Education as a Social Problem
By: Alicia Hernandez-Godoy
Sociological Perspective & Social Construction
Education as a Social Construct
A social problem is defined by the text as “a social condition or pattern of behavior that has negative consequences for individuals, our social world, or our physical world” (section 1.2). The theoretical perspective most likely to identify how education is a social problem is Functionalism. Functionalism is described as the functions between society that are needed for it to run and work properly. Best described by the text as institutions that perform important functions to help ensure social stability (Figure 2.13.) Education is a social construct because it is a system within society that allows for its growth and function, while coexisting perfectly with other systems in society. Through the lens of a functionalist theorist they would describe our current issue with the education system as an important function that might be necessary for its stability, while advocating for gradual social change instead of immediate dramatic changes that can affect not only the the function of the educational system but society as a whole.
Historical and Contemporary Influences
Social Construction
The unequal distribution of power across social and political institutions like education resulted from discrimination between class, race, gender, etc. Education has always been used as a tool to separate groups of people not only between social class but other types of identify like gender and race. In our history we’ve seen education only accessible to boys or students who came from wealthy families and can afford to do something with learning how to read, write, do math, etc. There was always the stigma that boys were better at math and science than girls till recently it has been proved girls are just as capable if not smarter then boys. Many of those fields today still lack representation of both women and people of color. An example of inequality resulting from education is the pay gap between genders. For example, the pay gap in 2023 showed that for every dollar a man was making a women would only receive 77 cents. With power comes influence and control, if the majority are white males on top of every social hierarchy, how are we supposed to progress?
Education Across America
How is education shaped by inequality and discrimination?
Sociologist Sociologists define education as a social institution through which a society’s children are taught basic academic knowledge, learning skills, and cultural norms.
Sociologist define education as “a social institution through which a society’s children are taught basic knowledge, learning skills, and cultural norms” (section 3.2). Education becomes a social issue when not everyone has the access to a fair and proper education. Taking into consideration class, race, and gender alone there are an endless amount of circumstances that can arise from different types of inequalities being lived or experiences that affects ones ability to do well academically.
How Education played a Role in my Life
Why Education
My interest in this topic came from the experience of being a first-generation college student and seeing education as as privilege. I’ve always seen education as an opportunity and coming from a family of immigrant parents it was taught to me that education was my only way to overcome my circumstances and achieve something that was greater than myself. Being a minority and seeing my parents work multiple jobs just to get by, I saw the disadvantages of not having a college education or benefits of a career. I am interested in learning more about how education affects people similar to me and the challenges they needed to overcome or actions we can take to make education more inclusive and achievable for everybody no matter your background.