Social Institutions

Throughout the years there have been many social institutions that have made a dramatic impact on society; none more important than families. In today’s modern industrialized societies, families carry out basic necessities that other social institutions cannot. Different skills such as responsibility can also be acquired from families where it can be applied to everyday life. Furthermore families in the past needed to be the most important social institution to ensure their survival. Since the pre-industrialized era, families are considered the most important social institution because they provide for our basic needs, teach us to acquire new skills, and assure our survival.

Families in today’s modern industrialized societies carry out basic necessities that other social institutions are incapable of. In order for more generations of people to come about, protection must be provided for them. Means of protection may include: A safe home, food, money, and clothing until offspring can provide for themselves. Families also regulate reproduction which can also be interpreted as population contribution. Since everybody eventually dies, older members can replace themselves by producing new members in their families and subsequently new members in society. Another necessity that families carry out is the socialization of children. For example: Manners such as please and thank you, and behaviour in public areas are instilled in children at young ages. Naturally, family has been put on a pedestal because of its significance since the pre-industrialized era, providing basic needs that other social institutions cannot.

Different skills are acquired from families as well. The essence of hard work is constantly encouraged or even taught in many families. Whether it may be chores, homework, sports, jobs, relationships, and even goals, hard work is always being mentioned by parents. Since parents have been through so much more than their children they encourage and teach their children to be hard working so that success would be imminent. Another essential skill that is attained from families is responsibility. Children may be taught responsibility through tasks such as taking care of sick family members by accompanying them or watching over a younger sibling. As they acquire responsibility they can apply it to other facets of life such as school and/or sports. Families also teach life skills such as sharing and the ability to be moral. The reason that families are capable of teaching these skills is because the ‘family’ is the first social institution that children encounter. Families of the past and present are the most important social institution because of the acquisition of numerous skills.

In the past it was mandatory for families to be the most important social institution because it ensured their survival. During the Agricultural Revolution, about five thousand years ago, families were responsible for socializing their