d˜˚c˛˝e˙ˆs˛ˇi˛˘o r˛ g ˆ t e ˛ w ality matters - sage … · · 2015-01-29methods of...
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DISCOVER SOCIOLOGY THROUGH THE THEME OF POWER
Inequality Matters boxes give students a critical perspective on how
power is distributed, reproduced, and exercised in society.
“I really liked the Inequality Matters feature. I think it brings to the
surface a lot of issues that get swept under the rug.”
—Brian Brutlag, Rio Hondo College
Technology & Society boxes provide a valuable
sociological perspective on the ever-evolving and
transformational nature of technology, considering both
the positive and negative effects on our increasingly
connected global society.
“The section on Technology and Society stands out as
exemplary and engaging.”
—Jeffrey Debies-Carl, University of New Haven
286 Chapter 11: Families and Society
INEQUALITY MATTERSDOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND HOMELESSNESSHow are women’s experiences of
poverty and homelessness linked to the societal phenomenon of domestic violence? In addition to consequences such as physical and psychological injury, violence is both a cause and a consequence of homelessness among women.According to the National Law
Center on Homelessness and Poverty (n.d.), “Domestic and sexual violence are leading causes of homelessness nationally, especially for women” (p. 1). By one 2008 estimate, 28% of homeless families were homeless as a result of domestic violence
(National Coalition for the Homeless, 2009a). A 2011 study conducted by a Los Angeles women’s center noted that nearly half of the homeless women surveyed had experienced domestic violence in their lifetimes, and a third of the women had experienced domestic violence in the past year. Nearly a third of the women surveyed had
gone to the women’s shelter directly after experiencing domestic violence and/or assault (Downtown Women’s Action Coalition, 2011).Other violence-linked causes
of homelessness include a failure to secure alternative housing, which may be the result of unemployment or denial of resources by a controlling abuser. In a 2003 study, 44% of homeless women in Fargo, North Dakota, reported they had previously stayed in abusive
relationships for lack of alternative
places to live; in Minnesota, the figure was 46% (National Coalition for the Homeless, 2007). In 2012, the city of Chicago reported that 33% of its homeless residents were victims of domestic violence (Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, 2014). Notably, 39% of U.S. cities name domestic violence as the single largest cause of family homelessness (National Coalition for the Homeless, 2009a). While women may face violence upon returning
home to abusers, they are also at risk on the streets, since homelessness makes them vulnerable to assault, robbery, rape, and other threats.Domestic violence is a key
precipitator of homelessness, particularly among poor and minority women, who may already face
considerable obstacles to finding safe and adequate housing and solid employment opportunities. One societal response is to support safe housing for survivors of domestic violence. A more important one for the long term is to address the causes of abuse and to end both the acceptance and practice of domestic violence.
THINK IT THROUGH How might communities effectively address the problem of domestic violence, as well as associated troubles such as homelessness? Consider issues of both attitudes and policies in answering this question.
Domestic violence is an underreported crime, and many official reports fail to capture the extent of the problem. Why are many people reluctant to report incidents of domestic violence to the police?
V
ivia
ne M
oos/
Cor
bis
after experiencing domestic violence and/or assault (Downtown Women’s Action Coalition, 2011).
for the Homeless, 2014). Notably, 39% of U.S. cities name domestic violence for the long term is to address the causes of abuse and to end both the acceptance and practice of domestic
THINK IT THROUGHHow might communities effectively address the problem of domestic violence, as well as associated troubles such as homelessness? Consider issues of both attitudes and policies in answering this question.
69Culture and Mass Media
look at how these media shape attitudes and practices—some-
times in negative ways. In the section that follows, we turn our
attention to another dimension of culture: the controversial
relationships among culture, mass media, and the negative but
pervasive phenomenon of sexual violence against women.
TECHNOLOGY & SOCIETY
POWER, TECHNOLOGY, AND TELEVISION
Most conflict theorists, following
the lead of Karl Marx, maintain that
capitalism is a system characterized
by oppression and rife with inequality.
If this is so, why do working people,
victimized by an economic order that
enriches the upper socioeconomic
classes at their expense, not rise up in
protest? Sociologists Herbert Marcuse
and Douglas Kellner have offered a
few ideas.
Marcuse, writing in 1964, described
technology in modern capitalist
society as paving the road to a
“comfortable, smooth, reasonable,
democratic unfreedom” (p. 1). He
believed that modern technology,
employed in the service of capitalist
interests, would lead to ever more
effective—and even pleasant—
methods of exerting external control
over individuals. After all, spending
the evening immersed in a reality TV
program or an action film is much
easier than rising up in protest or
revolution. And we may not like the
conditions of our work, but we are
willing to work hard so we can get our
hands on the newest iPhone. From this
perspective, mass media (for instance,
television) serve to socialize and pacify
populations and are thus instruments
of domination. Marcuse (1964) argued
that the freedom
of individuals
had been
“invaded and
whittled down”
by modern
technology, and
that the result
was a “one-
dimensional”
society in which
the ability to
think negatively
and critically about the social order
was progressively crushed (p. 10).
