18. October 2009 by student.

When you think of social classes and the social stratum, normally, you would think of adults first. How much money they make, how big their house is, how much power they have. However, an adult’s social class is also where you find the children. If a parent is in the middle class, than their child is placed in the middle class as well. This becomes a problem when the social stratum is mixed in with school, which begins inequality in schools. Studies show that minorities and lower-class students are placed in low school tracks much of the time and they become less favored by teachers and their expectations which puts them in a very bad place. Because of this they become less motivated, less likely to pass, and more likely to get into a lot of trouble.            Socioeconomic status, which is an individual’s position in a social order, is composed by the parent, like I said, and determined by their education, occupation, income, and family wealth. Studies show that students with parents higher in status generally receive better educational opportunities. This is opposite for the lower class students, whose parents may not have received a great education, or have a low family income. For these students, they may have not had the opportunity to receive as great of an education.

            Often times, it is found through things like grades, or even SAT scores. Students who have parents who make a higher income can be tutored, or receive SAT prep course help. Therefore, factors such as these play an important part how well a child tends to do in school. Parents with more income and education can help their children more along the way with their education that students with parents with a lower income may not be accessible to.

Lauren Downs

Posted in Introduction to Sociology | 1 Comment »

18. October 2009 by student.

A growing issue in society is not only obesity, but eating healthy. Doctors harp on the terrible eating habits across America and how unhealthy a major part of our country has become. However, if you really stop and look at why people eat unhealthy, you might just see why. Obesity in America is a steadily rising problem. According to the Washington Post, ”In 1991, one in eight Americans were obese. In 1999, the number had increased to one in five.”

One of the reasons I think that obesity is a growing problem is because of the availability to get healthy food. Like we discussed in class today, it is easier for the poor to eat food from places like McDonald’s because of how cheap it is. Food is food, especially for those who can’t afford it. So what’s easiest to get would be what’s cheapest, not necessarily what healthiest. If you look at how expensive organic and healthy food is, it’s almost double what it would cost to get a meal from a fast food restaurant. The portions served by fast food are far larger than the recommended portion size for meals. However, food costs for restaurants are pretty low so it makes sense for them to offer larger portions that make their customers think they are getting more food for their money, which is a reasonably smart decision, especially in this economy.However, obesity isn’t just a problem for the poor. Take for example the Cheesecake Factory. It’s a fairly expensive restaurant. If you’ve ever been there, you know that the portion sizes are huge. They are way over what a regular meal should be. A meal for two is easily taken in for one. How can we expect to maintain a healthy lifestyle when we go out to eat and the sizes of the meals are way over what they should be? And as we go out to eat more and more, the larger portions become a normal habit for people.The problem is just as much a problem for children as it is for adults. From the same posting from the Washington Post, they found that “there are fast-food franchise outlets in 13 percent of the nation’s schools.” Children given the choice for fast food will more than likely take it, especially if they don’t have the healthy eating habits of their parents to look up to.

Although the study also shows that about $33 billion dollars have gone to weight loss aides, it’s a lot easier to intake food than to burn it off. I believe what we need to do is advertise more how to live a healthier lifestyle and diminish the bad food in restaurants. Or, at least start by cutting down portion sizes in restaurants, which would, in turn, make them more affordable. Also, fast food options should be eliminated from schools, and more physical activity should be placed in there. It should be in fun ways, however, that incorporates all kids and excites them to want to be active. These are a few ideas that are however practiced in some places, but needs to expand to reach more people across America.

Lauren Downs

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