Social problems, also called social issues,
affect every society, great and small. Even in relatively isolated, sparsely
populated areas, a group will encounter social problems. Part of this is due to
the fact that any members of a society living close enough together will have
conflicts. It’s virtually impossible to avoid them, and even people who live
together in the same house don’t always get along seamlessly. On the whole
though, when social problems are mentioned they tend to refer to the problems that
affect people living together in a society.
The list of social problems is huge and not
identical from area to area. In the US, some predominant social issues include
the growing divide between rich and poor, domestic
violence, unemployment, pollution, urban
decay, racism and sexism, and many others. Sometimes social issues arise when
people hold very different opinions about how to handle certain situations like
unplanned pregnancy. While some people might view abortion as the solution to
this problem, other members of the society remain strongly opposed to its use.
In itself, strong disagreements on how to solve problems create divides in
social groups.
Other issues that may be considered social
problems aren't that common in the US and other industrialized countries, but
they are huge problems in developing ones. The issues of massive poverty, food
shortages, lack of basic hygiene, spread of incurable diseases, ethnic
cleansing, and lack of education inhibits the development of society. Moreover,
these problems are related to each other and it can seem hard to address one
without addressing all of them.
It would be easy to assume that a social
problem only affects the people whom it directly touches, but this is not the
case. Easy spread of disease for instance may tamper with the society at large,
and it’s easy to see how this has operated in certain areas of Africa. The
spread of AIDs for instance has created more social problems because it is
costly, it is a danger to all members of society, and it leaves many children
without parents. HIV/AIDs
isn’t a single problem but a complex cause of numerous ones. Similarly,
unemployment in America doesn’t just affect those unemployed but affects the
whole economy.
It’s also important to understand that social
problems within a society affect its interaction with other societies, which
may lead to global problems or issues. How another nation deals with the
problems of a developing nation may affect its relationship with that nation
and the rest of the world for years to come. Though the United States was a
strong supporter of the need to develop a Jewish State in Israel, its support
has come at a cost of its relationship with many Arabic nations.
Additionally, countries that allow multiple
political parties and free expression of speech have yet another issue when it
comes to tackling some of the problems that plague its society. This is
diversity of solutions, which may mean that the country cannot commit to a
single way to solve an issue, because there are too many ideas operating on how
to solve it. Any proposed solution to something that affects society is likely
to make some people unhappy, and this discontent can promote discord. On the
other hand, in countries where the government operates independently of the
people and where free speech or exchange of ideas is discouraged, there may not
be enough ideas to solve issues, and governments may persist in trying to solve
them in wrongheaded or ineffective ways.
The very nature of social problems suggests
that society itself is a problem. No country has perfected a society where all
are happy and where no problems exist. Perhaps the individual nature of humans
prevents this, and as many people state, perfection many not be an achievable
goal.
Mexico is characterized by sharp class and social divisions. A small upper class controls much of the country’s property and wealth while the majority of Mexicans live in poverty. In 1989 the top 20 percent of Mexico’s income earners received 57 percent of the national income. The poorest 20 percent received only four percent of the national income, while the middle 60 percent earned the remaining 37 percent. According to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (CEPAL), only six countries outside of Africa have a more unbalanced income distribution than Mexico.
Compared to the United States, Mexico’s middle class is relatively small, making up a little more than one-third of the population. Many middle-class Mexicans have lifestyles similar to those of middle-class families in the United States—living in homes or apartments with modern amenities such as electricity and running water, owning one or more automobiles, and having access to educational and health-care facilities.
Most Mexicans, however, live in varying degrees of poverty. Although the Mexican government does not issue official poverty figures, several national and international organizations have issued studies that attempt to paint a picture of the extent of poverty in Mexico. Many of these organizations use a “Basic Basket of Foodstuffs” to determine whether families are able to satisfy their minimum needs for nutrition, housing, clothing, and health care. This basket of goods and services is given a monetary value and those households whose daily income is not enough to afford this basket are said to be living in “extreme poverty.” Those households whose daily income is more than the value of the basic basket, but not greater than twice the value, are said to be living in “poverty.” A 1996 study by Mexico’s National Autonomous University put the value of this basket at U.S.$5.39 a day and said that 51 percent of Mexican families could not afford this basket and were therefore living in “extreme poverty.” This was up from 32 percent in 1993 and 16 percent in 1989. A World Bank report, also from 1996, said that one-fourth of Mexicans earned less than U.S.$2 a day and that 17 percent of Mexicans earned less than U.S.$1 a day.