Kellner (1990) expanded the
argument that modern technology and
media—and television in particular—
constitute a threat to human freedom
of thought and action in the realm of
social change. Kellner suggested that
the television industry “has the crucial
ideological functions of legitimating
the capitalist mode of production and
delegitimating its opponents” (p. 9).
That is, mainstream television appears
to offer a broad spectrum of opinions,
but in fact it systematically excludes
opinions that seem to question the
fundamental values of capitalism (for
example, the right to accumulate
unlimited wealth and power) or to
critique not individual politicians,
parties, and policies but the system
within which they operate. Because
television is such a pervasive force
in our lives, the boundaries it draws
around debates on capitalism, social
change, and genuine democracy are
significant.
THINK IT THROUGH
Karl Marx wrote that the ruling
ideas of any society are those of the
ruling class. Arguably, many of those
ideas are conveyed through the
vehicle of TV. Does television, which
delivers images and messages to our
homes as we watch for an average
of 7 hours a day, foster passivity and
make us vulnerable to manipulation?
What about the Internet? How does it
expand human action, creativity, and
freedom? How does it limit them?
CULTURE, MEDIA, AND VIOLENCE
Recent statistics suggest that rape and sexual assault devas-
tate the lives of thousands of U.S. women every year. According
to the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), in 2012
there were 346,830 rapes, attempted rapes, or sexual assaults
Why do men continue to outearn
women with the same amount of
education?
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DISCOVER SOCIOLOGY THROUGH THE THEME OF GLOBALIZATION
Global Issues boxes show that societal changes and challenges are
happening all over the world. Shining a light on how individual lives,
communities, and countries are inextricably linked to a multicultural and
interconnected international environment, this feature helps students
develop a more informed global perspective.
“Global Issues boxes make this text stand out in comparison to
many others on the market.”
—Keri Diggins, Scottsdale Community College
“I am very glad to see that this book covers many more global issues
than most introductory books. This may be the book’s strongest
advantage, or at least the piece that makes this text stand out
compared to the majority of introductory books that only give token
mentions to the world outside the U.S.”
—Paul D. Breitkreutz, University of Nebraska-Lincoln 67Culture and Mass Media
GLOBAL ISSUESLANGUAGE, RESISTANCE, AND POWER IN NORTHERN IRELANDThis chapter raises the problem of language loss—that is, the persistent and expanding extinction of small languages across our planet. In a
few places, however, little-used languages are being revived for reasons that range from cultural to economic to political. In some instances, as in the case of Northern Ireland, language revival fits into all three categories.
The dominant language in the country of Northern Ireland has long been English, but there is a growing campaign to revive the Irish language, a tongue with little in common with English (consider the Irish word for independence:
neamhspleáchas). The Irish language (also known as Irish Gaelic or Gaeilge) is a minority language in Northern Ireland. As of the country’s 2001 census, 167,487 people (10.4% of the population) had “some
knowledge of Irish” (Zenker, 2010). The use of Irish in Northern Ireland had nearly died out by the middle of the 20th century, but today efforts are under way to bring the language back to education, commerce, and political life (“In the Trenches,” 2013).Northern Ireland has a history of violent conflict with its British
neighbor. Early in the 20th century, Ireland was shaken by conflict between the Irish Catholic majority and the Protestant minority, who supported British rule and feared the rule of the Catholic majority. In 1920, the British Parliament passed the Government of Ireland Act, which sought to pacify the parties with
the separation of Ireland into a free state of southern counties. In 1922, the larger part of Ireland seceded from the United Kingdom to become the independent Irish Free State (after 1937, this became the current state of Ireland). The six northeastern counties, together known as Northern Ireland, remained within the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland has since been the site of sporadic conflict between (mainly Catholic) nationalists and (mainly Protestant) unionists (Kennedy-Pipe, 1997).
The area remained largely peaceful until the late 1960s, when violence broke out in Londonderry and Belfast, foreshadowing three decades of armed conflict between British troops stationed in Northern Ireland and the rebellious Irish
Republican Army (IRA), which represented primarily the interests of the Irish Catholic population. The violent conflicts over home versus British rule, which included terrorism committed by the IRA against British interests and populations, resulted in more than 3,000 deaths in this period (BBC, 2014b). A U.S.-brokered agreement helped to quell the violence in 1998, though sporadic problems
remained. Nearly a decade later, in 2007, key parties to the conflict, including leaders of the Catholic and Protestant factions, took the reins of the country in a power-sharing agreement.
