Sociological Imagination
By examining the differences in a society over a period of time and by using the sociological imagination. The influence of history placed on us as individuals we can explain private problems in social issues such as divorce, births and child behavior and contribute to its increase.
Some things that might cause a married couple to divorce, like infidelity, finances, abuse, incompatibility, and unwillingness to compromise are some of the more common. These are troubles or personal problems people have as individuals that are actually public issues.
And they are things that would probably contribute to divorces.
However, they alone do not answer for the increasing numbers in divorces over the last 100 years. These are issues and problems …show more content…
facing a society as a group.
There is probably LESS cheating, abuse and money issues in America than it was 50 years ago, so why more divorce? Also because women’s roles changed so rapidly, the birth rate has dropped and so there is less penalty for a divorce.
Because the social stigma against divorce has been whittled down from "family shame on everyone" to "unfortunate, but acceptable".
Teenage Pregnancy
Family is needed in an agricultural society to help with the farm labors and in a rural society you are more familiar with your neighbors. Because of this familiarity, people in agricultural and rural societies are able to foster more primary relationships, or meaningful relationships with family and friends rather than secondary relationships which are acquaintances or colleagues with whom you don’t foster a deeper friendship.
The move from an agricultural to industrial society has also affected this change because in an agricultural society, children were necessary to help with the chores and the farm, but as industrialization and urbanization occurred, children became less important as a source of labor and therefore less vital to family survival.
Along with urbanization and mobility is the decrease in the number of primary relationships a person has and so they have less of a close support system and may therefore be less likely to have children. In todays society there are so many children having children and fathers not in the houseld. Children are left with no one to view as role models except in videos, gaming systems and retail …show more content…
clothing.
Nicotine
Most common drugs: Alcohol and nicotine
The most commonly abused drugs in the United States are alcohol and nicotine.
According to the statistical abstract, Americans consume on average 37 gallons of alcohol per year, the majority being beer at an average of 32 gallons per year. The remaining 5 gallons is comprised of 3 gallons of wine and 2 gallons of other distilled alcohol. At this rate, Americans consume more beer than either coffee or milk. Beer consumption has become a major issue on college campuses with recent epidemics of binge drinking, particularly by college males. Many incidents have resulted in injury and death. Although many recent studies have extolled the health benefits of moderate alcohol consumption, the emphasis of these studies is upon moderate consumption or one or fewer glasses of wine per day. Some emerging studies indicate that the health benefits may be the same for grape juice and wine. Alcohol increases the risk of birth defects, and women who are or may become pregnant should not consume
alcohol.
In 1964 the surgeon general issued the first warning that smoking could be hazardous to health. Since then the evidence has mounted and the powerful tobacco industry has increasingly found itself on the losing side of lawsuits. Emphysema, lung cancer, heart disease, and other cancers are attributed to smoking. Morbidity experts estimate nicotine kills about 390,000 Americans each year, making it the most deadly recreational drug. Individuals and states have sued for damages in these losses, and for the costs incurred with caring for nicotine-induced diseases. The role of second-hand smoke in disease has also been recognized. Although cigarette advertising is limited, it remains a central controversy, especially advertising aimed at teens and youth.
Births
Students said all the usuals: cheating, money issues, abuse, falling out of love, but in the end the prof shock his head and said:
"Because couples feel that its okay to divorce."
There is probably LESS cheating, abuse and money issues in America than it was 50 years ago, so why more divorce? Because the social stigma against divorce has been whittled down from "family shame on everyone" to "unfortunate, but acceptable".
The same with teen pregnancy. There is more of it BECAUSE society will not react as scornfully as it wants to.
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Also, keep in mind what society thinks is acceptable marrying age. When marrying age was 14, did being pregnant at 16 earn scorn? Of course not!
When marrying age went up to 18 (becasue women were expected to graduate from high school, because education was more common place, because books were invented), then it suddenly becomes scorn-worthy.
Now marrying is expected after college, which is 22-24 years old. That's more than ten years after a girl starts puberty and we now expect her (but not really willing to enforce, because of ideas brought up in the welfare and feminist changes in the 1970s) to remain pure for a decade. Where kind of social pressure does that put on the kids?