Mexico’s recent economic problems have hurt middle- and lower-income families much more than they have hurt wealthy families. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Mexico’s highest income groups increased their overall wealth, while the earnings of poor Mexicans declined significantly. For lower- and middle-income families, this often meant that they had to reduce their already limited spending on food and other basic necessities.
Many poor Mexicans have little or no access to health care and live in housing that lacks one or more basic amenities such as electricity, running water, or sewerage. Although the quality of housing has improved considerably since 1970, in the mid-1990s approximately 12 percent of Mexican households remained without electricity, 11 percent lacked running water, and 26 percent were without sewer facilities. Many children also suffer from malnutrition and drop out of school early in order to begin earning money for their families.
In addition, Mexico’s rapid population growth has severely strained government services, especially education and health care. This growing population has placed tremendous pressure on the government and economy to create new jobs. The economy in the 1980s and 1990s has not been able to create enough jobs to keep up with population growth. Economic conditions have prompted thousands of skilled and unskilled workers to migrate north to the United States in search of employment.
Mexican cities suffer from many of the same social problems found in urban environments around the world. Poor economic conditions, however, have significantly increased the levels of urban crime in the country, especially in Mexico City. Drug abuse and juvenile crime have also increased in major cities in recent years.
Poverty
in Mexico is
characterized as the lack of access of its citizens to basic human needs such as nutrition, clean water, and shelter; it extends to the overall infrastructure of its society to
include education, health care, social security, quality and basic services in the household, income and social cohesion as defined by social
development laws in
the country.[3]
The government
currently uses a multidimensional system to measure the poverty
threshold in the country: extreme
poverty, moderate poverty, and overall
poverty.[4] The first
measures the minimum amount of monetary means required to afford nutrition,
also known as the basic goods basket, for all members of the household. The
second combined with the first, measures the minimum required to afford basic
health care and education as well. The latter adds to the first two, the
minimum required to afford a dwelling, transportation, and overall basic
expenses in the household.[5]
Current
figures indicate that as much as 44.2 percent of the Mexican
population (over 49
million) lives below the poverty line as defined by the country's National
Council of Social Development Policy Evaluation (Spanish: Consejo Nacional de Evaluación
de la Política de Desarrollo Social, CONEVAL).[1] In
2008, 33.7% of the population lived in moderate poverty and at least 10.5%
suffered from extreme poverty.[6]
Historically, Mexico's
development has fallen behind of other developed nations and this restrain has
been linked to tardiness in establishing social development as a national
priority along with inadequate production models set by the Mexican government,
bias politics, and corruption.[7] In modern
times, Mexico's heavy dependency on foreign influences, particularly its
northern neighbor the United States
and foreign trade policies that do not favor the common citizen have been cited
as contributors to poverty.[8][9] In general,
decades of neglect have led to social enigmas like a high percentage of the
population lacking formal education, unemployment,
and an overall uneven distribution
of opportunities.[10]
Only in recent years, after various economic setbacks, has Mexico recovered to
a level where the middle class, once
virtually nonexistent, is beginning to flourish.[11][12]
Mexico's
positive potential and the result of millions in poverty is always a topic of
discussion among opinion-makers.[13][14]
Some economists[15][16]
have speculated that in four more decades of continuous economic growth,
despite common trends in Mexico such as emigration and violence, Mexico will be among the five
biggest economies in the world, along with the China,
the United
States, Japan, and India.[17]
In recent times, extensive changes in
government economic policy[18]
and attempts at reducing government interference through privatization of
several sectors,[19]
for better[20]
or worse,[21]
has allowed Mexico to historically remain the biggest economy in Latin America,[22]
until 2005 when it became the second-largest;[23]
and a so-called "trillion dollar club"
member.[24]
Despite theses changes, Mexico continues to suffer great social inequality and
lack of opportunities.[25]
The current administration has made an
approach at reducing poverty in the country, to provide more opportunities to
its citizens such as jobs,[26] education
and health care.