The interest in revival of the language dates back to the period of conflict, known locally as “the Troubles.” In the 1960s, a small number of language enthusiasts set up a tiny Irish-speaking community in a Belfast neighborhood. By the 1970s, with the conflict in progress, Irish nationalist prisoners being held by the British in Maze Prison also began learning Irish, calling out words between cells and scrawling their words on the prison walls
(Feldman, 1991). The effort spread to neighborhoods where families of the prisoners resided and, according to author Feargal Mac Ionnrachtaigh (2013), it became part of an “anti-
colonial struggle.”Today, Irish nationalists, some of them veterans of the war against
British rule, have taken up the mantle of Irish language revival, and
275
U.S. Families Yesterday and Today
BEHIND THE NUMBERS
WHAT IS A FAMILY?
The U.S. Census Bureau uses the
household as a key unit in calculating
a spectrum of national statistics,
from income to poverty. A household
is composed of all the people who
occupy a given housing unit. The
Census Bureau further distinguishes
between family households—
consisting of immediate relatives
such as a husband, wife, and children
or a mother and her children—
and nonfamily households, which
include just about everyone else,
such as those who live alone and
those who live with “nonrelative”
household members. Implicit in
these bureaucratic categories is a
definition of what a family is from the
government’s perspective.
In 2011, of more than 114 million
households in the United States,
more than a third were nonfamily
households (Vespa, Lewis, &
Kreider, 2013). But aside from those
living alone, are these households
necessarily “nonfamilies” from a
sociological perspective? Sociologist
Brian Powell sought to answer this
question in a study that surveyed
more than 2,300 U.S. adults about
their definitions of family. Powell
and his team identified three
categories of respondents in the
study: “exclusionists,” who embrace
a narrow and largely traditional
definition of family; “moderates,”
who expand beyond the traditional
to include, for instance, same-
sex couples if there are children;
and “inclusionists,” who hold
an expansive view of what can
constitute a family, ranging from
opposite- or same-sex cohabiters to
people with pets. Children seemed
to be a decisive factor in whether
a household was seen as a family:
For instance, while only 33% of
respondents agreed that a gay male
couple was a family, the addition of
children to this unit raised the figure
to 64% (Powell, Bolzendahl, Geist, &
Steelman, 2010).
The public’s definition of what
constitutes a family is rapidly
changing. Powell noted a significant
change even in a short period of
time; for instance, the proportion
of respondents favoring a narrowly
traditional view of a family as
married parents and children
dropped by 11% between 2003 and
2010. More people are accepting
cohabiting and gay or lesbian
couples as families as well.
The definitions used by the
Census Bureau and other institutions,
including those that govern estates
and inheritance, adoption, and
hospitalization and medical consent,
lag behind those embraced by a
growing number of U.S. adults.
Perhaps within the third of the
population living in “nonfamily”
households, we would find quite a
few families too.
THINK IT THROUGH
How would you define the
term family? What experiences or
influences led you to that particular
definition?
%
For same-sex couples, the struggles and joys of family life do not differ significantly from
those of heterosexual couples.
Reu
ters
/Luc
as J
acks
on
DISCOVER SOCIOLOGY BY BECOMING CRITICAL CONSUMERS OF RESEARCH
Behind the Numbers boxes ask students to consider the myriad
data bombarding us at all times. This feature helps students become
stronger critical thinkers and savvy consumers of information by
encouraging them to consider the source of information, how
questions are framed, and what might be obscured by data.
Is technology the great global
equalizer?
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DISCOVER WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH A SOCIOLOGY DEGREEBy linking sociology and career success, Discover Sociology helps students
chart a career path by highlighting the knowledge and skills they can
acquire by majoring in sociology, as well as learn how to parlay these skills
into a wide array of occupations and sectors.
“I like the very direct and clear focus on relating sociological
concepts to students’ career paths.”
—Barb LaPilusa, Montgomery College
“Thinking about one’s future career is what most students
are doing.”
—Brian Thomas, Saginaw Valley State University
“Students are eager for this kind of guidance.”
—Wesley Jennings, University of South Florida
DISCOVER WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH A SOCIOLOGY DEGREEBy linking sociology and career success,
75
What Can I Do With a Sociology Degree?
Explore and Target Careers and Job Options
When you have completed an initial career identity
assessment, reflect on your career options. Enlist the
support of friends, family, and career professionals as
you review career options. You can start by using online
tools and library resources. Review general information
about occupational fields and industries to identify a wide
spectrum of career options. Examine specific aspects of
careers and occupations, including types of employers,
job skills and titles, responsibilities, entry-level educational
requirements, advancement potential, work environments,
salaries and benefits, and employment trends.
