Sociology 1 essay - Grade: A PDF

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3 key themes of class essay...

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Page !1 of !4 Holland Ackerman Dr. Romo Sociology 1 May 1, 2019 Sociological Imagination Essay The study of sociology analyzes the ways in which intersectionality, culture, and society as a whole form identities. Every human being on Earth has a set of values, beliefs, and understandings of the world around them based on many different intersecting factors. These factors all blend together to create a sense of self and a sense of society. For example, some of these social constructs include race, class, gender, socialization, etc. Many theorists have studied endlessly to understand society under these contexts. For instance, Karl Marx thought that all of society’s norms and changes were caused by economic influences. Out of his teachings, conflict theory was born, the study of society based on power structures and struggles. Out of all of the theories, I most identify with this one’s analysis. The social structure of the world is hard to critically analyze, which is why so many scientists have worked their whole lives trying to decipher its roots. Through critical analysis of the intersecting factors that have most influenced my life: gender, race, and class, I will evaluate the impact of social forces and structures on my own identity. Gender is a social construct created thousands of years ago to differentiate the male and female species. Immediately after birth, humans are labeled according to their sexual organs. Throughout history, sex and gender have been blended together as one characterization, not determined based on psychological aspects. Personally, my gender and my sex are correlated. I

Page !2 of !4 was born a female, and I strongly identify as one. My life has been greatly impacted by my gender in terms of opportunities, labels, norms, and roles that I have had to play. I will say that growing up, my gender never caused a lack or absence of opportunities in my life. I have always wanted to be a business woman since the age of 5. Of course I dressed up as princesses, but more often than not I dressed up as a business woman instead. I went to business meetings with my father, I started investing in 3rd grade, and I have been making sales since before I can remember. I only realized that being a woman affected my life differently than if I were a man when I started high school. I would say that the most obvious form of gender discrimination in my experience is not being taken seriously in my more recent business endeavors. The expectations that society places on me are grossly underwhelming. After all, my mother was a stay at home mom for the majority of my life. I have always been able to fall back on marriage, which speaks to society’s view of women. This illustrates the inequalities between men and women in terms of economic independence. My family has always been supportive of all of my ventures, in life and in business; however, many older people with whom I have encountered have been dismissive. I find this especially in terms of my major: gender studies. Now that I am studying women who’s circumstances are not as great as mine, I feel the need to help them. I am also now incredibly grateful for the hand I’ve been played in this lifetime. The support, education, opportunities, and guidance, in terms of my gender, have greatly impacted my identity. These resources that I have easily obtained, are significantly impacted by my class. My family teeters between upper middle and upper class. Economic stability and clear class identification has caused a lot of chaos in my life, believe it or not. People do not think that

Page !3 of !4 Upper middle class people have financial stress. In fact, being upper middle class is extremely difficult in regard to American society and its values. Of course we have money for expensive dinners, traveling, a second home, and a quality education, however the balance between having money and having none is a very thin line. My father has always told me, “the difference between being poor and being broke, is that people who are broke have no money at the moment, but they do have the opportunity to make more. People who are poor are stuck in a vicious cycle of lost opportunity.” What people don’t speak about in regard to Upper middle class families is that we make too much money to get any aid, but not enough to not have to worry about it. I’m going to college and am able to live comfortably, however it's a close call. Now add my sister’s private school education and future college education to the equation. Then there’s private health care, alimony payments, car payments, taxes, and the list keeps going. Honestly, I’m not sure how my after does it. There is often times a deficit in our expenditures and breaking even is almost always the default. An important aspect of the American economic system, is that when your income goes up, so do your expenses. I will say though, that the networks I have around me are incredibly powerful. My grandparents are very well connected and so are my parents. We go to the beach club, country club, lake house, etc. and we know everyone else who does the same. This helps with jobs, relationships, and references that I otherwise would not have access to. This also extends to the the level of education in the community. Every single person in my entire life has gone to college, no questions asked. It has never even occurred to me that some people don’t go to college and it was never an option in my family. My father went to Cornell, which was normal. In fact, going to a community college was looked at as disgraceful until I attended.

Page !4 of !4 Overall, class as a sociological context has affected me the most in terms of my belief system and my identity. The third sociological factor in which I have been greatly impacted by is my race: Caucasian. I grew up in a small affluent town outside of Greenwich, CT. There was virtually no diversity in regards to race or class. I had one Black boy in my class who happened to be the star athlete. Similarly to my gender, my race was never acknowledged as an asset (nor disadvantage) until I went to college. I only started learning about White Privilege in my women studies class. Now, I understand how race as a social construct in society has determined my standing in the world. I have not been seen as a threat nor juvenile delinquent despite having committed minor crimes. Although I have never escalated to secondary deviance, some crimes would most likely be prosecutable if I were not white and my circumstances different. People treat me differently, give me the benefit of the doubt, and society’s norms have overall been excusatory based on my race. In summation, my gender, class, and race have all sociologically impacted my identity. My upbringing in regard to these factors has set me up for success in my future. Upon further analysis of my circumstances, I see the intersectional advantages given to me under these three contexts....