Society, families and individuals

1. SOCIAL, FAMILIES AND INDIVIDUALS SOCIETY - People are social beings and live together in organised groups or societies.

- A society is a community of people who live together in the same territory and have cultural, economic, political and personal ties.

- All human societies are regulated by customs, beliefs and laws which are different from one society to another: 1.

Political life: - All the public debates, rules and institutions that establish how a society is organised.

2. Economic organisation: - It is the way to supply people ‘s material needs.

3. Culture and values: - These reveal what people consider to be really important.

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THE FAMILY This is the basic unit in all human societies.

It is based on kinship, or how people are related to each other.

The family has many functions, providing its members with company, moral support and practical assistance.

In patriarcal family: - Men exercise authority - This was the standard type of family in Western society until the 19 th century and 20 th centuries.

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In modern developed societies: - Men and women share similar responsibilities in the family.

- Traditional nuclear families consist of two parents and children.

- In traditional extended families, other family members (like grandparents and cousins) also live in he same household.

- Non-traditional families are widespread today: -

Separated or divorced people live with new partners.

In single-parent families, one adult raises children alone.

Families in hich both partners belong to the same sex.

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SOCIAL STRATIFICATION

Social stratification shows how people belong to different levels of society according to their background and economic resources.

A social class is made up of people who share a similar income level and lifestyle.

In the Middle Ages and Early Modern Period, people were born into an estate. Their social position stayed the same during their whole lifetime.

Today social class is determined by wealth: 1.

Upper class: The richest people who have inherited wealth, own companies, or earn very high salaries.

Small minority of the population belong to this class.

2.

Middle class: upper-middle class: highly qualified professionals who earn high incomes.

Lower.middle class: less well paid people, like office workers or shop assistants.

3.

Lower class: It includes manual workers who have few qualifications and low incomes.

Long-term uneployment people * Moreover to a person’s wealth, their background is also important (welthy rock musician or footballer is no always considered upper class)