Social Institutions

Social needs

Explanation: Social institutions refers to the whole of roles, status, moral values, and functions catering to the social needs of humans. It has organized beliefs, practices and activity systems. It is the socially approved social structure that is devised to fulfill the desires of humans.

Social institutions fulfill the social needs of human beings.

Social

Family is a social institution. It has organized beliefs, practices and activity systems.

Medium

Social institutions are medium of cultural transfer. Social institutions refers to the whole of roles, status, moral values, and functions catering to the social needs of humans.

Spread

Religion aids in the spread of values.

Social institutions refers to the whole of roles, status, moral values, and functions catering to the social needs of humans. It has organized beliefs, practices and activity systems. It is the socially approved social structure that is devised to fulfill the desires of humans.

According to Summer and Keller, “Like living beings that have organs and cells, societies also have customs and institutions. A social institution is a permanent structure that fulfills the desires of human beings”.

According to Maciver and Page, “Social Institutions are the structure devised to fulfill the desires of a particular social group”

The different examples of social institutions are state, family, and marriage.

Family is an important social institution that exists in all societies. It fulfills the needs of humans. The different functions of the family are:

a. Nourishment of the members: The family assigns a relationship to its members. The members function according to their roles. The main role of the family is to nourish its members. The grandparents take care of the children until they become grownups. Family takes care of the sick member or the weak elderly member.

b. Security and Socialisation : The family educates the children about interacting with society by socialisation. It provides skills and nourishment which are necessary for the younger members to become a part of the society as adults. It also provides social security to the members.

Social institutions refers to the whole of roles, status, moral values, functions catering to the social needs of the humans. The different examples of social institutions are state, family and marriage.

The different features of social institutions are:

a. Basic needs: Social institutions fulfill basic needs such as food, shelter, protection and personality development. Different social institutions work together to fulfill the needs of humans.

b. Interconnected Relationship: Social institutions are interconnected. In a traditional society, the role of the upbringing a child was taken care of by the family but now in the modern world, the school shares this responsibility. Children from different families with diverse backgrounds come together.

c. Rules : The members of different social institutions have to follow the rules. Those who violate these rules are not allowed to participate. In families, the roles of elder and younger ones are fixed as per the rules framed by individual families.

d. Written and unwritten rules: Social institutions have both written and unwritten rules. The written rules include courts, governments and schools. The unwritten rules include customs, traditions, and value system.

e. Universal: Social institutions exist in all societies irrespective of time, and space. Family, marriage and school have been part of the human societies with necessary changes.

Social institutions refers to the whole of roles, status, moral values, functions catering to the social needs of humans. It has beliefs, practices and activity systems. It is the socially approved social structure that is devised to fulfil the desires of humans.

The different types of social institutions are :

a. Family: Family is an important social institution that exists in all societies. It fulfils the needs of humans. It helps in the nourishment of its members. It provides skills and nourishment which are necessary for the younger members to become a part of the society as adults. It also provides social security to the members.

b. Religion: Religion is an important social institution that grew along with the civilization of humans. The different functions of religions are the protection of values, socialization, social control, and social unity.

c. Marriage : : Marriage is an important social institution. It provides social sanction for a man and woman to live together. It allows them to stay together and follow a life of religious, economic and cultural values. It has undergone various changes. Marriage is the base of the family. The procreation of children, their upbringing, and nourishment take place within the family. It directs other relationships in the family and creates unity. It brings people together from a diverse social background. The child born to this marriage is the legal heir of the property of both the families. The continuity of the society is ensured through marriage and family. The relationship is guided by the law of the land also.

Social institutions are a system of behavioral and relationship patterns that are densely interwoven and enduring, and function across an entire society. Without social institutions, modern societies could not exist. The measure relationship between the Social institution and society is that the Social Institutions are run by the people of a Society for the people of same or other society.

Religion is an important social institution that grew along with the civilization of humans. The different functions of religions are:

a. Protection of values: Religion helps in the preservation of values like honesty, truth, and nonviolence. These values are supported by all the religious. All of them instruct values in the life of humans.

b. Socialization: Religion is one of the main mediums of socialization. It helps in the spread of values like truth, patience, nonviolence, peace, and sacrifice.

c. Social control: Religion helps to achieve social control. It controls the life of a human by God and spiritual concepts. It helps the members to be disciplined and civilized.

d. Social Unity: Religion helps to promote the value of social Unity. Some of the religious values that promote social unity are truth, honesty, and non-violence. Religion helps to create Unity among the members by employing symbols and customs.

Family is an important social institution that exists in all societies. It fulfils the needs of humans. The different functions of the family are:

a. Nourishment of the members : The family assigns a relationship to its members. The members function according to their roles. The main role of the family is to nourish its members. The grandparents take care of the children until they become grownups. Family takes care of the sick member or the weak elderly member.

b. Security and Socialisation : The family educates the children about interacting with society by socialisation. It provides skills and nourishment which are necessary for the younger members to become a part of the society as adults. It also provides social security to the members.

