Background
Youth unemployment is a global challenge of our contemporary society along with climate change. It the present industrial revolution, it is evident that job instability and chronic unemployment has significant impact on young people, which has devastating consequences for the broader society. Worldwide, about 40 million young people join the labor market annually. However, the labour market is not growing enough to accommodate the young population in the job market. According to Ortiz (2017), approximately 70 million in 200 million people are unemployed. If the economy does not offer a solution soon, then the society will find itself in a lost generation as well as generating other problems including dislocation, social exclusion, and loss of human capital. Another challenge in the labour market is the quality of jobs available. Quality jobs have been replaced therefore the available ones are low quality and do not offer substantial gains. Therefore, employment, social, and economic policies should tailor their efforts towards addressing the problem to eliminate the significant consequences of unemployment. This paper seeks to discuss the unemployment crisis, a conflict theorist and functionalist perspective on unemployment, and similarities in both theoretical concepts.
A Conflict Theorist Perspective on Unemployment
A conflict theorist perspective focuses on the existing inequality within society that contributes to the rising rate of unemployment. The theorist explains that power and class cause unemployment. The society is categorized by persistent inequality based on factors such as gender, race and class among others. The inequality successively projects that the poor in society hassle to get employment. Conflict theorist argue that stratification of people in society is wrong and there is need to change it. Conflict theorists argue that capitalism has contributed to classes in society (have and have-nots) and this is the reason for unemployment among a particular population. They state that bad economy, too many layoffs, social programs, and lack of adequate opportunities for jobs contribute to unemployment ( Healey, Stepnick & O'Brien, 2018).
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Unemployment is a social problem affecting the society in various ways. It can cause shame, social isolation, lead to violence, cause family breakdowns, and financial debt. Employment provides people with a place to social network and self-esteem and vice versa if a person is unemployed. Conflict theorists state that far-reaching social change is required to minimize or eradicate social inequality to establish an open society. Social problems are generated from major liabilities in the societal structure. These problems mirror and strengthen disparities based on gender, race, and social class ( Healey, Stepnick & O'Brien, 2018). Therefore, to obtain successful solutions, it is important for social problems to incorporate far-reaching change in societal structure.
Conflict theorist believe capitalist society is the major cause for social problems in society. They feel that eradication of poverty and capitalism would help to minimize the problem of unemployment. In a capitalist society, there are two classes of people based on ownership of means of production. The difference between the rich and the poor creates conflict of interest between them. The rich focus on maintaining their position at the top while the poor struggle to reach the top. The unequal positions held by the different people in society is the cause of conflict theory. These conflicts arise from differing positions in the structure of the economy while other divisions are based on gender, ethnicity, and race. Conflict theorists favor social change to minimize inequality, which in turn would help to eradicate the high rate of unemployment existing in our current society ( England, 2017).
A Functionalist Perspective on Unemployment
Functionalist believe that things should remain the way they are in society to guarantee long term stability of society. Social stability is important for a strong society, which can be facilitated by adequate social integration and socialization. They state that giving “status quo” is correct and does not require changes. According to functionalist, everything in society has a specific function it serves and these functions require to be understood. Every individual has a role to play in our functional society thus, he or she should suggest that there is need for stratification in society to allow everyone to serve his or her purpose. People with no jobs are not giving adequate effort or not smart that is why they have low paying or no job hence deserve it ( Tyyskä, 2017).
Functionalist argue that social problems such as unemployment has the potential to weaken the stability of society. Solutions to addressing the social problems should be done gradually rather than rapid and far-reaching. Fast social changes can pose threats to the social order but recommend slow social change. Despite the negative impact brought by social problems, they always provide significant functionalist for society. Various social challenges serve vital functions for society. For instance, although crime is a huge social problem, it is crucial for the economy because it establishes many job opportunities in home security, courts and corrections, and law enforcement. If there is no crime, it means many people would lose jobs. This example is similar to poverty, which although it is a huge social problem, it serves the functions of society. The poor members get to do jobs that some people in society would not want to do ( Tyyskä, 2017). Therefore, poverty as well offers employment for people worldwide like those working to serve organizations, which support the poor members of society.
