Sociology SEVENTEENTH EDITION Chapter 1 The Sociological Perspective

The Power of Society Do we simply “pick” our marriage partners? In 77 percent of all married couples in the U.S., both partners are within fives years of age of each other. In 78 percent, both partners have achieved the same level of schooling. In 91 percent of married couples, both partners are of the same racial or ethnic category. Although we tend to think of love and marriage as personal matters, it is clear that society guides the process of selecting a spouse. Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2016).

Global Map 1–1 Women’s Childbearing in Global Perspective Is childbearing simply a matter of personal choice? A look around the world shows that it is not. In general, women living in poor countries have many more children than women in rich nations. Can you point to some of the reasons for this global disparity? In simple terms, such differences mean that if you had been born into another society (whether you are female or male), your life might be quite different from what it is now. Sources: Data from Population Reference Bureau (2016), Martin et al. (2017).

Figure 1–1 Rate of Death by Suicide, by Race and Sex, for the United States Suicide rates are higher for white people than for black people and Hispanic people. Among all categories of the population, rates are several times higher for men than for women. Rates indicate the number of deaths by suicide for every 100,000 people in each category for 2014. Source: Kochanek et al. (2016).

The Sociological Perspective (5 of 6) Seeing Sociologically: Marginality and Crisis Marginality: living on the margins of society Social crisis: turning personal problems into public issues

The Origins of Sociology (2 of 3) Science and Sociology Ancient civilizations Thought about nature of society K'ung Fu-tzu (Confucius), Plato, Aristotle Medieval period Wrote about the workings of society Marcus Aurelius, Aquinas, Pisan, Shakespeare

National Map 1–1 Suicide Rates across the United States This map shows the suicide rate for the population living in each state across the country. Look for patterns. By and large, higher suicide rates occur where people live far apart from one another. More densely populated states have lower suicide rates. Do these data support or contradict Durkheim’s theory of suicide? Why Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2016).

Sociological Theory (7 of 17) The social-conflict approach points out patterns of inequality in everyday life. The TV series Keeping Up with the Kardashians takes a close-up look at the lives of extremely affluent women. In what ways do they depend on the work of people of lower social position?

Sociological Theory (11 of 17) Jane Addams Was a sociological pioneer who helped found Hull House Dealt with issues involving immigration and the pursuit of peace Won Nobel Peace Prize (1931) We can use the sociological perspective to look at sociology itself. All of the most widely recognized pioneers of the discipline were men. This is because in the nineteenth century, it was all but unheard of for women to be college professors, and few women took a central role in public life.

Figure 1–2 “Stacking” in Professional Baseball Does race play a part in professional sports? Looking at the various positions in professional baseball, we see: White players are more likely to play the central positions in the infield. People of color are more likely to play in the outfield. Source: Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (2015).

Controversy & Debate Is Sociology Nothing More Than Stereotypes? Generalizations are not applied to everyone in a category. Generalizations square with the available facts. Generalizations are offered fair-mindedly, with an interest in getting at the truth. A sociology classroom is a good place to get at the truth behind common stereotypes.

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