Principles of sociology - University of London International ...

21 Principles of sociology
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Let’s take nationality first. You too may have put down your nationality. This
is because, for many people, their nationality is still an important statement
of their social identity. To say I am Malaysian, Indian, Singaporean or British
is to say much more than I live in a particular region of the world. Most
nation states, or countries, not only have their own language, government
and laws, they also have their own traditions, customs and generally
accepted ways of behaving. Sociologists refer to these as norms. Many
of these norms vary over time within a particular country and also vary
between countries. For example, smoking in public places or consuming
alcohol are legal in some countries but illegal in others. These cultural
norms have an important influence on us. They affect how we behave, how
we view the behaviour of others and how we ‘see’ the world.
However, although nationality is a very clear and unambiguous source
of identity for some people, it’s not the same for others. Many countries
are increasingly comprised of different ethnic groups. By an ethnic group,
sociologists mean a social group that has certain common characteristics,
such as a shared culture, history, language, customs and institutions. For
many people their ethnicity may be an equally, or more, important source
of identity than their national identity. Describing herself as British and
Afro-Caribbean suggests that, for Julie, both her nationality and ethnicity
are important sources of identity, as they are for many people. However,
whether a person identifies primarily with a nation or with an ethnic
group, or with a combination of the two, the same sociological ideas
apply. Nationality and ethnicity confer identities on people that influence
their relationships, values and behaviour. (See Chapter 10 on ‘Race’ and
ethnicity for a further discussion on this point.)
Like Julie, you probably put down your gender as one of the most
important ways of describing yourself. Although gender may appear to be
purely biological, as we are simply born either male or female, sociologists
have shown that gender has important social dimensions. Social and
ethnic groups tend to place different expectations on males and females
and this then shapes the subsequent behaviour of boys and girls and
men and women. For example, in most cultures, boys are expected to be
‘tough’ and ‘masculine’, and boisterous and aggressive behaviour is usually
tolerated more in boys than in girls, whereas girls are usually expected to
be more mature, show a better standard of behaviour and help around the
house more. Thus, for sociologists, gender is not just a biological category.
It is also social. We don’t just become men or women. In important
respects we learn to be men or women through social interaction.
Activity 1.7 Gender differences
Stop and think about this last example for a minute and write down five ways that you
think your life would be different if you had been born male rather than female, or female
rather than male.
Which of these differences do you think are primarily due to biological causes (for
example, men are physically stronger, women bear children) and which of them do you
think are due to the way in which your society is organised (for example its cultural
values, availability of employment opportunities, access to public places).
Social roles
Like Julie, you may also have put down some of the things you do. In
answers 4–7 she has told us about her occupation, that she is a student
and that she is a wife and a mother. These are also common everyday
words, but they have also have specific social expectations attached to