ABSTRACT
This chapter explains a selection of social institutions and examines some of the main ones and, in so doing, show their importance and consider how the knowledge of them can be useful from an applied sociology perspective. The chapter shows the territory covered should be sufficient to make it clear that social institutions are important aspects of society and social life. It reviews how there are various social institutions, established entities that shape people social experiences in a number of ways. The chapter describes the significance of social structures with their constant pronounced tendency to assign people to positions of either dominance or subordination, challenging the ideological notion that society is a level playing field. It also explains that there are various powerful social processes constantly operating in society, processes that have profound and far-reaching consequences.
