Free Custom «Social Structures» Essay Paper

Of the three different types of social structures I feel that Tonnies’s social structure is most closely relevant to my own social setting. According to Tonnies’s theory, the social structure can be differentiated by Gemeinschaft and Gesellshaft. Gemenishaft is described as a small society of closely interwoven people and families.

People feel like part of a group and know one another by name and more intimately. Social change is not common in this group. For me, I wish this was more the way I was raised. However, the Gesellshaft description is more closely related to what I knew growing up. Tonnies describes society as mere coexistence of people independent of others and community. This is a mere self-important and self-interested group of people who are not interested in the overall focus of the whole group. The people who are most important to me will be my family members whereas, I am less intimate and concerned about people in my workplace or customer I interact with. Although, I still care for mankind, those closest to me are the most important. My primary group is my family and my secondary group is my co-workers and associates. Also, I will prioritize community before society. Tonnies described of both types of humans will whereby humans can either base their actions on self-interests or the benefit of the whole group. In addition, it is explained that our search for community reflects the rejection of the impersonality of industrialization or modern society. Humans have different roles which come with different status in community and society. For example, at home, I will be the daughter with the most authority in the house hold since my parents are older and need to be taken care of.

The practice of prostitution is the lack of ones lack of respect for his/her own body. The other things that may bring about prostitution are poverty and drug abuse. The lack of unemployment may also lead to prostitution.

According to the functionalist theory, there are two reasonsas to why prostitution exists. The first reason is the system of sexual morality. This system condemns prostitution but at the same time unintentionally, coincidentally, and ironically causes the existence of prostitution as a socialized institution.

Another reason that prostitution exists is that, ironically, its function strengthens morality sexually. This means that prostitution keeps the wives and daughters of respectable men pure. Therefore, the sex industry encourages men to have sex with prostitutes for premarital sex, extramarital sex, and immoral sexual acts so that they do not have to perform such sexual acts with respectable women. Because of this, the morality of society is higher. Overall, this theory suggests that prostitution is encouraged throughout society by an existing moral system and indeed serves an essential function of protecting women's purity.

The problem with this theory is that it defines sexuality, morality, and purity in a sexist manner. This theory implies that only women or prostitutes are immoral. This theory does not regard sexually 'immoral' men in any way.

Many feminists defend prostitution by saying that it is like any other form of employment.