Lesson 3: Social Change

Question 1

What is social change?

Answer 1

Sociologists define social change as changes in human interactions and relationships that transform cultural and social institutions. These changes occur over time and often have profound and long-term consequences for society.

• Snowball effect: A situation in which one action or event causes many other similar actions or events.
• As a society different viewpoints moving forward - eg immigrants not being job takers but actually broadening perspective and welcoming them?

Question 2

Examples of social change: Growth and Aging population:

Answer 2

Increases in life expectancy slowed after 2011 after decades of rises (79.9% for males, 83.6% for female in 2019)

After Covid pandemic there was a sharp fall in life expectancy (78.6 for males and 82.6 for females)

Race and class/ ethnicity all play a predominant factor in

The Office for National Statistics states:
“The population of the UK is projected to increase by 3.0 million (4.5%) in the first 10 years of the projections, from an estimated 66.4 million in mid 2018 to 69.4 million in mid 2028”
AND
There will be an increasing number of older people; the proportion aged 85 years and over is projected to almost double over the next 25 years.”

• Puts pressure on the younger generations as more of their tax may go to social care and it may rise due to the skew in population

Question 3

Population Projection

Answer 3

ONS states: That through giving ‘an indication of the future size and age structure of the population based on mid-year population estimates and a set of assumptions of future fertility, mortality and migration.’

It publishes national population projections on a national and regional level.

Question 4

Example 2: Childbirth and Families

Answer 4

Decrease in childbirth!!! : Mums in UK get older and fewer: Average age of mother at first birth: 1971: 23.7 2004: 27.1 2010: 29.5 2015: 30.3, 2019: 30.7

The total fertility rate (TFR) reached a record low in 2020, decreasing to 1.58 children per woman.

Better in terms of lack of population means there aren’t climate issues but for society???

Ethnic minorities and people who are gay/ trans etc (having more pregnancies) will be more likely to have not as good service (poor service for people like this when giving birth)

Womb donation… life changing/ “donor womb”- 90 carried out internationally

Question 5

Example 3: Climate Change

Answer 5

Increased greenhouse gases
Increased global temperatures
Above average precipitation and flooding
Environmental damage and ecosystem collapse
Food systems pressure
Forced migration
Fires
Increasing power of fossil fuel companies

IN THE UK:
Agriculture and food supply
Increased ‘weather events’
Risk of catastrophic disruption to global economic system
Strong economic reasons to drive for net zero
Strong health co-benefits to drive for net zero
- Where is the government going fund these flood barriers and who decides this?- expensive and political wedge issue
Also in more debt than the 2nd WW2- GDP same as debt

Question 6

Example 4: Sexual Orientation

Answer 6

For example….
The proportion of men in the UK identifying as LGB increased from 1.9% to 3.4% between 2014 and 2020; the proportion of women identifying as LGB has risen from 1.4% to 2.8% over the same period.

Question 7

Social change from a social perspective

Answer 7

• Change is a central theme in Sociology
• Social Change: Process of changes in the structure/ social order society
  -Sociologists and other social scientists study structure of changes in Society
  -How? By identifying directions, indicators and reasons for change
  -Sociological Interlude

Question 8

Indicators of Social Change

Answer 8

Change to modernity may have come about from the transatlantic slave movement and rise of technology and more global industrialisation and scientific enlightenment.

Shift from basing society off religion but more rational practices instead

Question 9

Functionalist perspectives of social change

Answer 9

Functionalism - Parsons:
Society complex web/structure of interlinked/connected functions
Consistent search for balance/equilibrium
Alternative views: Social Interactionism – Micro-perspective (Garfinkel etc)
Feminist theory (J. Scott, Judith Butler etc)
Intersectionality (K Crenshaw, bell hooks, P Hill-Collins, N Yuval-Davis etc
Is social change always positive? - AI EG: medical context getting better as its making progresses in technology Further modernisation, innovation, rationalisation of society?
BUT AI is also destroying several jobs

Question 10

Weber: Is social change always positive

Answer 10

• Feels ambivalent about change from pre-modern to modern society
• Critique of Modernisation of Society seen as a Rationalisation/ Bureaucratisation
• The ‘Iron Cage’ of Rationality

“Trapped by the system”- need to access learn when going to your lectures and need to use an app for your washing- the system traps you like an iron cage/ lack of creativity