Institutions hold a great deal of power over people and can influence people’s daily lives dramatically. Every human activity connects to one or several institutions simultaneously, so the population’s daily lives are closely related to social institutions and could be influenced in a positive or a negative way. This essay will explore how institutions affect people’s lives through the example of a college student’s life and evaluate whether their influence is positive or negative.
The family institution shapes an individual’s views on the themes of gender and gender equality in daily life. According to Ang et al. (2021), the family institution mainly perceives both genders as equal, which is positive for gender equality. Authors emphasize that cases of the unequal amount of pocket money received by a sibling of another gender rarely happen in family institutions. On the other hand, the authors identified that in family institutions, the household chores remain divided by the traditional gender roles, which could negatively influence the younger individuals’ perception of gender equality.
In the education institution, both positive and negative effects could take place. According to Van Rensburg and Rothmann (2020), positive interventions and positive practices in different social institutions, like education, could result in higher performance levels and improved motivation of the students. However, depending on the type of educational organization, it could potentially influence the students’ social status and limit the student’s opportunities.
Lastly, the economic institution influences the daily life of the whole population in the same way. The economy determines the labor market, so a positive situation with guaranteed high wages could motivate the students to improve their level of knowledge and spend more time on education processes. However, the economic institution also determines the living conditions for students. During the COVID-19 pandemic, most students had to change their place of living, and many were at a loss of employment. According to Owens et al. (2020), many students experienced housing and food insecurities in the past year.
In conclusion, this essay explored how different institutions influenced people’s lives through the example of a college student’s life and attempted to evaluate whether the influence of institutions is positive or negative. The study showed that the college students’ life is majorly affected by the family, education, and economic institutions. Moreover, all institutions could affect an individual’s daily life both positively and negatively.
References
Ang, S. M., Koo L. K., Chang, Z. J., Low, K.W., Ong, Z., &Yeoh, B. K. (2021). Gender inequality, conflict and sexism within the family institution: A pilot study on university students’ experience. International Journal of Social Science Research, 3(2), 1-13.
Owens, M.R., Brito-Silva, F., Kirkland, T., Moore, C.E., Davis, K.E., Patterson, M.A., Miketinas, D.C., & Tucker, W. J. (2020). Prevalence and social determinants of food insecurity among college students during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Nutrients, 12(9), 1-17. Web.
Van Rensburg, C. J., & Rothmann, S. (2020). Towards positive institutions: Positive practices and employees’ experiences in higher education institutions. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 46, 1-11. Web.