Some things that might cause a married couple to divorce, like infidelity, finances, abuse, incompatibility, and unwillingness to compromise are some of the more common. These are troubles or personal problems people have as individuals that are actually public issues.
And they are things that would probably contribute to divorces.
However, they alone do not answer for the increasing numbers in divorces over the last 100 years. These are issues and problems …show more content…
facing a society as a group.
There is probably LESS cheating, abuse and money issues in America than it was 50 years ago, so why more divorce? Also because women’s roles changed so rapidly, the birth rate has dropped and so there is less penalty for a divorce.
Because the social stigma against divorce has been whittled down from "family shame on everyone" to "unfortunate, but acceptable".
Teenage Pregnancy
Family is needed in an agricultural society to help with the farm labors and in a rural society you are more familiar with your neighbors. Because of this familiarity, people in agricultural and rural societies are able to foster more primary relationships, or meaningful relationships with family and friends rather than secondary relationships which are acquaintances or colleagues with whom you don’t foster a deeper friendship.
The move from an agricultural to industrial society has also affected this change because in an agricultural society, children were necessary to help with the chores and the farm, but as industrialization and urbanization occurred, children became less important as a source of labor and therefore less vital to family survival.
Along with urbanization and mobility is the decrease in the number of primary relationships a person has and so they have less of a close support system and may therefore be less likely to have children. In todays society there are so many children having children and fathers not in the houseld. Children are left with no one to view as role models except in videos, gaming systems and retail …show more content…
clothing.
Nicotine
Most common drugs: Alcohol and nicotine
The most commonly abused drugs in the United States are alcohol and nicotine.
According to the statistical abstract, Americans consume on average 37 gallons of alcohol per year, the majority being beer at an average of 32 gallons per year. The remaining 5 gallons is comprised of 3 gallons of wine and 2 gallons of other distilled alcohol. At this rate, Americans consume more beer than either coffee or milk. Beer consumption has become a major issue on college campuses with recent epidemics of binge drinking, particularly by college males. Many incidents have resulted in injury and death. Although many recent studies have extolled the health benefits of moderate alcohol consumption, the emphasis of these studies is upon moderate consumption or one or fewer glasses of wine per day. Some emerging studies indicate that the health benefits may be the same for grape juice and wine. Alcohol increases the risk of birth defects, and women who are or may become pregnant should not consume
alcohol.
In 1964 the surgeon general issued the first warning that smoking could be hazardous to health. Since then the evidence has mounted and the powerful tobacco industry has increasingly found itself on the losing side of lawsuits. Emphysema, lung cancer, heart disease, and other cancers are attributed to smoking. Morbidity experts estimate nicotine kills about 390,000 Americans each year, making it the most deadly recreational drug. Individuals and states have sued for damages in these losses, and for the costs incurred with caring for nicotine-induced diseases. The role of second-hand smoke in disease has also been recognized. Although cigarette advertising is limited, it remains a central controversy, especially advertising aimed at teens and youth.
Births
Students said all the usuals: cheating, money issues, abuse, falling out of love, but in the end the prof shock his head and said:
"Because couples feel that its okay to divorce."
There is probably LESS cheating, abuse and money issues in America than it was 50 years ago, so why more divorce? Because the social stigma against divorce has been whittled down from "family shame on everyone" to "unfortunate, but acceptable".
The same with teen pregnancy. There is more of it BECAUSE society will not react as scornfully as it wants to.
---
Also, keep in mind what society thinks is acceptable marrying age. When marrying age was 14, did being pregnant at 16 earn scorn? Of course not!
When marrying age went up to 18 (becasue women were expected to graduate from high school, because education was more common place, because books were invented), then it suddenly becomes scorn-worthy.
Now marrying is expected after college, which is 22-24 years old. That's more than ten years after a girl starts puberty and we now expect her (but not really willing to enforce, because of ideas brought up in the welfare and feminist changes in the 1970s) to remain pure for a decade. Where kind of social pressure does that put on the kids?