Sociology Question final
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School
University of Nairobi**We aren't endorsed by this school
Course
SOCIOLOGY 100
Subject
Sociology
Date
Dec 19, 2024
Pages
9
Uploaded by MateUniverse26861
Surname 1Student’s nameTutor’s nameCourseDate Sociological Problems1. Practical human and societal problem Poverty is A real-life human or societal issue discussed in the course. This is because poverty is a social issue resulting in unfortunate occurrences we would not like to encounter. Thesocial structure entails how people organize themselves as a society. Secondly, it encompasses the ability to relate one group of people to the other. There is a generally expected correlation between poverty and crime rate, poor health, and poor education in society. Some arguments about the poverty scale and its effects will be presented as follows. 1. Global Poverty Statistics:Crossing the line, as of 2019, about 9.2 per cent of the world’s population lives below $2.15 per day, the World Bank line of international poverty (World Bank Group). Although poverty rates have declined worldwide in recent decades, the pandemic has eradicated all the achievements of the last few years and highlighted that now, more than 120 million people live in extreme poverty. It is further observed that South Asia & sub-Saharan Africa are the worst hit and contains nearly 40% of the world’s poorest needy population (World Bank Group).2. Health and Nutrition Disparities:
Surname 2There is a robust correlation between poverty, disease, and death. More than 5 million children below the age of 5 years die every year, and many of them die from conditions that could otherwise be prevented through the use of inexpensive interventions, for example, pneumonia, diarrhea and malaria, which prevail among poor households. That means more than 100 million children under fifteen suffer from malnutrition, and a staggering 60 million children under five are stunted and have cognitive limitations, leading to a cycle of poverty (Soremekun et al.). Due to the scarcity of clean water and poor sanitation in such regions, diseases such as cholera and dysentery occur, resulting in stressing already weak health systems.3. Educational Inequalities:Education is considered one of the key routes to escaping poverty, but half of children in developing nations do not attend school. According to UNESCO, over 244 million children and youth will no longer attend school classes worldwide in 2021 (Soremekun et al.). Because of poverty, families are more likely to consider the most critical needs than investment in future education. Gender differences in education are also apparent, and even girls in poor households are 2 times less likely to attend school than boys.4. Economic and Social Consequences:Poverty means being poor or having a low income, and it plays a contrary role in the economy because it diminishes people's contribution to the economy by lowering the individual, community and world production rates. For instance, the World Bank reveals that income disparity lowers the economic growth rate in a country. The inability to access resources makes
Surname 3communities poor and socially excluded, politically marginalized and discriminated against, thusworsening their status (Soremekun et al.).Conclusively, poverty is a problem that exists on all scales, affecting people, communities and society. Despite these improvements, new interventions, efforts, and even new approaches for poverty alleviation are required to end the poverty cycle and work towards an equitable and sustainable future.2. Pattern and Trends in immigration and K-12 and higher education. Over the years, especially recently, there has been a flood of people seeking education in the United States. It has dramatically impacted the education system, placing much pressure on many United States and international students (Kiramba). This interaction is with both K-12 students and higher education students. K- 12 is the instruction provision that allows immigrant families to enroll their children in twelve years of primary school. This sector has, however, had some trends in the past years available in the market. Free yields a chance for the immigrants, alongside their families provided by the United States government, to enhance their lives after being granted full membership in the U.S. community regardless of the country they are coming from. Immigrants who have undergone the education system have adopted American culture and citizenship (Kiramba). They get chances of getting both informal and formal employment, thanksto the education system. The Education sector has undergone quite a drastic change in terms of jobs and earnings, health, residential status, and legal status. Most immigrants, after schooling, blend into American society; they get employment and, therefore, better living standards. It also significantly impacts the residential sector since they have settled in the health sector. Those are the basic industries affected by immigration, K-12, and college education.
Surname 43. Governance Issues in Lesser-Developed Countries: Causes and ImpactsIt is essential to understand that governance in the LDCs has been wanting for many reasons ranging from historical injustices, weak institutional structures and structures and socio-economic inequalities. These challenges affect political stability, economic growth and socio-economic development. Several underlying historical and structural factors are evident in the problems affecting these nations' people.One major factor is historical colonialism, having shaped many LDCs with poorly developed institutional structures and borders that did not respect ethnicity in the least. Europeanimperialists exclusively exploited raw materials and should have paid more attention to building institutions that could suit the requirements of the newborn states. Consequently, several governments in LDCs seem incapable of promoting national unity or satisfactory administration (UNCTAD). Another major problem is the issue of economic dependence. This situation makes many LDCs' economies vulnerable, as they export mainly raw materials to other countries. This dependency makes the governments align themselves to the demands of the foreign creditors anddonors more than they focus on the needs of their people. Further, localized high incomes also contribute to the erosion of inclusive public institutions, which do not extend services or even representation to excluded groups (UNCTAD). Ethnic favoritism and patriarchal systems, for instance, escalate governance issues. They stand to protect their ethnic community and, as a result, exacerbate tensions and do not trust the ruling authorities. When it comes to accountability, due to illiteracy and the nonexistence of