Government involvement
Social
development began to
take place in the form of written policy in the early 1900s.[33] The
Mexican
Constitution,
approved in 1917, outlined the basic social protections citizens are entitled
to, including the right to property, education, health care, and
employment; and it establishes the federal government responsible for the
execution and enforcement of these protections.[34]
Map
of Mexican states indicating HDI (2004)
0.80
and higher DARK GREEN
0.750–0.799 LIGHT GREEN
0.70–0.749 YELLOW
The global economic crisis of the late
1920s and forward slowed down any possibility of
social development in the country. Between the 1920s and the 1940s, poverty
levels remained between 53 to 48 percent while illiteracy levels range between
61.5 to 58 percent.[35]
Between the 1930s and 1940s, the government focused on establishing social
protection institutions. By the late 1950s, 59 percent of the population knew
how to read and write.[33]
By the 1960s, individual involvement of some states to increase social
development, along with the country's economic growth, as well as employment
opportunities and greater income, and the migration of people from the rural
states to the urban areas, helped reduced poverty nationwide.[33]
The 1970s and 1980s saw the transformation of government and economic policies.
The government gave way to flexible foreign trade, deregulation and
privatization of several sectors. After the economic crisis of the 1990s,
Mexico recovered to become an emerging economic power; however, the amount of
poor nationwide has remained constant even with the country's overall growth.[36][37]
Regional segregation
As reforms have taken place, the
southern states remain forgotten. These states have taken little part in
establishing their infrastructure.[vague] The country's government has not focused on providing
an even level of development and growth throughout the country.[38]
As citizens of the least fortunate states have noticed growth and improvements
in others states, many have simply left seeking better opportunities.[39][vague] Historically, southern states like Chiapas, Oaxaca, and Guerrero have remained segregated from the
rest of the country.[40]
Their implementation of infrastructure, social development, education, and
economic growth has been poorly accounted for. These states hold the highest
levels of illiterates, unemployment, lack of basic services such as running
water and sanitation, overall urban infrastructure, and government
establishment.[41]
Causes of poverty
The reasons for poverty in Mexico are
complex and widely extensive.[42]
There is a consensual agreement that a combination of uneven distribution of
wealth and resources sponsored by economic and political agendas to favor the
rich and powerful is a major contributor to the millions left behind.[43][44]
Individual condition
In
the economic sense, access to insufficient monetary means to afford goods and
services becomes the immediate reason to be poor. Because a person's personal
income dictates what he or she can afford and what he or she will remain
deprived of, the first common cause of poverty is the individual condition.[45]
This means, a person's individual circumstances and possibilities create their
opportunity for access to goods and services. This condition is triggered by a
person's income, education, training or work experience, social network, age,
health, and other socio-economic factors:
- Lack
of and unavailability of education
As population has grown, the number
of students enrolled in schools throughout the country has grown tremendously
since the 1950s.[46]
At the same time, government efforts to accommodate the growing student
population, improving the quality of instruction and promoting prevalent school
attendance has not been enough and therefore education has not
remained among priorities for families who must struggle with poverty.[47][48]
700,000 students grades 1-9 dropped out of school in 2009 in all of Mexico.[49] 7.9
percent (almost 9 million) of the population is illiterate.[49] 73%
of Mexican households have at least one member without education or education
below the 7th grade.[49] 40
percent of people in the states of Chiapas, Veracruz, Hidalgo, Oaxaca and Guerrero have education below the 7th grade.[50]
There are virtually no opportunities for people without education in Mexico.
