SOCIAL CHANGE

What is Social Change and Why Should We Care?

Social change is way human interactions and relationships transform cultural and social institutions over
time, having a profound impact of society.

Social change is a concept many of us take for granted or don't really even understand. No society has
ever remained the same. Change is always happening. We accept change as inevitable, and it is, end of
story, right? Well, not exactly.

Sociologists define social change as changes in human interactions and relationships that transform
cultural and social institutions. These changes occur over time and often have profound and long-term
consequences for society. Well known examples of such change have resulted from social movements in
civil rights, women's rights, and LBGTQ rights, to name just a few. Relationships have changed,
institutions have changed, and cultural norms have changed as a result of these social change
movements.

When change in social structure, social order, social values, certain customs and traditions, socio-
cultural norms, code of conduct, way of conducting oneself in the society, standards, attitudes, customs
and traditions of the society and related factors take place, it is said that there is social change.

When there is social change, the process of socialization also changes accordingly. The individual who is
an active member of the society becomes an agent and target of social change. He brings social changes
and also is influenced by such changes.

In a particular period people of the society are guided by certain rules and regulations, customs,
traditions values and beliefs, the way every one has to manage and guide himself, people have to
manage their style of living, their work, business, profession and conduct. Individuals of the society,
young and old are guided by these rules and belief.

Socialization of children is also influenced by these frame of reference. The DOS and Donts of the society,
as we know influence the process of socialization. But after a certain period, due to evolution or
revolution we find slight or remarkable change in the above aspects of social life.

In some cases, these changes may be slow or fast, may be a matter of degree or kind. In some cases it
may be substantial and drastic while in other cases it may gradual and of low order.

Causes

There are various reasons why societies undergo social change. Change can be brought about due to
technological developments, social institutions, social conflict or the environment. These factors can be
viewed as the agents of social change.

Technology has become an integral part of society ever since the late 19th century and human
dependence on technological development is only growing. It is no surprise that technology can be a
reason for social change. Technology can be argued to be the bridge that allows us to exist in such an
interconnected world, it acted as the thrust for globalization. Without the internet and the introduction
of cellular phones and digital devices, we would not have a hybrid global society.

Advancements in technology also led to the improvement of the medical and agricultural world, both of
which have multitudes of benefits. High-tech medical equipment now makes it easier for doctors to treat
critically ill patients and have also eased the process of childbirth, greatly reducing the number of
deaths during childbirth. The development of large agricultural fields and equipment have made it easier
to grow to produce in bulk for commercial purposes. Food scientists are also finding ways to create
hybrid fruits and vegetables which are packed with nutrients. The impact of technology extends towards
culture as well. Different cultures come into contact with and influence each other. Globalisation is a key
example of how technology has brought about cultural change.

However, it is important to observe how technology has created a digital divide and is furthering the
inequalities faced by marginalised and underprivileged sections of society. Those with access to the
internet and digital resources can arm themselves with information while the rest are left to their own
devices or a lack of one.

Social institutions are organised systems within society that follow certain social rules and norms. Social
change can affect social institutions just as the reverse- social institutions triggering social change- takes
place. Industrialisation is an example of how social change affected social institutions. Previously the
family, being a large unit, would take care of agriculture, education and so on. However, as
industrialisation progressed, families broke into smaller units and social institutions such as schools and
industries began to take up their roles.

Natural disasters can uproot societies and it takes a while to build them back to what it was before.
These disasters also highlight the importance of environmental activism and urge individuals to show
more care and support to the land they live in. Activists such as Greta Thunberg have immensely
contributed to creating awareness of environmentalism. It has put large organisations and industries
under the spotlight and expose how the present way of functioning is causing immense damage to the
earth. It has also led to smaller changes such as switching from plastic bags to cloth bags and plastic
straws to metal ones.

Social conflict is perhaps the most easily observable cause for social change and usually results in
large-scale protests and public demonstrations. With the help of the internet, social change exists and
can be executed in the digital world as well. Social conflict can occur due to class-based struggles, gender
issues, racism and ethnic discrimination. It all highlights how the majority is in dominance and exploits
and harasses the marginalised. Wars are major events that are discussed when talking about social
conflicts in the past.
Types of Social Change:

From the ensuing discussion it appears that social change can be categorised to two types:

(1) Evolutionary Social Change

(2) Revolutionary Social Change.

