of cohabitation that goes beyond the realms of religion, gender, nationality, race and culture. While the new age may have revolutionalized the contemporary value system, the advantages of marriage cannot be discounted! In America and across the world, the rapid globalization has promoted exogamy. Exogamy happens when people marry outside their race and culture (McFadden & Moore, 2001). While this may promote better understanding of cross cultural values, it could also cascade into racial and religious conflicts, especially in orthodox regions like South East Asian countries like India and Pakistan. But, all in all, I favor practice of exogamy but not the casual attitude, towards sexual relationship with different partners which has huge ramifications. The diseases like HIV positive and AIDS are fatal diseases that are increasing becoming major threat for the free society where sexual permissibility is fast developing as a social norm. The menace of such diseases is a warning for us to improve and improvise our lifestyle so that emerging new threats to health and environment may be effectively controlled. The casual sex and concept of multiple partners have promoted a promiscuous society that is focused on self interest and satisfaction of carnal desires. The new the trend seems to have created a new order of sexual freedom but the pervasive repercussions of these experiments are extremely serious and damaging for the future of our society. The education is the only platform that can empower people. I will ensure that my children’s education empowers them to make decisions based on informed choice and follow the path that would safeguard their health. It can and will provide them with more options and freedom of transforming those choices into concrete action plans for the betterment of self and the society at large. Marriage needs to be re-instated as the most respected social institution to promote social order. Conclusion It can thus be concluded that that people’s lives continue to be mainly shaped by the social structures because social class, economy and gender stratification would remain one of the most crucial aspects of developing societies. The changing dynamics of socio economic and political variables have increasingly become vital issues within the changing societal norms. Equity and equitable distribution of opportunities cut across racial divide and gender discrimination. They have become the key facilitator of changing pattern of contemporary society. Indeed, the changing paradigms have helped me to understand and interpret my role in the society. (2502) Reference American Association of College of Nursing (AACN). (2010). Nursing Shortage. Available from: [Accessed 24 July, 2010]. Claudeen Cline Naffziger et al. (1974). Development of Sex Role Stereotypes. The Family Coordinator 256 (3). Available from: [Accessed 24 July, 2010]. Gilbert, D. (2002). The American Class Structure: In An Age of Growing Inequality. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Hesse-Biber, Sharlene Nagy and Carter, G. (2005). Working Women in America: Split Dreams. 2nd Edition. Oxford University Press. Marx, Karl and Engels, Frederick. (1848). The Communist Manifesto. Available from: [Accessed 24 July, 2010]. McFadden, J. and Moore, J.L. (2001). Intercultural marriage and intimacy: Beyond the continental divide. International Journal for the Advancement of Counseling, 23, 261–268. Reskin B.F. and Roos P.A. (1990). Job Queues, Gender Queues. Philadelphia, Temple University Press. Walby S. (1997). Gender Transformations. London, Routledge. Whitehead, Diane K., Weiss, Sally A. and Tappen, Ruth M. (2007). Essentials Of Nursing Leadership And Management. F. A. Davis Company. Wright, Erik Olin. (1997). Class Counts: Comparative Studies in Class Analysis. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. Read More