With daily minimum wages so low, individuals without the training or education
beyond high school are unable to compete in an economy where even the educated
struggle with laborer-scale wages, unable to afford a minimum standard of
living.[51]
- Underemployment
Getting an education does not
immediately translate to landing better
paying jobs or overcoming unemployment in Mexico.[51]
As compared to other countries, such as the United States where a college
degree can be the difference between a minimum wage position and a
higher-paying job because higher
education is required or appreciated.[52]
There are only a few better paying jobs in Mexico for university and other
well-educated graduates. In fact, many[quantify]
college degrees holders find themselves earning wages too low to support
themselves and their families.[53]
Situations like this have cause the standard of living among the urban middle
class to deteriorate and as a consequence brings on emigration from this sector
to other countries, mainly the United States
and Canada.[54]
- Other
challenges
Mexico does not promote equal opportunity employment
despite established laws forbidding most socially-recognized forms of
discrimination.[55]
The government doesn't become sufficiently involved to promote opportunities to
all citizens; including reducing discrimination against middle-age and elder
citizens. Over a million of the unemployed face age discrimination and 55% of
all unemployed face some form of discrimination when seeking employment.[56]
There are virtually no opportunities for individuals with special requirements
such as the disabled.[57]
As job seekers become older, it is harder for them to get employed as employers
tend to seek candidates within the "younger than 35 range". Social security (IMSS) is
insufficient and there is a huge gap in proportion to the entire population
(50% covered), the work force (30% covered), and the retired (33% covered).[58]
There is no unemployment insurance in Mexico.[59]
Insufficient infrastructure
Mexico is a country where investment
on infrastructure has remained as unequally distributed as income, specially in
rural areas and in the southern states.[60]
Became many people establish in rural areas, without government permission, and
without paying property taxes, the government does not make significant efforts
to invest in overall infrastructure of the entire country, yet it has started
to do so until the 1990s.[61]
Communities often face a combination of unpaved roads, lack of electricity and
potable water, improper sanitation, poorly maintained schools, vandalism and crime,
and lack of social development programs.[62][63] The
government did not begin to focus on improving and modernizing the federal
highway system up until two decades ago when it was composed of two-lane roads;
often deathtraps and the scenarios of head-on collusions between truckers and
families on vacation.[64] A
tour of any major city in Mexico is sufficient to see the uneven distribution
of resources and public investment.[65]
City and state governments often face challenges providing every community and
citizen with the basic services of urbanized life.[66]
Often citizens must provide for the development of their own neighborhoods as
there is no clearly visible government agency in charge of providing regular
city management and maintenance services, including tax collection and/or
distribution of funds to places of most need.[67]
Because of this, higher income communities will invest in the development of
their own communities while lower income communities will be deprived of the
basics such as running water and drainage.
- Geography
and poverty
The
concentration of poverty and distribution of wealth and opportunities is
clearly visible from a geographic perspective.[68] The
northern region of the country offers higher development while the southern
states are the most impoverished. This is clearly the result of states equipped
with better infrastructure that others. The states of Chiapas, Oaxaca, and
Guerrero are among the least developed in the country. These states hold the
highest numbers of indigenous population. As a result, 75 percent of the
indigenous population lives below the poverty line and 39 percent under extreme
poverty.[69]
Their infrastructure is broken to the basics such as lack of roads, access to
education, health services, and employment sources.[70]
Map of Mexican states indicating levels of
overall poverty (2005)
62.4-75.7 DARK GREEN
35.8-41.9 LIGHT GREEN
9.2-22.5 WHITE
Unemployment
- Inequitable
distribution of income
- Obsolete
regulatory framework
- Absent
competitive principles
Government
and politics
- Foreign
Trade Policies and Foreign Dependence
- Government
Efforts and Economic Policies
- Transparency
and Corruption
Discrimination is acting towards someone or something with partiality or
prejudice.Contrary to what we have achieved over the years as far as human
rights and equalbenefits for everyone, we still face discrimination and
prejudice in our day to day living.In today's contemporary society minorities
play a huge role in every aspect of the social
world. They play a part in the economical, educational, entertainment,
sports, and manymore aspects of which makes our society complete. Due to the
existence of discrimination against these minorities, there are a lot of
conflicts and difficulties which makes our contemporary society more complex to
some extend.
Many times the skin color, country of birth, religious differences,
social status and other factors have made life difficult and complicated for
these minorities. Minorities have faced many difficult challenges in the past
in order to become a part of the social world.In many cases they have been
challenged to make extreme changes in their ordinary livesto overcome their
apparent differences and become accepted as a part of theirenvironment. There
are vivid examples of prejudice for racism that shows how the minorraces have
to struggle much more than major ones to get what they deserve.
Consequently due to the existence of discriminatory actions against
minorities there are many different conflicts in our contemporary society.
These conflicts can be seen in different areas of family(like the preferring
boys over girls), schools ( not paying attention to how is their grades but
what is their race and etc.) workplace (not rating working based on their
fulfilling their duties but something else), neighborhoods, and etc.Prejudice
has caused too many wars between countries throughout the history, like the one
in Palestine and Israel.
