Introduction
Culture refers to every group’s shared practices, values, social rules, and beliefs. Culture impacts the lives of groups, from routine interactions to more essential aspects of the groups’ lives. Sociologists frequently study culture using the sociological imagination. A pioneering sociologist C. Wright Mills describes sociological imagination in a few ways. It is the ability to understand how your past relates to that of other people and history in general, understanding other people’s perspectives by placing oneself in their shoes and societal pressure. For instance, before the early 2000’s it may have been seen as acceptable to discipline a child for misbehaving, but today, it may be seen as a sign of child abuse.
Personal Explanation
The personal topic that I would like to explore using the sociological imagination is the single-parent system and adoption. I am currently single and do not have any children, and I am coming to the point at my age where my options to have a family would either be married into one or adoption. I plan to use conflict theory to analyze the societal view on the situation and also be able to use intelligence when exploring and adopting my ideas. Using C. Mills’ concepts, I will be able to understand what to expect and therefore be ready to face the situation in the future.
Sociological Imagination
The American sociologist Charles Mills believes that to comprehend certain sociocultural happenings and realities, people’s behavior and attitudes toward them, a sociologist ought to understand the social reality of the society and its people “to realize the classic values that underlie the promise of our studies.” By perceiving things from the perspective of society rather than an individual, according to Mills, we should embrace sociological imagination (Seeger & Davison-Vecchione, 2019). They must do this not only to report what they see to be fact but also to report reality as an intellectual thinker. According to Mills, social life aspects that have the power to affect people’s values, behaviors, and characters are a crucial part of the sociological imagination theory. To apply reason to human problems, sociology must play an important role. To play this function, an intelligent scientist must focus on the social aspect of humanity, look for what matters, and maintain a critical stance toward the “bureaucratization of reason and discourse.” An intellectual and objective mindset known as social imagination enables one to comprehend social systems and human behavior. As a result, sociological imagination refers to the capacity of researchers to divert attention from their daily experiences, the capacity to perceive behind the abstract concepts of particular individuals with their interests and values, and the capacity to comprehend the significance of a society’s functioning and its development (Seeger & Davison-Vecchione, 2019). It involves realizing the social structures and modes of behavior that differ from their view. To put it in another way, intelligent scientists ought to be able to immerse themselves in the general population to understand what it is like to live in it as a member of the general population and to perceive reality as precisely as possible.
Data/Stats
Single-parent families encounter difficulties as they attempt to raise their children like other families (Guzzo & Hayford, 2020). In some civilizations, they are stigmatized as well as shunned and despised. Additionally, certain religious groups like Islam and Christianity do not publicly encourage single parenthood, especially if its causes contradict their convictions. As a result, single parents encounter issues from various sources, including the government, the general public, and educational institutions. Caring for their kids is difficult since they must ensure they develop according to other kids with both parents (Guzzo & Hayford, 2020). How to integrate into society with one’s family is among the most challenging issues that single parents must deal with. In most cultures, only married couples are acknowledged as capable of raising children well. As others adore both parents while they gape in astonishment, youngsters also experience isolation in educational settings.
Different social perspectives are typically a result of the many causes of single parenthood. For instance, single parenting brought on by the passing of one partner is commonly regarded as appropriate. However, the obligations that go along with it are not taken on. Separation and divorce, conversely, might result in single parenthood, which comes with additional duties and social integration issues (Guzzo & Hayford, 2020). Society is crucial for single families to blend in successfully with the community. The fact that most organizations classify single-family households according to the factors that led to their status is quite worrying. Without considering its reasons, divorce is typically viewed as harming society. The church also frowns on divorce, which makes it very challenging for divorcees to reintegrate into society successfully.
Among the congregation, this makes them appear to be sinners. Furthermore, society views these families as failures, and their conduct is unacceptable. Some religious groups oppose integrating with such people because they believe they harm the ostensibly “clean” society. Additionally, although not to the same extent as single-family households created by deliberate action, single-family families created through unforeseen circumstances, such as death, nonetheless experience some isolation. Isolation for these single parents in most communities results from dealing with and carrying out family responsibilities.
Conclusion
As I continue to think about my future family, it is important to understand society to make an equitable and just decision. Understanding the social forces that influence our lives, such as family structures and decision-making, is made easier with the help of sociological imagination. When we use sociological imagination to investigate single parenthood, we can see how factors such as gender norms, economic disparity, and cultural perceptions of marriage and family all affect who chooses to become a single parent and why (Tornello et al., 2019). We can create policies and initiatives to support single parents and their children that are more effective by recognizing these more significant socioeconomic concerns.
Several social elements have an impact on the complicated phenomena of single parenting. Using sociological imagination, we can pinpoint some significant causes of single parenthood, such as poverty and cultural perceptions of gender roles. I understand that women are more likely to be single parents, for instance, which is partly due to the continuance of gender inequality in the workplace and society at large. Another complicated subject that would profit from a social angle is adoption. The sociological imagination enables us to comprehend the interplay of racial, socioeconomic, and cultural factors in adoption procedures and results.
On the other hand, children of color, for instance, are disproportionately represented in the foster care system and have a lower adoption rate than white children. This results in part from institutionalized racism and bias in the adoption system. We may fight to establish a more equitable and just adoption system for all kids and families by utilizing sociological imagination to comprehend these critical social factors. C Mills’ sociological imagination will help me see the single parenthood and adoption issue in totality, helping me be prepared to face it in the future. This will help me avoid any consequences and explain myself comprehensively.
References:
Conerly, T. R., Holmes, K., Tamang, A. L., (2021). Introduction to Sociology 3e. OpenStax.
https://openstax.org/details/books/introduction-sociology-3e
Tornello, S. L., Riskind, R. G., & Babić, A. (2019). Transgender and gender non-binary parents’ pathways to parenthood. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 6(2), 232.
Guzzo, K. B., & Hayford, S. R. (2020). Pathways to parenthood in social and family contexts: Decade in review, 2020. Journal of Marriage and Family, 82(1), 117-144.
Seeger, S., & Davison-Vecchione, D. (2019). Dystopian literature and the sociological imagination. Thesis Eleven, 155(1), 45-63.
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