Sociology of Sport and terms related to equality and opportunity in sport

Society

Social processes

Social issues

Social structures

Social action theory

An organised group of people associated for some specific purpose or with a shared common interest

Sum of total relationships in a given area

Sporting success is viewed as important measure of relative status of a society

National identity and pride

Achieved as a result of success rivalries formed due to previous historical events

Australia vs England

USA vs Russia

Socialisation

Primary socialisation

Secondary socialisation

Life long process where a member of society learns its norms values and ideas practices and roles in order to take a place in society

Early years of childhood and takes place via immediate family

Internalisation

individuals absorb and accept shared norms and values

Taught basic values and accepted behaviour patterns

Family less involved agencies deliberately set up for socialisation begin to exert more influence

Friends peer groups and schools

School gives moral skills such as cooperation, team work and responsibility

Gender socialisation

Learning of behaviour deemed appropriate for a given sex

impacts on participation in activities and behaviour

Social Control

Social Change

Refers to way in which people's thoughts, feelings and behaviour are regulated in social systems

Society made up of institutions which work together through social processes to ensure socialisation and social control

some social processes lead to constraint limited opportunities to become involved in sport resides in history :

An alteration in the social order of society

e.g. social changes offered by leisure facilities soft play

hard for a social group to bring about change if they have little influence in decision making groups (councils/national governing bodies

occurs when institutions re-adjust to meet the new needs of groups in society

Causes and consequences of inequality

Lack of money

Problems that may affect people in society

Inequality: the unfair situation where resources or opportunities are distributed unevenly within a society

Sexism

lack of confidence/ self esteem

Lack of role models to aspire to for certain roles

myths or stereotypes surrounding certain groups

Social stratification

a type of social inequality where people are divided on the basis of a social characteristic e.g. wealth and status

modern day society uses wealth as a stratification which bars people from participating in certain sports

sport allows people to take on athletic ability

problem of sport providing equality as its about dominance and competition

Social class a term used to define social inequalities certain groups have access to wealth income and power to others. factors which contribute to social class include job, family, background education and income

National curriculum PE young people who suffer as a result of social inequality will have less access to sport due to low income poorer health and diet which may undermine their physical ability and skills

extra curricular activities may be affected due to extra domestic responsibilities and economic strain working class less likely to get involved in clubs middle and upper class have more time to access and money

A way of viewing socialisation emphasising social action

Society maintained and created through interactions

Sport produced through social networks and social interdependence

sport developed along side society

People an intervene in social processes and change them

Interactionist approach

study of how individuals behave within a society

stems from social processes e.g. cooperation and conflict and how humans interact

communication is emphasised as its people who create society

social institutions are a product of interactions

Helpful in understanding how to:

make sports organisations more democratic and less hierarchically organised

change sport to match perspective and identities of those playing