 SOCIAL PROBLEMS

Social problems are conditions or types of behavior that many

People believe is harmful. Some conditions clearly hurt people, such

As lacking enough money to buy basic food, shelter, and clothing;

Being unable to find a job; or suffering from the effects of a polluted

Environment. However, the extent to which any of these or other

Conditions or behaviors becomes social problems is based not only

On the reality of their existence but on the level of public concern.

For example, extreme poverty existed in parts of the United States in

The 1950s, but many Americans were totally unaware of the level of

Suffering it inflicted. In 1962, writer and social activist Michael Harrington published a
compelling book about impoverished Americans,

The Other America, which caught the attention of the entire nation,

Including President John F. Kennedy. The book became assigned reading in thousands of college
courses from coast to coast. Soon poverty

Became widely viewed as a social problem, leading to the federal

Government’s “war on poverty” and programs that many Americans

Rely on today, such as Medicaid (federal government health care for

The poor), Medicare (government health care for those 65 or older),

Food stamps, and more comprehensive Social Security benefits. This

Illustrates that any social problem has two important components:

Its objective element and its subjective element. In this case the

Objective element is the reality of the conditions of poverty: the reality of insufficient access to
food, health services, and education; and

High rates of infant mortality, preventable diseases, and illiteracy. The

Subjective element of poverty is the level of public concern about these

Objective conditions, the desire to alleviate them, and the belief that

This is possible.

The objective elements of a social problem may either be personally experienced or measured in
some way. For example, you can

Determine how many people are unemployed, or go bankrupt because

Of inability to pay medical expenses. Interpreting how troubling these

Situations are in terms of deeply held conceptions of right and wrong

Is a subjective element that can be measured through public opinion

Surveys.

The process in the development of a social problem begins when

Someone (a claims maker) makes an argument (a claim) that a condition or behavior is harmful
and tries to convince others why something

Must be done about it and what specific actions are needed (Best 2013).

The claims maker may be an expert in a related field, someone with

Personal experience, or a social activist who tries to assemble evidence

Supporting a claim that a condition or behavior is a social problem. As

A writer and social activist, Michael Harrington, the author of The Other

America, is an example of the latter. The next step is gaining favorable

Coverage from the media. If this effort is successful, the public will
React by coming to view the objective condition or behavior as a problem. Claims makers may
also try to mobilize large numbers of people

In a movement to work together to deal with the problem and force

Lawmakers to do something about it. The effectiveness of the action

EXAMPLES OF SOCIAL PROBLEMS

Here are some examples of social problems, categorized by area:

*Health:*

1. Mental health issues. These are problems concerned with the brain of people, and they often
affect the brain hence they are mental problems for example depression, anxiety etc
2. Substance abuse. This deals with what some one gets used to.. This makes one to feel bad
when he or she has not received what they r used to and this becomes a social problem.
Examples of these include drug addiction, alcoholism etc
3. Obesity and related health problems. This is concerned with size. Sometimes people do not
care about their size and physical features and so ,this results into health malfunctions for
example fatigue,obesity and this makes one’s life not as pleasant as it would be
4. Lack of access to healthcare. People nowadays do not get clear access to medication and
health care. This is not because they do not want . It’s just because they can not afford the funds
of attaining such medication.. And so this makes most of these people live a miserable life hence
a social problem
5. Infectious diseases.. This has also been instrumental in making man’s life disastrous. Such
diseases are got sexually while others are born with them. To those who get them sexually, they
live a life of regrets and for those who are born with such diseases they live a desperate life
because of their innocence thus these are social problems. These include HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis

*Economy:*
1. Poverty and income inequality . In this, some people are low income earners while others are
high income earners. So,for the case of low income earners, they are economically tortured by
high income earners through high taxation, over pricing of goods which keeps them in poverty
hence a social problem
2. Unemployment and underemployment. Some people in the society have enough and qualified
skills to do work but unfortunately, they look for jobs and they are no where to be seen while
others may get a chance of being employed but they get employed in areas that are lower to their
education levels. In other words, some look for jobs and fail to get them and those who get
them , they get low quality work hence poverty which is a social problem
3. Economic instability and recession. Some of the nation’s economic areas have problems and
others have beefs within the workers . This creates an atmosphere of unnecessary competitions
hence low economic development thus a social problem
4. Discrimination in the workplace. Some people come from rich families and others come from
humble backgrounds. So these who come from humble backgrounds tend to be discriminated
which makes their life miserable hence a social problem
5. Unequal pay for equal work. Some workers are given very much wages compared to the work
they do and others are given very less wages compared to the work they do. This makes them to
be exhausted hence a social problem

*Education:*

1. Lack of access to quality education. This often comes from the backgrounds of individuals.
People from humble backgrounds are always given poor quality education. This generates less
knowledge in them which makes then green about how to overcome the various social problems
2. High dropout rates. People have lost consistency and resilience where they feel education is
hectic and so , theyy decide to dropout of school hopping to get money quickly while others
dropout of school because of bad peer pressure
3. Low literacy rates. This is due to high rates of dropouts. This decreases the number of elites in
the society that would fight against these social problems.
4. Bullying and harassment in schools. Some students are very muscular while others are
bonny(weak). So these muscular students tend to impose themselves over the weak ones while
others coarse them to do things they wouldn’t have done. This brings misery in the lives of those
who are tortured hen that is a social problem
5. Inadequate resources and funding. As discussed in the above paragraphs, some families can
not afford paying tuition for their children and so, they end up telling them to sit instead of
continuing. Mostly, this is not due to their own making but the financial inability Hence a social
problem

