1.3d Social Change and Social Reproduction
Sociology developed during a time of sizable social change. Social change has long been a key focus of the field. Nineteenth-century European thinkers focused on the social changes occurring from industrialization. Social change also interested early U.S. sociologists. For example, early twentieth century sociologists studied the urbanization of Chicago. Chicago had 350 residents in 1833, which grew to 1.7 million by the end of the century (Salzmann, 2018). Chicago was a top destination for immigrants from many European nations and migrants from the rural United States. The sheer number and diversity of people moving to Chicago, transformed the city.
Social Change and Social Reproduction
Social change is the process by which people transform the social structure. This involves changes to social institutions and norms (see Chapter 10). Social change is caused by a range of factors. These factors can include population changes due to immigration, and high-tech innovations that change how people communicate. However, even during periods of rapid social change, some things stay stable. Social reproduction is how people maintain existing social arrangements and structures. It focuses on how social phenomenon persists even when the people involved change.
How COVID-19 Contributed to Social Change and Social Reproduction
Consider how the COVID-19 pandemic led to social change in how schools educate students. Moreover, these changes also show how social reproduction occurs. Students needed access to technology and other supports to continue their education. Remote schooling increased learning gaps between those with the most and least resources. Therefore, inequality persisted.
Photo 1.11
A Student Attending School Remotely
During the spring of 2020, the spread of COVID-19 led to stay-at-home orders. Most schools were still in session around the world. Schools used technology to shift from in-person to remote instruction. High-income countries, like the United States, used the Internet to provide instruction. Low-income countries, like Bangladesh, used TV or radio to teach students (Azevedo et al., 2022).
In the United States, almost half of students were still going to school completely online a year later (National Center for Education Statistics, 2022). Online learning required access to technology like computers and the Internet. Households with the highest incomes had greater access to the technologies school now required (see Figure 1.4).
Figure 1.4
Percentage of Remote Students With Access to Devices for Remote Learning by Income
Data based on Vogels, E. A. (2020, September 10). 59% of U.S. parents with lower incomes say their child may face digital obstacles in schoolwork. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2020/09/10/59-of-u-s-parents-with-lower-incomes-say-their-child-may-face-digital-obstacles-in-schoolwork/. Copyright 2020 by Pew Research Center.
How Remote Learning, Education, and Income Are Related
Numerous studies find that remote learning harmed students’ education. However, children in higher-income families (Azevedo et al., 2022) and students in high-income countries (Betthäuser et al., 2023) made more progress. In the United States, high-poverty schools stayed remote longer (Turner, 2022). Moreover, students from high-poverty schools often had home environments that made learning difficult. For example, low-income students may not have Internet access or a quiet place to learn at home. These students also were less likely to have an adult nearby who could help. Their parents were more likely to be in occupations that could not be done remotely. Some low-income students had to take care of siblings or had to get jobs. All these things hindered their education (Turner, 2022) (see Figure 1.4).
Research also suggests that students in households with better-educated parents did better. Scholars speculate that these parents were more able to help children with their schoolwork (Azevedo et al., 2022). Further, the occupations that can be done remotely are often jobs that require more education. Therefore, these parents were home when their children needed help. Finally, income rises with education. This means that they had access to other resources like computers, dedicated schoolwork space, and the Internet (see Figure 1.4). Communities changed how they delivered education, a social change. But the effect of that change was felt along existing lines of inequality, or social reproduction.