Sociological Imagination Discussion

Table of Contents

Introduction
Sociological Imagination
Social Perspectives
Conclusion
References

Introduction

In this assignment, I will discuss the meaning of sociological imagination. I will also analyze the social issues, gender pay gap, and work automation in the fields of education, economy, and labor that influence my future decisions. Moreover, the paper includes findings from an article related to job automation. Another aspect discussed is the analysis of the social condition in light of the conflict theory.

Sociological Imagination

Sociological imagination refers to the application of life experiences to existing social concerns. It is also the ability to view things from a social point of view and to understand how things interact in social settings to influence peoples choices and behaviors. Sociological imagination connects people to their societies and defines the relationship between history and biography (Puga & Easthope, 2017). People can apply sociological imagination to make informed decisions by being aware of all social factors that might make them make poor choices.

Some social issues affecting education, the workforce, and the economy are the gender wage gap and workplace automation. The gender wage gap refers to the difference in pay rates between men and women for similar types or periods of work. For instance, in the U.S, a woman earns 93 cents for every dollar a man earns for people aged between 25 to 34 years (Abdel-Raouf & Buhler, 2020). Women might need to work harder to earn a living than men. Workplace automation is applying technology and machines to complete tasks with little or no human involvement (Geiger, 2020). Robots and computer software are examples of automation tools used to accomplish physical activities in the work area.

An article on workplace automation provides an overview of Americans view of its impact on Americans personal and economic lives. One of the findings related to workplace automation mentioned in this article is that workplace automation will keep increasing. 82% of Americans believe that machines will conduct most of the work humans do by 2050 (Geiger, 2020). Another finding is that job automation will foster economic inequality. Machines and robots will only be affordable to the rich, and the poor will lack jobs, causing an increase in the gap between the wealthy and the poor. Job automation also affects workers, especially the low skilled and low income earners, negatively. Many people with low skills have lost their jobs or had reduced wages due to job automation (Geiger, 2020). All these three findings are applicable in helping understand the effects of job automation.

Karl Marxs conflict theory identifies that due to scarce resources, conflict arises as people compete for these resources. Thus, every person or group applies whatever power bestowed on them to maximize their benefit (Nickerson, 2021). For instance, in light of the conflict theory, the gender wage gap occurs due to mens power. Throughout history, men have always had dominion over women, allowing them to bend things to their favor. Thus, many bosses, CEOs, and other high positions are held by men, while women get the less-paying positions despite their education, skills, and knowledge levels.

Conclusion

I have learned that having a concise grasp of the social issues relating to my education, career, and the economy is essential, especially when making related decisions. I would focus my education on skills that would be less affected by job automation and always employ sociological imagination to make choices that will benefit me both in the short and long run. One aspect I might change is not to rely on one career path but to have multiple plans in place as times change to be ready for any social changes that might come my way.