IDENTITY

Social identity refers to the unique social characteristics that differentiate groups of people from each other. Some key social identities discussed in the document include gender, social class, ethnicity, race, age, and disability. Gender describes the societal expectations of men and women, and is a social construct rather than a natural or biological attribute. Social class can be defined economically based on one's position or market value in society. Age identities also differ based on societal expectations of children, teenagers, and other age groups, though these identities may be less rigid in postmodern societies.

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IDENTITY

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Adura Williams Okoro

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IDENTITY

SOCIAL IDENTITY
Social identity can be defined as the UNIQUE SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS attached to a certain set of people or
things that differentiate them from other sets of people or things in society. Through this, many social issues have
been classified into different strata or groups. The following are the identified social identities in a society:
a. Gender
b. Social Class
c. Ethnic Identities
d. Racial Identities
e. Age Identities
f. Disability

GENDER & IDENTITY

Gender is often described as the societal expectations of a man or a woman in society. Gender talks about male
or female, not man or woman.
*Male/Female refers to roles in society while Man/Woman is sexual.
*Gender is a social construct while sex is natural.
In every society, the expectation of a man is masculinity while the expectation of a woman is called femininity.
Looking at this – i.e. the fact that gender is a social construct while sex is natural – we can divide and classify the
expectations of men and women.
TYPES OF MASCULINITY
1. Hegemonic Masculinity: this is the traditional expectation of a man i.e. a muscular man, a protector, a
provider and an impregnator.
2. Marginalized Masculinity: these are the men that failed to meet the traditional notion of a man e.g. a man
who cannot provide for his family because of unemployment.
3. Subordinate Masculinity: these are physically challenged men who are viewed as lesser men in a
modernist [traditional] society as a result of their disability.
TYPES OF FEMININITY
1. Emphasized Femininity: this is the traditional expectation of women in a society i.e. an attractive and
caring woman who can satisfy the urges of a man and a child bearer.
2. Assertive Femininity: these are females who know and assert their rights. Therefore, they cannot be
oppressed easily by patriarchy.
3. Autonomous Femininity: these are independent women. They are independent and financially strong.
They do not need the financial help of any man and are usually single. They challenge the patriarchal
system through their behaviour.
*Gender inequality has generally reduced today due to the activities of feminists, gender equality laws, meritocracy
emphasis etc.

DISABILITY & IDENTITY

In a modernist society, disability is seen as a thing of pity. Here – i.e. in a modernist society – they look down on
disabled people; they are highly marginalized. In a traditional society, everything is done with normalcy.
Many organizations do not consider disability and are therefore still operating in a traditional, modernist society.
Societies do not lend helping hands to disabled people.
However, in a post-modern society, disability is no longer seen as a limitation because of the emphasis on
individual achievement. In a post-modern world, it is not the container but the content that matters. In essence,
traditional notions of disability identity are gradually changing.

CLASS & IDENTITY

Social Class: according to Karl Marx, it is the economic position of individuals or groups of persons in society. Max
Weber defined it as the market position of an individual or group of persons. It is therefore determined by the
forces of demand and supply.

Structuralists emphasized that social class can be structurally determined or identified because they believe that
in a social class, members share (1) common residential areas (2) common interests and (3) common lifestyles.

CRITICISM
However, this notion does not put into consideration INDIVIDUAL CHOICE. Interactionists and post-modernists
disagree with this structuralist’s identification or notion of social class because it does not give room for
individualism.

According to Karl Marx, in a capitalist society, there are two dialectical/conflicting interests: the ruling and the
subject class. The subject class’ power is from their labour. According to Crompton, he divided society into three
(3):
1. The Upper-class: the controllers of politics and the economy. They are highly socially connected and have
access to state-of-the-art facilities i.e. they can afford better health services, send their children to
expensive schools, etc.
The upper-class men are further divided into two:
a. The economic class
b. The political class
2. The Middle-class: they have the knowledge and skills to run the industries and the economic and political
systems on behalf of the upper class. They are knowledgeable, which explains why the president has
advisors who are expected to be knowledgeable.
The middle class is divided into three (3)
a. Academicians e.g. professors, lawyers etc.
b. Skilled manual labour/officers e.g. engineers, etc.
c. Semi-skilled workers: these have the skills, but not to the level of the skilled labourers
3. The Working/lower class: these are the victims of capitalism. They are victims because they are exploited,
which is why they are aggressive. The only power they have is their labour, and their interest is their
salary.

AGE IDENTITIES
Orientation concerning identities is gradually changing in post-modern societies.
Identities of age brackets differ when you look at it from a modernist view.

CHILDREN
Because a child isn’t fully developed, its identity is dependent on society, which is why, constitutionally, a child has
rights [because society is supposed to protect the child from aggression]. Even though children have rights, they do
not have responsibilities. As such, when they commit crimes, they are not responsible and are therefore not sent to
jail.
Archard, identified two (2) types of children, the nurtured and the nurturing child.
 A nurtured child is well protected, and resources are spent on the growth and care of the child. He/she
does not contribute to finances. As a result, such a child has this sense of entitlement. *A nurtured child is
from the upper and middle class.
 The nurturing child is from the working or lower class. He contributes to the financial resources of the
family. This child, therefore, experiences child labour.
However, in a post-modern society, things that were exclusively for adults have been made available to children.
They now have access to things like horror movies, blue films [pornography] and some extent dangerous weapons.
This is why sociologists say that there is no demarcation between a child and an adult. A child is no longer seen as
an apollian child i.e. the traditional notion that a child is innocent [a genic child]. It is even society that has
polluted them.

TEENAGERS/YOUTH
This set of people are aged from thirteen (13) to twenty-four (24) – however, sociologists say youth ends at thirty-
five (35). This is a confusing and rebellious stage, primarily due to the various physiological changes they
experience. This makes them explorative. Aside from this, even society contributes to their confusion. In some
situations, they are treated as adults while in others they are treated as children. As a result of that, according to
Cohen, youth come up with a subculture peculiar to their age and aspiration. This can either be conformist or non-
conformist. A typical youth has a lot of energy and as such their culture is based on energy orientation.
However, youth culture influences all other cultures. Youth culture makes society lively.
*Therefore, youth culture is no longer limited to age. 75% of adults practice youth culture. Our orientation changes,
and we are no longer limited to one particular age or identity culture.