Use your research results to identify potential
employers and link to their websites. Compare results
for a variety of employers. Your career and occupational
exploration and your employer research are the best ways to
support and validate your career aspirations. Online career
exploration and employer resources include the following:
• www.careerinfonet.org/Occupations/select_
occupation.aspx (CareerOneStop)
• www.vault.com (Vault Career Intelligence)
• www.bls.gov/ooh/home.htm (U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook)
• www.onetonline.org (O*Net OnLine)
In addition to researching career trends and data,
learn about career options firsthand through informational
interviews. An informational interview is similar to any
interview, except that you interview the individual working
in your career field of interest to learn about his or her
profession, career skills, education, current position, and/
or employer. To request informational interviews, make
contact through family members, friends, or school faculty
and alumni and their networks.
Other options for exploring careers include internships,
field studies, and part-time jobs. Internships offer
opportunities for you to learn about career options in real-
world settings, to test your career skills and interests, and
to meet professionals in your field.
Make Career Decisions and Set Career Goals
Making career decisions is a key aspect of the career
development process. Evaluate your alternatives and
identify the advantages and disadvantages of each career.
From here, you can begin to make a career choice, which
will influence your career goals.
Career goals are important milestones that provide a
structure enabling you to evaluate progress on your career
path. Goals are not absolute, and you may update and
change them as you continue to move ahead. Long-term
goals are generally accomplished in 1, 5, or 10 years and
incorporate your dreams and aspirations. Short-term goals
(or objectives) are completed on a daily, weekly, monthly,
or annual basis and identify specific tasks associated with
your career plan.
THINK ABOUT CAREERS
Explore some sample employer websites to gather
information. What are the career and employment options
in each organization? What information is highlighted and
what do you learn about the employer? What can you
conclude about the industry?
Create three goals that you hope to accomplish in the
next 5 years, then add short-term goals that support the
completion of the long-term goal.
WHAT CAN I DO WITH A
SOCIOLOGY DEGREE?
CAREER DEVELOPMENT: EXPLORING
CAREERS AND SETTING GOALS
Explore and Target Careers and Job Options
When you have completed an initial career identity
assessment, reflect on your career options. Enlist the
support of friends, family, and career professionals as
you review career options. You can start by using online
tools and library resources. Review general information
about occupational fields and industries to identify a wide
spectrum of career options. Examine specific aspects of
careers and occupations, including types of employers,
job skills and titles, responsibilities, entry-level educational
requirements, advancement potential, work environments,
salaries and benefits, and employment trends.
Use your research results to identify potential
employers and link to their websites. Compare results
for a variety of employers. Your career and occupational
exploration and your employer research are the best ways to
support and validate your career aspirations. Online career
exploration and employer resources include the following:
• www.careerinfonet.org/Occupations/select_
occupation.aspx (CareerOneStop)
• www.vault.com (Vault Career Intelligence)
• www.bls.gov/ooh/home.htm (U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook)
• www.onetonline.org (O*Net OnLine)
In addition to researching career trends and data,
learn about career options firsthand through informational
interviews. An informational interview is similar to any
interview, except that you interview the individual working
in your career field of interest to learn about his or her
profession, career skills, education, current position, and/
or employer. To request informational interviews, make
contact through family members, friends, or school faculty
and alumni and their networks.
Other options for exploring careers include internships,
field studies, and part-time jobs. Internships offer
opportunities for you to learn about career options in real-
world settings, to test your career skills and interests, and
to meet professionals in your field.
Make Career Decisions and Set Career Goals
Making career decisions is a key aspect of the career
development process. Evaluate your alternatives and
identify the advantages and disadvantages of each career.
From here, you can begin to make a career choice, which
will influence your career goals.
Career goals are important milestones that provide a
structure enabling you to evaluate progress on your career
path. Goals are not absolute, and you may update and
change them as you continue to move ahead. Long-term
goals are generally accomplished in 1, 5, or 10 years and
incorporate your dreams and aspirations. Short-term goals
(or objectives) are completed on a daily, weekly, monthly,
or annual basis and identify specific tasks associated with
your career plan.
THINK ABOUT CAREERS
Explore some sample employer websites to gather
information. What are the career and employment options
in each organization? What information is highlighted and
what do you learn about the employer? What can you
conclude about the industry?
Create three goals that you hope to accomplish in the
next 5 years, then add short-term goals that support the
completion of the long-term goal.
WHAT CAN I DO WITH A
SOCIOLOGY DEGREE?SOCIOLOGY DEGREE?
CAREER DEVELOPMENT: EXPLORING
CAREERS AND SETTING GOALS
Ass
ess
Car
eer
Pref
eren
ces
Target Job Options
Set Career Goals
Implem
ent
a Job Search
Pursue Li
felong
Career
Development
Consider Graduateand ProfessionalEducation
Explore Career
Resources
How can the study of sociology
help me in my professional
career?
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, pos
t, or d
istrib
ute
134 Chapter #: Chapter Title134 Chapter #: Chapter Title
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