*Family and Relationships:*

1. Domestic violence and abuse. Some people in families or marriage patterns intend to impose
themselves over others for example men who misuse their authority over their wife’s and end up
beating them and also do many bad things to them . On the other side, women have also become
very instrumental in torturing men psychologically this will create no sense of development
2. Child abuse and neglect. Most of the parents nowadays have abandoned their responsibilities
as parents and have decided to concentrate on their jobs compared to their own children. This
breaks the parental bond a child would have with their parents and in this, a child can never
know how to treat themselves Incase they reach certain situations hence accumulation of social
problems
3. Family breakdown and divorce. This mostly comes due to domestic violence as one party
decided to break up since they feel they can not tolerate the violence. This leads to child neglect
where a mother does not get a chance to raise her kids. This creates misery among the children
and the abandoned party
4. Teenage pregnancy and parenthood. Men these days do not consider the age of the girls before
they seduce them to do things they feel that they want to satisfy their sexual desires. This leads to
a high rate of child pregnancy and school dropouts.
5. Elder abuse and neglect. Children nowadays have also decided to abandon their parents .
This maybe because of irresponsibility or any other fact.. but for the elder who is abandoned, this
causes sadness hence a social problem

*Crime and Justice:*

1. High crime rates (violent and property crimes). Since the use of laws these days is weak,
people do what they feel is pleasing to them not thinking of how it would treat the others
2. Racial and social profiling. Others have gone on with racial segregation where for one to get
something, it depends on how their color looks like
3. Police brutality and misconduct. The police also nolonger follows the true protocol of
arresting lawbreakers . So they just arrest without trial which leads to arresting of innocent
people hence misery
4. Mass incarceration and prison reform. Some people be imprisoned over nothing just because
the laws are not followed up properly hence the innocent citizens end up in cells even when they
wouldn’t
5. Lack of access to legal representation.. since most people do not have various connections,
they end up being sentenced even when they would get a chance of being represented. So lack
of connections is another social problem

*Environmental Issues:*

1. Climate change and global warming. Climate is the weather condition of an area recorded for
a long period of time while global warming is sudden increase in the temperature of an area such
climatal changes cause unplanned happenings like famine and many others
2. Pollution (air, water, land). This is the addition of harmful substances to the atmosphere,land
or water. So adding harmful substances to the above mentioned things like land may cause bland
infertility.which leads to low crop yields hence famine
3. Deforestation and habitat destruction. Deforestation cutting down of trees. This causes
desertification in most cases which reduces the level of transpiration which attracts rainfall
4. Natural disasters and disasters response . These are sudden happenings. Such include
landslides, floods drought and others.. such lead to death of people which causes misery
5. Lack of access to clean water and sanitation

*Housing and Urbanization:*

1. Homelessness and housing insecurity. People live on streets not because they want but ts jus
because they have no places of residence and the ones with homes are often robbed
2. Urban decay and gentrification. Due to urbanisation, some things have changed but to the
negative sued for example displacement of people

*Technology:*
1. Cyberbullying and online harassment. People tend to threaten others online and this causes
insecurity to those who are bullied
2. Privacy and data protection concerns. Some tend to hack into others’ accounts and get
information that they are not ought to get hence lack of privacy
3. Internet addiction and social isolation. Internet may also be an addiction to some people which
makes them lazy to work but to only think about being online hence not working and keeping in
poor standards of living
4. Lack of access to technology and digital divide. Some people can not access the use of mobile
phones computer. This hinders them from getting the current Information about the national
affairs
5. Misinformation and disinformation online

These examples illustrate the complexity and breadth of social problems, which often intersect
and overlap, requiring multifaceted solutions.
SOLUTIONS TO SOCIAL PROBLEMS
Solutions to social problems require a collective and multifaceted approach, involving
individuals, organizations, governments, and communities. Here are some general solutions:

1. *Education and awareness*: Educate people about the issues, their causes, and consequences.
2. *Policy changes*: Advocate for policies and laws that address the root causes of social
problems.
3. *Community engagement*: Engage with local communities, organizations, and stakeholders
to develop solutions.
4. *Support services*: Provide access to support services, such as counseling, healthcare, and
social services.
5. *Economic opportunities*: Create job opportunities, promote economic growth, and reduce
income inequality.
6. *Social inclusion*: Promote diversity, equity, and inclusion to address discrimination and
marginalization.
7. *Research and data analysis*: Conduct research and analyze data to understand the issues
and develop evidence-based solutions.
8. *Collaboration and partnerships*: Foster partnerships between governments, organizations,
and communities to leverage resources and expertise.
9. *Individual actions*: Encourage individuals to take personal responsibility and make positive
changes in their own lives and communities.
10. *Advocacy and activism*: Support advocacy and activism efforts to raise awareness and
push for systemic changes.

Specific solutions will vary depending on the specific social problem being addressed. Some
examples include:

- Mental health: Increase access to counseling services, reduce stigma, and promote mental
health education.
- Poverty: Implement poverty reduction programs, increase access to education and job training,
and improve social safety nets.
- Discrimination: Enact anti-discrimination laws, promote diversity and inclusion, and support
marginalized communities.

In conclusive remarks, These solutions require a sustained effort and commitment from all
stakeholders to create lasting positive change.