We explain what social problems are, what their causes are and various examples. Also, social problems in Mexico.
What are social problems?
Social problems are those that They afflict large sectors of the population and have to do with the objective and subjective conditions of life in society. Its causes can be found in economic, political, etc. aspects. Furthermore, social problems often have consequences in other dimensions of a nation's life.
Social problems They have existed since the very emergence of humanityalthough in certain times and situations they have been worse than in others, as is normal. Nowadays, they have become a recurring concern of popular governments and international NGOs, or of multilateral organizations such as the UN or Unicef.
One of the great drawbacks of social problems is that are difficult to solve: It is difficult to achieve a consensus regarding which ones are most urgent or what the methodology is to respond to them.
See also: Economic problems
Causes of social problems
Social problems can come from different causes, depending on the nature of the problem. For example, economic and opportunity inequality is often a consequence of the historical construction of a society of very rich rich and very poor poor.
On the other hand, economic inequalities can also be the result of dynamics policies that have catastrophic effects on the economywhich only the wealthiest population can survive.
Furthermore, poverty and Lack of resources often translates into violent attitudesin social resentment, in crime and the proliferation of other criminal activities. Sometimes desperation leads to breaking the laws of a society perceived as unjust. Therefore, it is not simple to find the causes of the social problems that the world suffers.
Examples of social problems
Some common examples of social problems are:
- Hunger. Large sectors of the world's population live in situations of marginalization and abandonment so desperate that they literally have nothing to eat.
- Insecurity. Populations with large margins of criminal activity are usually the same ones that are subject to poverty and a life without future prospects, easy prey for illegal activities: theft, drug trafficking, prostitution, etc.
- Discrimination. Whether based on race, sex, religion, nationality or sexual orientation, it is based on the segregation of an unwanted population, that is, not giving everyone the same opportunities, for reasons of prejudice.
- Poverty. The biggest of the economic and social and economic problems, and the one that generates the most social problems in turn. It does not simply have to do with a lack of money, but with total exclusion from the productive system. It is estimated that almost half of the world's population lives in some margin of poverty, and that 400 million children live in extreme poverty.
- Inequality. Coexistence in a society of enormously separated social classes, that is, of very poor poor and very rich rich, with few opportunities for class mobility. These types of societies are breeding grounds for social resentment.
Social problems in Mexico
Like many other nations of the so-called Third World, Mexican society is afflicted by social ills, some of which are extremely critical judging by their incidence statistics. The main ones of them are:
- Poverty. A large sector of the Mexican population (around 50%), especially the rural population, lives below the international poverty line. Of them, around 100,000 live in extreme poverty, and also with food insecurity.
- Discrimination. Since its colonial past, Mexican society has suffered from great inequalities regarding the racial difference of its population, always disadvantaging its indigenous populations or descendants of indigenous people. This phenomenon is even greater as it is combined with poverty, thus associating racial condition with the socioeconomic stratum. On the other hand, the homosexual population also often expresses its sense of oppression and discrimination, in a society with Catholic and commonly conservative roots.
- Femicides. Gender violence and violence against women is a factor of enormous concern in Mexican society, plagued by very high rates of feminicide, and cases as sadly famous as those who disappeared from Ciudad Juárez.
- Corruption. An evil common to most Third World nations, corruption in Mexico is one of the most deep-rooted socio-political problems, according to the Corruption Perception Index, according to which Mexico is one of the 70 most corrupt countries in the world. world, and the most corrupt of all those that make up the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
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References
- “Category: Social problems” on Wikipedia.
- “Social issue” in Wikipedia (English).
- “The 10 main social problems in the world” in Todos Somos Uno.
- “What are Social Problems?” (video) in UGC Virtual Baccalaureate.
