Positions in Society
Sociology in a Global Perspective
Robert Alldridge
Professor Robinson
September 20th, 2014
The two people I have interviewed about their position in society are from complete opposites of the spectrum when it comes to class status, although for this assignment I did choose to women of the same race. The first person I interviewed is a woman who is a single mother and has a lower paying job which makes day to day life a struggle, the other is a single woman who has never been married and has no children, and is successful in a higher paying job. The one lady that is of a lower income I am going to refer to as interviewee 1, while the second whom has a higher income will be interviewee 2.
The role that gender, class and race has played for interviewee 1, is interesting, by allowing herself to be classified and even embracing the title of single parent she has found a way to use the system society has in place to assist those of that stature. She takes the role of victim in most circumstances and uses that role to aid in her development. Also by allowing these titles to define her she creates a lack of opportunity to grow, she thinks that this is it and there is not much more to look forward to. It sounds depressing but in this state of hopelessness there is a happiness it seems, for she has reached all the goals she has set before her.
For interviewee 2, it couldn’t be more opposite, there is a fundamental lack of the victim title being used and she has made, and continues to make strides in her self-development. By doing this she is going against the old societal norms of what a woman’s definition in society is. She continues to set goals and create more opportunities for herself through education and employment. The roles of gender and race seem not to apply in the traditional sense, and class is something that can be raised with a fraction of knowledge and commitment. By taking this view and stance on how society sees her she has created more opportunities for advancement.
Both interviewee’s have used society to make gains in their lives so far, I think the only difference is how they have used the tools given to them. One may look more productive than the other but from a social view they both are creating a future for what society will become, and in that view neither can be look at as a negative.
