Social Structure And Its Impact On Society - 1272 Words

Civilizations throughout history have operated under an organized system. This system, is known as social class, is needed in order for society to define roles, structure and political order are necessary. This ensures societal order and eliminates chaos. It is human nature to have hierarchy based on class standing and one could argue that social standings or class varies a great deal across cultures. This paper will examine different social structures across cultures and the impact social structure has on society. For some civilizations, there is a chance for social mobility allowing those who work hard to have social mobility. Without social class, social mobility would not exist and there would be no incentive to move up in social†¦show more content†¦Each caste had their own dharma (meaning a principle of order) and also, specific laws and restrictions. To pursue their dharma, they are required to marry within their caste. The Indian society is patriarchal and the villages are ran by males that are head of the household. The males have possession over women and children in their family. The practice by the Hindus is called purdah, this involved the women being confined to her house. Women were unable to leave the house unless they wore a thick veil in public and they could only show their faces to their family. Another example of subordination was sati, this meant that if a wife’s husband died, she would have to be cremated alive with him1.These are just a few examples of th e Indian social structure. The Code of Manu was one of the laws written for Hindus; they believe it enabled them to reach their dharma. In this book of order, it describes laws in which men and women must follow in Indian society. For example, in the Code of Manu it says, â€Å"A Brahmana who takes a Sudra wife to his bed, will (after death) sink into hell; if he begets a child by her, he will lose the rank of a Brahmana† . This law infers that if a Brahmin (the highest in the caste system) has a relationship with a Sudra wife (the lowest in the caste system) then he will not have dharma