(1) Evolutionary Social Changes:

Evolutionary changes occur in course of a long period slowly and gradually and through evolutionary
process. Such changes are not very drastic or remarkable. They proceed gradually like the process of
conditioning and people learn to adjust with such changes gradually.

People are able to adjust better with evolutionary social changes as the process is slow and gradual and
hence easy to adjust. We also find today many male members wearing pants and shirts while sitting in
Puja which was not acceptable several years back.

Use of Jeans and T. shirts in place of half pants and shirts have become common sights in schools and
colleges, in public life and members of the society have gradually coped with this.

Even old and aged people of India are now found wearing such westernised dresses without any
conflict or guilt feeling, since society has gradually accepted it. Similarly women going for higher
education, studying in coeducational institutions, do join army, navy and airforce, for becoming
pilots, going to space to join politics, doing various jobs which were earlier meant for men only.

Doing various jobs outside the domestic front, which were not acceptable several decades back
for women is now accepted. Husbands in Indian society doing domestic chores which were not
acceptable hundred years back have become common practices to-day in Indian societies. This
has been possible due to gradual, evolutionary social change. This change has not occurred
instantly, suddenly, abruptly.

Earlier many people did not pay tax, but now people have developed the mind set to pay tax
considering it as legal and are paying tax voluntarily. These are simple examples of important
evolutionary changes which occur gradually within sufficient time perspective.

(2) Revolutionary Changes:

It is the opposite of evolutionary change. When the changes in various sectors of our social
system occur suddenly, drastically and sufficiently so as to differentiate it from gradual, slow
change, it is called revolutionary social change.
The change in other words is great in degree, remarkable. The changes are such that they
change the whole social order and the course or style of living, conduct and concept of do’s and
donts. They are a matter of kind which occur due to some movement, revolution war, rapid
technological changes, due to sudden change in social events.

They occur very quickly and within a short period or short duration. Let us take some examples.
The changes in social structure and social system which occurred after various famous
revolutions like the French, the Russian, the Chinese and the American Revolution and more
recently the revolutionary changes that occurred or are still occurring in various Afro-Asian
countries occur due to revolutions and movements India’s freedom movement or revolution for
independence from ‘British Raj’ is a case of revolutionary movement.

Besides India’s small or big movements to eradicate the evils of colonialism, caste and class
system economic disparity, tribal life style, superstition, to fight against suppression and
oppression, are valid examples. Introduction of widow marriage, abolition of child marriage,
and Satidaha Pratha, acceptance of intercaste and inter religion marriage are to some extent
examples of revolutionary change.

In short, those remarkable and drastic changes which occur in the social system of a country or
society in a very short span of time are possible due to revolution and movements big or small.
Such drastic changes not only change the life style of people in a society, they also transform the
relationship between individual across countries including within the countries.

Various cross cultural studies lead to support this observation. Attitude change is an important
example of the effect of social change which may happen either due to evolutionary or
revolutionary change.

Because of various social changes attitude of people also change towards the social system. It is
therefore rightly viewed that man is not only an agent, but also a target of social change. In
short, man is indispensable in bringing social changes as well as is influenced by the same social
changes.

He makes or changes the society where he lives and is again influenced by such a changed
society. Social activities who fight against dowry system and are able to pass a law in that regard
are also influenced by the abolition of dowry system. When their sons and daughters get
married they cannot claim or give dowry.

Characteristics of Social Change:

Nature and characteristics of social change:

Social change is continuous: Society is always undergoing endless changes. Society

cannot be preserved in a museum to save it from the ravages of time. From the dawn of

history society has been in continuous flux.

Social change is temporal: Social change is temporal in the sense it denotes the time-

sequence. In fact, society exists only as a time-sequence. Innovation of new things,

modification and renovation of the existing behavior and the discarding of the old

behavior patterns take time.

