Social change facts for kids

A set of social changes proposed for climate change mitigation

Social change means how a society changes over time. This includes changes in how people live, act, and relate to each other. It also covers changes in important groups or systems, like schools or governments. When these changes happen on a big scale and last a long time, they can lead to a complete social transformation of society.

Social change is not always about making things better, like social progress. It just means things are different. For example, it can describe a big shift in how a society works, like moving from a system where kings ruled to one based on capitalism.

Social development is about how people learn social and emotional skills as they grow. This is especially important during childhood and the teenage years. Good social development helps us build strong, positive relationships with family, friends, and teachers.

Sometimes, social change can be a social revolution, like the ideas of Marxism about how society should change. It can also be about social movements, such as the fight for women's suffrage (the right for women to vote) or the civil rights movement. Many things can cause social change, including culture, religion, money, the environment, science, or new technology.

What Causes Social Change?

Change in society comes from two main places. One is from unique things like the weather or specific groups of people. The other is from regular, predictable factors. For example, a society that develops well usually has a strong and flexible government. It also needs enough resources and different kinds of social groups. Most of the time, social change is a mix of these regular factors and some unique events.

Many ideas try to explain why social change happens. One idea suggests that any theory of change should look at how populations shift. It should also consider the ways and reasons social change happens, and where it is headed.

Big Ideas About How Society Changes

• Hegelian Idea: This idea says that change happens when two opposite forces meet. First, there's an idea (the Thesis). Then, an opposing idea comes along (the Antithesis). These two ideas clash, and from that conflict, a new, combined idea (the Synthesis) is formed. This new idea then becomes the next thesis.
• Marxist Idea: This view sees history as a constant "struggle between social classes." It suggests that changes in society happen because different groups of people with different amounts of power are always in conflict.
• Kuhnian Idea: The philosopher Thomas Kuhn said that people often stick with old ways of thinking, even if they don't work well. They only truly change when a much better new idea is widely accepted. Think about how people used to believe the Earth was the center of the universe, until the idea of the sun being the center became accepted.
• Heraclitan Idea: The Greek philosopher Heraclitus used a river as an example. He said, "You can't step into the same river twice." This means that for a river to stay a river, it must always be changing. Like a living thing, society must constantly change to keep going.
• Four Levels of Action: Will Grant describes four ways people can act to create change:
  • Individual actions
  • Actions with friends and family
  • Actions within communities and groups
  • Actions that affect the economy and government rules

Grant suggests that individuals can make the biggest difference by focusing on their friends, family, and local community.

How Does Change Happen?

Social changes can happen at different speeds and affect different numbers of people. They can also be started by different things. Some research looks at how social groups like companies change.

Here are some ways change can show up:

• Gradual Change: This is slow, step-by-step improvement, like the ideas of the Fabian Society. It's about making small changes over time.
• Radical Change: This means making big, fundamental improvements. It's about changing things from the very root.
• Revolutionary Change: This is a sudden, big, and often drastic change. It can involve violence and aims to start completely fresh. It's often seen as a scary idea by some.
• Transformational Change: This is a newer way to describe radical change. It's about a deep and complete shift.
• Continuous Change: This is change that never stops, sometimes just for the sake of changing.
• Top-Down Change: This kind of change comes from leaders or people in charge.
• Bottom-Up Change: This change comes from regular people, the "huddled masses," who demand it.

Modern Examples of Social Change

Global Population Shifts

One clear change happening now is how the world's population is spread out. In recent years, developing countries have had a much larger share of the world's people. For example, in 1950, they made up 68% of the population, but by 2010, it was 82%. At the same time, the population in developed countries has shrunk from 32% to 18%.

China and India are still the largest countries by population. The United States is a distant third. However, population growth around the world is slowing down. In developed countries, growth has been slow since the 1950s, now at only 0.3% per year. In less developed countries (not including the very poorest), growth has also slowed since 1960, now at 1.3% annually. The poorest countries still have the highest growth, at 2.7% per year.

Changes in Work and Family Roles

In many developed countries, there have been big changes since the mid-1900s. Work that used to be only for men or only for women is now more equal. Both men and women are now seen as important in driving social change around the world.

See Also

In Spanish: Cambio social para niños