New Understanding of Sociology

Categories: Gender Identity

Even though people say that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, every day is a learning experience and you are never too old to learn something new. Sociology is the study of the development, structure, and functioning of human society. Walking into this class 8 weeks ago I was very oblivious to everything that truly goes on in day-to-day life. “The function of sociology, as of every science, is to reveal that which is hidden.” (Wise Old Sayings)

One of the very first things I found interesting what the story about Coy, and how he was struggling with gender identity at the age of 6 years old.

Coy a 6-year-old boy who identifiedseveral himself as a girl was not able to use the girl’s bathroom at school because the school staff thought that it was inappropriate. This is a hard subject for me to fully understand. I don't know how a child at such a young age could know what he or she wants to identify as.

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While looking into this more online I found an article that roughly gives ages of when children start to develop things. At or around age 2 children become conscious of the physical differences between boys and girls. Before their 3rd birthday, most children can easily label themselves as either a boy or a girl. By age 4 most children have a stable sense of their gender identity. I never knew that at such a young age that children already had these thoughts running through their minds.

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I personally never remember struggling with this issue as a child but I also researched some more on this subject and found that it’s truly the environment around you that can trigger these decisions and or thoughts. It is natural for parents to have gender-based expectations for their children and to want to protect them from criticism and exclusion. Instead of pushing children to conform to these pressures and limit themselves, parents can play an important role in advocating for safe spaces where their children can feel comfortable and good about themselves. (Healthy Children) I know that this is a huge trend in today’s society and it truly is something that kids and adults struggle with. “Deciding if whether I’m transgender or not and what to do about it is the hardest thing I have ever had to do. I struggle every day with it, wishing I didn’t have to get out of bed because I know I don’t like what I see in the mirror. I know the little boy is trying to claw his way out. I’m afraid that I will make the wrong decision, that I’ll erase the girl I was meant to be because of the boy inside me, I’m afraid I’ll lose myself in my attempt to become the only me I’ve known.” Most people struggle with gender identity but it’s not only a personal experience they struggle from the inside out and the outside in. These people get bullied and discriminated against for expressing how they truly feel in a world full of people who aren’t open-minded to a situation that truly doesn’t have anything to do with them. (Hello Giggles)

Another thing that we discussed that stood out to me being a nursing student major was the Stanley Milgram experiment. Stanley Milgram was a psychologist at Yale University that had conducted an experiment focusing on the conflict between obedience to authority and personal conscience. The procedure was that the participant was paired with another person and they drew lots to find out who would be the ‘learner’ and who would be the ‘teacher.’ The draw was fixed so that the participant was always the teacher, and the learner was one of Milgram’s confederates (pretending to be a real participant). (Simply Psychology) What truly got me was that this experiment was only done on males and I didn’t understand how this could truly be accurate. Milgram was interested in how far a person would go in obeying instructions if it involved harming another person. People are likely to follow orders given by an authority figure, even to the extent of killing an innocent human being. Obedience to authority is ingrained in us all from the way we are brought up. So in today’s society, it would be like having someone holding a gun to your head while you are working as a teller at a bank and telling you to put all the cash you have in a bag. Though we see stories of a lot of people disobeying the police 90% of the time you have a higher chance of people respecting authority and doing as they say.

A person’s social class has a significant impact on their physical health, their ability to receive adequate medical care and nutrition, and their life expectancy. Individuals of lower socioeconomic status in the United States experience a wide array of health problems as a result of their economic status. They are unable to use health care as often, and when they do it is of lower quality, even though they generally tend to experience a much higher rate of health issues. Furthermore, individuals of lower socioeconomic status have less education and often perform jobs without significant health and benefits plans, whereas individuals of higher standing are more likely to have jobs that provide medical insurance. Consequently, they have higher rates of infant mortality, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and disabling physical injuries. Health inequality is the term used in a number of several countries to refer to those instances whereby the health of two demographic groups differs despite comparative access to health care services. Such examples include higher rates of morbidity and mortality for those in lower occupational classes than those in higher occupational classes, and the increased likelihood of those from ethnic minorities being diagnosed with a mental health disorder. (Boundless Sociology) This is something that our society is struggling with right now. I believe that it is unfair and to an extent cruel that people can’t reach out and get the funds they need to increase their health. I find it completely unfair that people of the upper class have a better chance of staying healthy and not being ill for long periods because medical help is in the palm of their hands. I come across this a lot working at the local hospital, a lot of people are brought in or a family member is brought in a number one concern they have is how they are going to be able to afford the patient's stay.

Works Cited

  1. WISE OLD SAYINGS. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.wiseoldsayings.com/sociology-quotes/
  2. Gender Identity Development in Children. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/gradeschool/Pages/Gender-Identity-and-Gender-Confusion-In-Children.aspx
  3. I'm amid a gender identity struggle here's what it feels like. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://hellogiggles.com/news/my-gender-identity-struggle/
  4. Mcleod, Saul. “The Milgram Experiment.” Milgram Experiment | Simply Psychology, Simply Psychology, 5 Feb. 2017, www.simplypsychology.org/milgram.html.
  5. Boundless. “Boundless Sociology.” Lumen Learning, Lumen, courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-sociology/chapter/the-experience-of-illness
Updated: Aug 22, 2022
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New Understanding of Sociology. (2022, Aug 22). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/new-understanding-of-sociology-essay

New Understanding of Sociology essay
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