Marriage is an important social institution. It has three major functions:

a. Social sanction: Marriage provides social sanction for a man and woman to live together. Marriage provides entry to family life. It allows them to stay together and follow a life of religious, economic and cultural values. It has undergone various changes.

b. The base of the family: Marriage is the base of the family. The procreation of children, their upbringing, and nourishment take place within the family. It directs other relationships in the family and creates unity. It brings people together from a diverse social background.

c. Legal sanctity in a relationship: Marriage is a relationship between a man and a woman as well as between their respective families. The child born to this marriage is the legal heir of the property of both the families. The continuity of the society is ensured through marriage and family. The relationship is guided by the law of the land also.

MARRIAGE

FAMILY

Social institutions refers to the whole of roles, status, moral values, functions catering to the social needs of humans. It has organized beliefs, practices and activity systems. It is the socially approved social structure that is devised to fulfil the desires of humans.

The different functions of social institutions are:

A. : Religion is an important social institution that grew along with the civilization of humans. The different functions of religions are:

a. Protection of values: Religion helps in the preservation of values like honesty, truth, and nonviolence. These values are supported by all the religious. All of them instruct values in the life of humans.

b. Socialization: Religion is one of the main mediums of socialization. It helps in the spread of values like truth, patience, nonviolence, peace, and sacrifice.

c. Social control: Religion helps to achieve social control. It controls the life of a human by God and spiritual concepts. It helps the members to be disciplined and civilized.

d. Social Unity: Religion helps to promote the value of social Unity. Some of the religious values that promote social unity are truth, honesty, and non-violence. Religion helps to create Unity among the members by employing symbols and customs.

B. Marriage is an important social institution. It has three major functions:

a. Social sanction: Marriage provides social sanction for a man and woman to live together. Marriage provides entry to family life. It allows them to stay together and follow a life of religious, economic and cultural values. It has undergone various changes.

b. The base of the family: Marriage is the base of the family. The procreation of children, their upbringing, and nourishment take place within the family. It directs other relationships in the family and creates unity. It brings people together from a diverse social background.

c. Legal sanctity in a relationship: Marriage is a relationship between a man and a woman as well as between their respective families. The child born to this marriage is the legal heir of the property of both the families. The continuity of the society is ensured through marriage and family. The relationship is guided by the law of the land also.

C. Family is an important social institution that exists in all societies. It fulfils the needs of humans. The different functions of the family are:

a.. Nourishment of the members : The family assigns a relationship to its members. The members function according to their roles. The main role of the family is to nourish its members. The grandparents take care of the children until they become grownups. Family takes care of the sick member or the weak elderly member.

b. Security and Socialisation : The family educates the children about interacting with society by socialisation. It provides skills and nourishment which are necessary for the younger members to become a part of the society as adults. It also provides social security to the members

Social Institutions are the structure devised to fulfil the desires of a particular social group. The importance of social institutions are:

1. The medium of Culture: Social institution is the medium of transfer cultural aspects like knowledge, customs, values, and others from generation to generation. They are important for social life.

2. Fulfil the needs of the members: Social institutions fulfil the basic needs of human beings and help to regulate their behaviour.

3. Define and regulate the behavior of members: They prescribe and define good and bad behaviors. For example, schools define our way of dressing and other behaviors. It corrects our bad behaviour by various means like punishment, reprimands, and rustication. If the desired correction is not achieved, then the school resorts to legal course of action.

4. Roles to individuals: The social institutions assign a role to their members based on their age and other yardsticks. Family assigns relationships based on age. Similarly, social institutions assign a role to members by defining their relationships.

IChild marriage refers to the formal marriage of two individuals before they have attained the prescribed eligible age. The children are extremely immature to take such big life decisions. In this way it is a form of forced marriage. Although, it is for both the boys and girl, the marriage of girls is more as compared to boys.

UNI-CEF has prescribed the minimum age of children to get married like 18 years. In most of the countries the legal marriage age is 18 but the cultural traditions take priority over the law.

Causes of child marriage:

1. Poverty: Child marriage is common in the relatively poorer household. The elders of the family marry off the daughter to reduce the economic burden. It is also said that less dowry is expected for the younger brides.

2. Education: Many families believe that the productive capacity of a girl is very low. They are not willing to spend an adequate amount of money on the education of the daughter. Educating their son is a symbol of taking care of the parents in old age.

3. Household labour: Girls are married off at a young age because they are deemed to be extremely productive to take care of the household and the family.

4. Traditional customs: In some castes, and areas, it is the general tradition to marry off the girl child at a young age.

5. External environment: Some girls are married off early due to the fear of the corrupted external environment.

The ill effects of child marriage :

1. The girls are forced to live a life dedicated to the household work. They are forced with a lot of laborious work of the family.

2. Girls do not get proper education due to patriarchal and gender inequality.

3. It creates a sense of insecurity among them.

4. Most of the child brides are at a greater risk of physical violence within their marital home.

5. Child marriage is an abuse of human rights.

6. It has negative long term mental consequences for the children.

How to increase awareness among child marriage?

1. Children should be made aware of human rights and must be taught to speak up against such incidents.

2. Media can play a positive role in awareness.

3. Short films and plays can be shown to the people and the moral behind them should be explained

4. Schools should be set up in all the areas and the parents should be encouraged to send their children to school

Child marriages have been declining but at a very slow rate of one person per year. NGOs and government organisations have joined hands to eradicate this practice.