Contemporary Social Structure

CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL STRUCTURE



Contemporary social structure describes the relationship between individuals within society, from a specific community, who maintain one precise organisation and technology that lives and develops within their own environment. These organisations interrelate using culture, language, religion, education, family and politics to control the membership. Thesefactors determine individual’s personalities, values and beliefs which are regulated by commitments and responsibilities.

Depending on their social position, people behave and act differently and this also affected by cultural values. Furthermore, the contemporary social structure of a society is established in different institutions such as property; contracts; markets (which define the economicand occupational roles); institutions of partnership (which is effectively the family role within society); and the institution of leadership (which is effectively the political role society) Fulcher and Scott (2011, p44). The establishment of society’s regulations/rules commence from the moment individuals become aware of their environment and learn the basic principles that will regulate theirown social lives and the values of the contemporary social structure’s beliefs and ideas.

The contemporary social structure encourages people to have goals in life such as obtaining education and a professional degree; have a family and working hard to have a better life style. However education depends on the quantity and quality of the resources that the family and school invest in thedevelopment of the younger generations, therefore the accomplishment of educational processes depends mostly on the pedagogy of work within key societal institutions. Both family and the school have these responsibilities, but there are other needs that are required by a child within a society for his./her development that only family members can provide. These needs are, for example, affection; tattention; instruction in primary moral values etc. When for diverse reasons a child in society loses a beloved mother, father, brothers or grandparents etc, this cannot easily be replaced through a bureaucratic State system. Family education is the first education for any individual in society, and the most fundamental education because it determines and directs all future modes of learning.

InSouth America the lower socio-economic families receive less scholarship offers for schools, compared to those in higher economic status groups. Also, the teachers reduce the expectancy in children’s learning capacity from deprived households. Everything tends to form a vicious circle of social and educational deprivation. This perpetuates that society’s contemporary social structures. InWestern countries, it is also found that the social structure is divided between a privileged group who financially support their own social reproduction and who can afford to send their children to elitist’s institutes of educational excellences (it is no surprise, therefore, that in the UK the Public Schools have produced more British Prime Ministers than any British State schools). The other groupswithin this social structure are less privilege i(due to a lack of financial wealth and power) and they cannot afford to send their children to high quality and more expensive schools.

As a minimum, equal opportunities are required in schools but this may confict with various educational political views. Whilst there are a minority of modern jobs that require a work force with differentcharacteristics such as good creativity; permanent learning capacity; and good communication skills etc, these jobs are occupied by people with traditional knowledge who received the old basic education. Potentially good curriculum content actualisation and good pedagogy strategies can have a constructive effect which at the same time provides better and equal opportunities for the less privileged...