Functionalist believe that getting employment is based on survival of the fittest. Employed people are smart or put in more effort, are paid better and thus are better. They argue that unemployment is a “natural” aspect of society and its functioning. It is natural that some people would be unemployed in society but social welfare programs are available to support the unemployed population. The social institutions of society offer significant functions to help in fostering social stability. In addition, they state that there are training schools for the unemployed population to re-train them. Functionalist state that the state of unemployed or employed is a natural effect of capitalism ( Tyyskä, 2017).
Similarities in both Theoretical Concepts
Both conflict theorist perspective and functionalist perspective are both true and can be applied in society based on their perspectives. Stability and order might be achieved in the existence of severe income inequality. For instance, an institution can focus on improving society efficiency and at the same time meet the needs of the dominate elite. In addition, in other instances, in an orderly and stable society, minorities may achieve their life goals by working hard. Moreover, a society may be characterized by conflict and disorder where the poor might achieve their goals only through rebellion and protest ( Leon-Guerrero, 2018).
Both theories can be perceived as two faces in society. Unemployment is a problem occurring in both societies and addressing it requires social interaction. These means to eliminate inequalities related to class, gender, race, and social factors are a source of conflict and oppression. It is evident that the poor in society feel oppressed due to the existing high unemployment. It is only the dominant elite in society, who have access to job opportunities among other resources and this leads to rise in conflict. All social systems depict inequalities in the distribution of vital resources. Understanding human behavior is crucial because inequalities in social relations contribute to development of conflict conditions and change ( Leon-Guerrero, 2018).
Additionally, both theories highlight the significance of conflict. In the functionalist perspective, conflicts contribute to smooth functioning of society. Similarly, in the conflict theorist perspective, conflict is important because it helps to know where the problem is in society and put efforts to address them accordingly. Conflict is necessary for enhancing performance. For instance, in the case of unemployment, the society would attempt to identify the root cause of the problem and the poor members of society would work harder to achieve their life goals ( Leon-Guerrero, 2018). Therefore, these theories share important concepts that provide helpful insights on unemployment global problem among youths in the current society.
Conclusion
Unemployment is a global youth problem affecting almost every ember in society at some point in their lives. Understanding ways of handling unemployment has become very essential to the broader society. The conflict theory perspective views unemployment to be a social problem emanating from the inequalities rooted in societies. Examples of the social inequalities leading to social problems including gender, ethnicity, race, and social class. Since these inequalities are the major cause of the have and have-nots in society, the theory believes social change is necessary to resolve the various social problems. A functionalist perspective perceives unemployment as a natural aspect of society, which should not be changed. Functionalist argue that rapid social changes would affect social stability of a society. They state that the poor in society deserve it because they are not smart and hardworking. They further claim that employment is survival for the fittest, therefore, if a person does not work towards achieving their goal. Lack of employment has significant impact on individuals, families, and the society as a whole. Lack of employment and other opportunities for social and economic success causes people to live in frustration and despair. Therefore, it is important for social and economic policies to address the problem of unemployment by advocating for far-reaching changes in the society’s economic structure.
References
England, P. (2017). Households, employment, and gender: A social, economic, and demographic view . Routledge.
Healey, J. F., Stepnick, A., & O'Brien, E. (2018). Race, ethnicity, gender, and class: The sociology of group conflict and change . Sage Publications.
Leon-Guerrero, A. (2018). Social problems: Community, policy, and social action . Sage Publications.
Ortiz, E. (2017). The global youth unemployment crisis: the great challenge of our time (along with climate change). Equal Times. Retrieved from: https://www.equaltimes.org/the-global-youth-unemployment?lang=en#.W_2pImgzbIV
Tyyskä, V. (2017). Conceptualizing and theorizing youth: Global perspectives. In Contemporary Youth Research (pp. 19-30). Routledge.
