Social problems in societies Kimani Samuel Kenyatta University
Running head: SOCIAL PROBLEMS IN SOCIETIES
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Social problems in societies. Social problems are those matters which impact the society negatively such as: Unemployment Crime Poverty Incurable diseases Society is a group of people living together in a given geographical area. These people may share same traditional practices or the same nationality, for example the Maasai ethnic group and the people of Nigerian nation state. Notably, majorly prevalent social problems in different geographical areas may vary greatly as evident in the case of developed nations in Europe and the United States compared to the less developed nations in Sub-Saharan Africa. In the developed countries predominant social problems include the widening gap between the haves and the have-nots, domestic disputes, lack of employment, environmental degradation by large manufacturing corporations, increasing terrorist activities, racism and increasing health care cost. In the less developed nations major social issues include corruption by oppressive regimes, inequality in distribution of income, poor hygiene and living conditions in slums, persistent food shortage during times of economic and political crisis, genocide, increasing cases of crime by unemployed youths, oppression of the girl child and women and the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Running head: SOCIAL PROBLEMS IN SOCIETIES
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Turning our focus on Kenya tropical diseases such as malaria are responsible for early infant mortality. Spread of human immune deficiency virus (HIV) through unprotected sex has been declared a national disaster by the government. It is important to note that social problems are related in that one may lead to another problem e.g. deaths related to HIV/AIDS leave more children without parents. These children end up living under poor conditions because they don¶t have anyone to provide them with basic needs; they drop out of school and join crime (the male child) or prostitution (female child). Unemployment far from affecting the unemployed also affects growth progress of the whole economy. Social issues in less developed nations affect how they relate with the developed nations e.g. Kenya constantly relying on grants from United Kingdom and the US to finance its budget deficit. Consequently terms laid by lenders which may be in their own selfish interests have to be met leading to more problems on the part of the developing nations. From this we learn social issues are related and all of them have to be addressed because it would be counterproductive addressing one only. In conclusion in order to overcome the impact of social problems in different human societies, talented and dedicated researchers and sociologists are needed to conduct professional analysis to find out root causes of these social problems which have massive consequences on human wellbeing and come up with sound policy designs to mitigate their impact or even eliminate their existence, by use of artfully designed institutions and ways of coordinating social behavior. An example is where governments shun the free market system and embrace a planned economy system which regulates activities of manufacturing firms by setting minimal pollution levels and efficient use of natural resources.
Running head: SOCIAL PROBLEMS IN SOCIETIES
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