The Sociological Imagination

¶ … Sociological Imagination

Imagining a different life in a different culture is not so difficult. If I had been born a woman, for example, even a little more than one hundred years ago in the United States, I would certainly have a different life. I would not be able to vote, or have a career outside the home. I would probably be a Christian, but I would certainly view the world differently. The world would be far more mysterious than it is today because there would be no television, no radio, and probably no running water in my home, or electricity, unless I was wealthy. I would not know what was going on around the world until long after it happened and was reported in the newspaper, and I would not understand the plight of third-world countries. I would probably be less tolerant of other races and cultures, and would not welcome them into my "white-WASP" neighborhood. I would not have the educational opportunities that are available today, because most women still did not go to college, and I would not have many of the social programs that are available today if I happened to be a single mother.

There would be many more social regulations to follow, from how I dressed to how I acted in public. If I smoked, swore, or drank, I would be labeled a "loose woman" or worse. My only real goal would probably be to marry, raise a family, and live in a decent house. I would probably not be in the middle-class, and I would not have the modern conveniences to make my life easier, like a washing machine, vacuum, television, or anything else. I would work extremely hard, and if I had to work to support myself about the only opportunities available to me would be in sweatshop type factories. In short, my life would be far more difficult. I would probably be more religious, because my life would be so hard that I would rely on a higher power for hope and for reliance. I would also look to my extended family for support, and we would probably live closer together and spend more family time together. This shows not only how much our society has changed in just one hundred years, it shows how different our lives have become, and how much better we have it than so many other people of the world, who still live in conditions like these today.