Surname 5civility, the citizens are not in a position to control the government through checking corruption (UNCTAD). Three key governance issues arise from these structural problems:1. Corruption erodes the scarce resources required for health and education, increasing poverty and inequality. It offends the public, weakens the people's confidence in various institutions, and discourages investments.2. No rule of law creates political instability for want-to-be-developed judicial systems, which are often funded poorly, politically manipulated, or influenced. This leads to anarchy and lawlessness, and societies usually experience one form of demonstration.3. Inadequate service delivery causes over 60 million people to lack adequate access to water, healthcare, or education, especially in rural and marginalized regions.4. Two problems concerning disease and healthcare, Medical difficulties greatly influence life experiences and point to disparities in healthcare at home and worldwide. Two important topics discussed during the semester were the healthcare crisis and the unequal approaches to pandemics worldwide.1. Deficiency in Access to HealthcareHealthcare costs are high in the developed and developing world as well. For example, inthe United States, medical debts lead to about 66.5% of all bankruptcies (Coombs et al.). Globally, tens of millions of the world's impoverished citizens have little or no access to
Surname 6healthcare services; illnesses go untreated, and death can occur needlessly. Ailments such as diabetes are not well managed; thus, they lead to complications or death.This aspect dramatically determines the subjects' life prospects. But when there is an expensive healthcare facility then, people die from various illnesses, their quality of life reduces, and productivity decreases. Some people regard these barriers as unfair and or should call for policy changes. Grassroots organizations and NGOs try to solve this by providing services at a discount and lobbying the government for health care reforms worldwide.2. Some nations' inequitable approaches to combating global pandemicsThe COVID-19 pandemic showed the state of the healthcare system in different regions of the world (Arsenault). The developed countries purchased most vaccine stock and medical equipment, leaving the poor nations to struggle for such products. This situation postponed the end of the pandemic and caused more deaths within the communities that lack appropriate accessto healthcare systems. Families in the developing countries received blows of losing their children, parents, and primary breadwinners in the society, which created cyclical poverty for generations (Arsenault 1319). The unequal response was regarded as a representation of global disparities by people within the impacted areas. Instead, their champions backed programs such as "COVAX" that sought to promote equitable vaccine access. Similar local and international campaigns to waive patents so poorer nations could manufacture the vaccines domestically were also afloat.These both – healthcare costs and unequal pandemic management – point to two structures that deepen the precarity of health disparities and poverty. People facing these difficulties adapt and fight to create a better environment in the healthcare area for everyone.
Surname 75. Trends in poverty and inequality in the U.S.The United States has seen poverty levels decrease across the last fifty years through the efforts of state Medicaid, food stamps (SNAP), and housing subsidies. However, it increased income inequality, where the top percentile has a more significant income than before, and the wages of low and middle-income workers have been reciprocated. The poverty level continues tobe more prevalent in rural areas, and the majority of the poor households are Black, Latino, and Native American, as well as single-headed households (O'hare 12). Globally, extreme poverty has decreased significantly due to economic growth in countries such as China and India. Nevertheless, many Sub-Saharan African countries still face challenges such as conflict, a weak infrastructure, and climate change. Also, similar to the situation in the U.S., income disparity within many nations has increased.The Dissecting Poverty in the United States: Identification of Key Poverty DeterminantsIn the last half a century, four forces have concurrently defined poverty dynamics in the United States. The United States experienced de-industrialization and globalization, which saw fewer well-paying manufacturing jobs, mostly in industrial-dependent industries. Solutions – more advanced policies, for instance, reduction of union power, adjustment of minimum wages, and favorable tax systems for the rich, have added to the list of income distribution gaps. The increased cost of houses has placed many families under unbearable bills to meet living expenseswithout any savings; social injustice like discrimination against people of color preserves povertyamong such vulnerable people (O'hare). This claim is just as much a part of the reality as ever, given the high costs of the healthcare industry and the increasingly uncertain financial situation of average families who do not have good health insurance.
Surname 8Conditions Resulting from ImpoverishmentPoverty has severe social consequences regarding dwelling quality, rhythm, and span. First, the impact that homelessness has on children is Eugenia: First, it would be housing insecurity, where families are forced to live in small and poor quality accommodation or risk being homeless. Globally, poor people live in slums or inadequate housing areas most of the time. Second, poverty leads to educational exclusions and poor education. Yet, children in low-income families are unable to fund their school fees and (are cut off] from buying food for their schools due to poor sponsorship of schools, thus leading to increased inter-generation poverty. Third, health inequalities still strongly persist because lack of access to medical services results in increased instances of chronic diseases and decreased life span. Poor nutrition and diseases that could otherwise be prevented are famous in poor regions worldwide. Last but not least, poverty leads to limited credit, dependable incomes and quality jobs, and a lack of escape from the poverty ladder, effectively condemning families to suffer.Poverty reduction requires policy reforms and specific measures to enhance access to fair opportunities and economic development.
Surname 9Works CitedArsenault, Catherine et al. “COVID-19 and resilience of healthcare systems in ten countries.” Nature Medicine vol. 28,6 (2022): 1314-1324. doi:10.1038/s41591-022-01750-1Coombs, Nicholas C et al. “Barriers to healthcare access among U.S. adults with mental health challenges: A population-based study.” SSM - population health vol. 15 100847. 15 Jun. 2021, doi:10.1016/j.ssmph.2021.100847Kiramba, Lydiah. “Immigrant youth educational experiences in U.S. schools.” Proceedings of the 2023 AERA Annual Meeting, 2023, https://doi.org/10.3102/2009769. O'hare, WP. "Poverty in America: trends and new patterns." Population Bulletin vol. 40,3 (1985): 1-44.Soremekun, Seyi, et al. "Improving outcomes for children with malaria, diarrhoea and pneumonia in Mozambique: A cluster randomized controlled trial of the inSCALE Technology Innovation." PLOS Digital Health, vol. 2, no. 6, 12 June 2023, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0000235. UNCTAD. Four Key Challenges Facing Least Developed Countries | Unctad, 4 Apr. 2022, unctad.org/news/four-key-challenges-facing-least-developed-countries. World Bank Group. “Poverty.” Poverty: Development News, Research, Data, 25 Nov. 2024, www.worldbank.org/en/topic/poverty.