Social change is environmental: It must take place within a geographic or physical and

cultural context. Both these contexts have impact on human behavior and in turn man

changes them. A social change never takes place in vacuum.

Social change is human change: The sociological significance of the change consists in

the fact that it involves the human aspect. The composition of society is not constant, but

changing.

Social change may be planned or unplanned: The direction and tempo of social change

are often conditioned by human plans and programmes of man in order to determine and

control the rate and direction of social change. Unplanned change refers to change

resulting from natural calamities such as- famines, floods, earthquakes etc.

Short versus long-run changes: Some social changes may bring about immediate results

while some others may take years and decades to produce results. This distinction is

significant, because a change which appears to be very vital today may be nothing more

than a temporary oscillation having nothing to do with the essential trends of life, some

years later.

Social change is an objective term: The term social change describes one of the

categorical processes. It has no value-judgments attached to it. To the sociologist social

change as a phenomenon is neither moral nor immoral, it is amoral. It means the study of

social change involves no value judgment. One can study change even within the value

system without being for against the change.

Social change may create chain reaction: Change in one aspect of life may lead to a series

of changes in its other aspects. For example- change in rights, privileges and status of

women has resulted in a series of changes in home, family relationships and structure, the

economic and to some extent political pattern of both rural and urban society.
When either evolutionary or revolutionary changes take place in the social system one lives,,
observable changes take place in the social values, customs, traditions, cultural heritage, age old
beliefs, style of living, dress, attitude, superstitions stereotype, way of conducting oneself in the
society, process of socialization and overall behaviour of its members.

Thus the chief characteristics of social change is the change in various areas of the social system
where man is born, grown and dies. Such changes influence his attitude towards various stimuli,
values, faiths and beliefs, his emotions and sentiments, his moral and religious standard, his
conscience and super ago.

The characteristics and nature of social change influence a mans Id, ego and super ego, his
entire psycho physical system, his mental and physical characteristics, and his overall nature,
conduct, response and behaviour in the environment in which he moves, such as his family,
neighbourghood, his response to social members, and how he reacts to them.

When remarkable difference is observed in ones attitude towards widow marriage, towards
dishonesty, towards various cultural conditions, towards unwed motherhood, single parenting,
divorce, infanticitis, family planning, girl child, legalized abortion and population control, we say
that social change has occurred.

Further such changes in the attitude and values of a person should be more or less durable,
relatively permanent and whole heartedy acceptable and practised by a majority of the society.
A social change must continue for a considerable period. When certain social orders
are “out” and in their place new or alternative social orders arc “in”, when such changes are
perceivable we say that there has been social change.
However such acceptances of the change by a few members would not be called social change.
If a few accept the changes and majority oppose it, it gradually disappears and people will again
go for the old values and customs. Sometimes it is found than when majority people experience
that the changed social system does more harm than good, they again go back to the old social
order.

Ayurvedic medicine and yoga which were used and practiced by most people during the ancient
time and were given up in between have now again become very popular and people are again
taking their help to get cured and keep oneself sound and fit.

Man being the prime motivator of social change, social change cannot be given shape without
the human being. Majority of the people ultimately have to conform the social change for its
continuity and durability.

Factors Influencing Social Change:

Social change do not occur automatically. Certain factors do influence social change.

They are discussed below briefly:

(i) Social Movement and Social Revolution:
Pages of world history records several important social movements and revolutions such as
French revolution, American revolution, Russian revolution, Chinese revolution and so on.

A social movement originates when either people are discontent and unhappy with the existing
social system or social order, when people try to establish a new order of life or a new style of
living or when the social system is established in a condition of unrest.

what social movement exactly means? A social movement refers to collective efforts to
establish a new order of life which ultimately brings changes in the existing social system of that
society, state or country.

Movements organised by minority groups initially may be accepted and practised by people
collectively. Heberice (1951) holds that a social movement basically attempts to bring about
fundamental changes in the social order particularly in the basic field of property and labour
relationships.

Human Rights movements among the African-Americans in the United States serve as an
example. In India even several Human Rights Organisation are starting movements to change
the existing attitude of the higher socio-economic groups towards their lower counter parts.

