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Concepts of Health and Illness: Activity 1 - Commentary
Activity 1 – Commentary
In exploring the differences between sociological and 'naturalistic' explanations for these social phenomena, you can see that the sociological approach treats these phenomena as dynamic social processes which change over time, and between cultures. In contrast, the naturalistic or 'common-sense' approach treats these phenomena as if they were socially static, not changing over time nor varying between cultures. The major difference between an individualistic and a sociological explanation is that the latter draws attention to the importance of social structures in influencing behaviour.
In relation to the role of women in society, sociologists would point to the way in which the 'traditional' domestic / maternal role of women is socially constructed so that it appears to have existed throughout history, when in fact it is a very modern phenomenon. The 'single wage' family is something that only became widespread in the years after the Second World War as the economy expanded, today more women are in employment than men and roles (the division of labour) within the family have changed accordingly. The notion of 'maternal instinct' as having a biological basis is something that few academics would now give much credence to.
Sociologists would see poverty as a product of the structures of inequality in a class society, and as something experienced by those who are dependent on state welfare, are unemployed, or work for low wages. It is important to note the difference between absolute poverty, which means having an income below that needed to meet basic needs such as food, housing, clothing and sanitation, and relative poverty, which is having an income below that needed to maintain the average standard of living in the society in which someone lives (see Section 9). When we talk about people in the UK living in poverty, we are usually referring to relative poverty, i.e. having a household income of less than 60% of the UK median; however, a number of vulnerable people (e.g. those who are homeless) live in absolute poverty.
The phenomenon of suicide as conceptualised within sociological research, is placed within the context of religious and moral beliefs, cultural factors, and social issues such as unemployment and poverty. Hence, we can talk about a 'suicide rate', as something which changes over time as social changes occur.