Increasing amount of discoveries and the knowledge among people are giving rise to new technology. Large amount of money is being transferred overseas, to different countries to develop the society. However, warnings about future social problems are increasing every day. The Government seems to be working on varied issues, yet there is no result. The rising cost of living is posing a great challenge for the middle class and creating a rather difficult situation for individuals and families. The future is ready to make individuals face a number of consequences with the happenings taking place, today.
Aging
The increasing amount of deadly diseases makes it hard for the elderly to survive. While some individuals can tackle situations and perform their daily chores, most of them need help from care takers to work smoothly. The elderly have limited resources to cater their needs. With a large number of health conditions and use of medication, they are weaker than the other individuals in the society. Aging does play a vital role in society as most elder people need some form of help to complete their tasks. This ill health and lack of resources can lead to social problems.
Decline of Middle Class
Increase in cost of living is already posing a huge challenge to the middle class to meet their daily needs. Since the recession there is a decline of the middle class, with their wages failing to keep up with the cost of living. The households that once functioned normally will have to face social and financial unevenness. The household expenses and prices of consumer goods prevent them from enjoying a middle-class life. Instead of upward mobility, the middle class will experience downward mobility.
"If the middle class becomes a zone of turbulence and transition, then the social conflicts will be exacerbated. Modern societies need areas of reassurance, satisfaction and self-selected time-outs" (Voger 2011)
A gigantic barrier is created between price and the function of education, energy, insurance and housing. The notion of a safe and stable home will vanish preventing the middle class from a fair pay, child education and health care. The middle class today is unable to meet their daily needs and match up to the societal demands.
Population Growth
Population growth is one of the main social problems. Every year the numbers of human beings multiply, whereas the natural resources remain finite, making it impossible to improve the quality of human life. Mass poverty is increasing rapidly with population leading to contraction of knowledge. Lack of resources, education, security and living standards will become a major hazard. Only the improvement in health, education, and nutrition will help individuals control the amount of resources available.
Scarcity of resources and human inequality are the major problems that will arise by population growth. Size of the family can also lead to decline of the middle class.
The intensification and production of agriculture and other resources helped to cope up with the population rise in the past years. International trade of food and migration also helped to stabilize the situation. "Migration plays a major role in the complex (and unclear) process of change in the international political order we are experiencing now. It impacts states and regions, their societies, economies, and polities" (Castles, Miller, and Ammendola 2005).
The massive increase in population cannot be handled easily in future. Artificial means of producing food may help to bring balance between the population and food production, but it cannot solve the crisis. Preventing population rise in some way or the other is the only means to escape the social problems.
Leaving no scope for development in anyway, population growth will prove to be extremely harmful. It may take a few generations to restore the balance between population and resources. Farmers have already begun their hard work to meet the needs of the society. If the population keeps increasing, social and economic problems will worsen. The strained amount of sources will give a greater chance for poverty and disease to creep in.
Race, Gender and Class
Race, gender and class create different kinds of contexts for the family and society. They organize the society with varied social opportunities. Aging, decline of the middle class and population growth are strongly affected by these groups. Social resources and other opportunities are distributed differently to each individual depending on the race, gender and class they belong to. These are interrelated systems of inequality.
Differences in income, lifestyle, culture, class privileges and family separate one group of individuals in a society from the others. Whether it is population growth, aging or middle class declination, class plays a major role in catering to the needs of people. It has a great impact on the Government which results in each individual receiving a different form of preference.
Gender also acts as an organizing group through which the society can differentiate individuals. Allocating social rewards, assigning roles and dividing labor are done by using gender as the base. Denying equality among men and women, the gender system treats individuals differently. Aging, population growth and decline of the middle class are based on these criteria. Each individual will receive a different treatment. Naturally separating men and women to perform distinctive roles, family itself is a gendered institution.
Race is the most important social difference found in the world today. Racial categories like American, Indian, Chinese, Asian and others are strongly considered in the society. Depending on the race, individuals are given respect in the society. Hence, race plays a major role in the enhancing the social problems.
Political Economic Issues
Politics can help to improve the social problems. Each of the areas mentioned above are interrelated. Laws can be implemented to enhance social security. Improvisation in vaccinations to prevent diseases from affecting individuals, provision of food and job training to improve the lives of the middle class, and other such helpful steps can be taken with the help of political factors. Though voters vote for politicians, it is ultimately in the politician’s hand to do the needful. Political factors have total control over people and with a thoughtful rule; life can be changed in better ways. Government also seems to have weakened by the rule of politicians.
There are many problems that can arise by the negligence of the Government and Politicians. With the right vision to secure the society, miracles can be performed. If the disturbances keep increasing, the future can be destroyed. The best way to secure the future and prevent further mishaps is to use the resources carefully.
"New material is to be found throughout, such as extended treatment of family and household diversity, the effects of new media technologies, power, citizenship, political participation and protest, the dimensions and extent of social inequality, and the links between sociology, social problems and social policy making in a range of contexts" (Ken Brown 2011).
Works Cited
Ken Brown. An Introduction to Sociology, 4th Edition: Polity, March 2011. Print.
Political Science and Sociology Department. Political Economy and Social Movements,
2013. Web. 18 Dec 2013.
Stephen Castles , Mark J. Miller, Giuseppe Ammendola. "The Age of Migration" International Population Movements in the Modern World: 2003: Issue 6.Web. 9th August.
2006.
UN Documents. “Towards Sustainable Development” Gathering a Body of Global
Agreement (2000): Chapter 2.Web. 18 Dec. 2013.
United Nations publication “Population Challenges and Development Goals” Economic and
Social Goals (2005). Web. 18 Dec. 2013.
Vogel, Berthold, Dr. "Social Matters in Germany." Is the Middle Class Really Eroding? Goethe-Institut, Feb. 2011. Web. 18 Dec. 2013.