Similarly the right to information is a kind of human right which has been constitutionally
legalised in India and abroad serves a fine example of change in social order and social system.

Keeping in view the purpose of social change Sherif and Sherif have given the following
comprehensive definition of social movement.

According to them A social movement consists of a pattern of attempts over time prompted by
a state of common unrest, discontent or aspiration shared by large number of individuals to
bring about change in, to establish, the maintain or to suppress a definite scheme of human
relations and values through pronouncement, literature, meetings and direct collective action,
(e.g., rallies, boycotts, marches, strikes, insurrection etc.).

A social movement may be initiated by suffering, tortured, neglected and humiliated persons
who are whole heartedly dissatisfied with the existing social order. Initially the pattern of social
movement erratic, being half hazard and unorganised may be started by a few.

But gradually over time, it takes a concrete shape and large numbers of people come forward to
participate. Subsequently, it becomes more organised and coordinated. It has a formal leader
irrespective of the fact whether finally it is successful or not.

(ii) Common Motivation:

A social movement which is the basic cause behind social change stands on its motivational base.
There; must be a single motive common to all participants on which the social movement can stand
firmly such as causes like woman’s right to vote and property, woman’s empowerment, widespread
dissatisfaction of landless people, defects in the existing land reform rules, dissatisfaction over
inadequate working conditions, the right to information or civil rights, equal opportunity to every citizen
irrespective of caste, creed, community or property, etc.

(iii) Common Need:

Common motivation originates from common need. When a particular social movement includes several
spheres of living like change in working condition, right to vote, right to earn, right to information etc. it
will fight for broad changes in social system either through evolutionary or revolutionary method.

Interested participants of the social movements are usually those who are directly affected by the
existing social order. But sometimes social and human rights activities take leading part in social
movements without being directly affected.

Need for social change is a powerful factor of influencing and bringing social change. If there is no need
to be dissatisfied with the existing social system or social order, an evolutionary or revolutionary social
movement cannot start.

(iv) Long Standing Suffering due to Suppression and Oppression:

This factor influences a lot any social movement aimed at social change based on a single or number of
issues.

Suppression by the higher socio economic class of the lower socioeconomic group, suppression of the
low caste by the high caste, by the high rank employees of its low rank counterparts, rejection of the
genuine demands of the various socially economically and psychologically disadvantaged class, and many
more problems of a caste and class based society, racial and communal feeling produce the urge for
social change.

People who have been suppressed from generation to generation initially tolerate and remain silent. But
gradually they revolt when their limit of tolerance is crossed. At such a cross road some people start a
movement and provide leadership.

(v) Impact of Communication:

Many social changes are influenced by various electronic and mass medias like TV, Radio, news paper
etc. These agents highlight the woes and sufferings of needy people and encourage a change in the
social order. People who read papers, listen to Radio or view television; people who are educated are
influenced. They actively or passively directly or indirectly participate in the process of social change.
These medias make the common man aware of their problems, their rights and demands. Their clouded
mind is lighted through their information. Modern day information technology has helped a lot in this
regard.

(vi) Education:

Notwithstanding the fact that education is a means of communication, education is discussed here
separately as a means of social change because of its specific importance. Educated people are more
conscious and aware of the positive and negative points of any social system.

Since education provides knowledge and knowledge increases mans outlook as well as rationality and
judgement, education acts as a very powerful force of social change. With the rise in the percentage of
educated people in the population it is seen that people have been more conscious of the social evils
and are fighting for a change. Hence the importance of education cannot be under estimated is social
change.

(vii) Technological Changes:

Technological changes including various inventions also influence social change. Urbanisation and work
culture etc. are influenced by a technological society. In the 21st century when man is entering the space
huge and making huge technological advances, the social order of that country is bound to change.

Technological advances do influence the life style, way of living, conduct and day-to-day behaviour of a
person becomes more urbanised than traditional and more complex than simple. His needs, desire and
life style change suddenly. Under such circumstances he experiences the urgent need for a social change.

It has been noticed that in many Western and advanced countries like US, UK, Russia, China, German and
Japan various technological changes have brought huge and drastic transformation is social life.