Risk, Modernity and Marginalization

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Risk, Modernity and Marginalization

• With reference to Ulrich Becks Risk Society
  Towards a New Modernity
• 15th of November 2005 by,
• Caroline Houlberg, Saskia Jensen
• and Gilleen Witkowski

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Ulrich Beck

• born in 1944
• Professor in sociology in munich and london
• Chief editor of Soziale Welt
• Editor of several books (inter alia Risk
  society)

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Gender
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Gender

• Changes in the traditional role models of men and
  women but still existing inequalities
• feminisation of equality but no feminisation
  of the labour market
• Verbal open-mindedness of men but fixed
  behaviour

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Gender

• Theses
• 1. the industrial society is a modern class
  society
• 2. the release of female and male models?
• 3. the realisation of inequalities choices and
  necessities

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Gender
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Genderscenarios of future developments

• 1. the return to the traditional family
• 2. the total equality of men and women
• 3. proving of new lifestyles

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Individualization

• Liberation from status-based social classes
• Increasing educational levels
• More cash to spend
• Changes in social structure

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Individualization

• Womens changing situation
• No longer dependant on spouses
• Changes family structure
• Changes society as a whole

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Individualization

• The individual is responssible for his own social
  integration
• Can no longer rely on family and/or class as a
  stable base
• Can lead to marginalization

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Individualization

• Standardization
• The individual becomes dependant on education and
  spending
• Even though the individual becomes independant
  from traditional structures, he becomes dependant
  on new ones
• Can lead to marginalization

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Traditional Labour Society
People can provide most of lifes essentials for
themselves food, water, shelter, clothing
Igloo-building
Farmers, USA, early 1900s
Spinning wool, India
Gathering water, Somalia
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Industrial Labour Society
People are specilialized in one area of work,
depending on others to provide some of their
basic needs. There is a risk of unemployment.
Factory work in the food sector
And the textile industry
A water treatment centre
Catalogue houses
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The New Modernity Underemployment and
Marginalization
Riots in Paris, France and around Europe poor
youth of immigrant backgrounds act out against
marginalization.
Harlem, NY Notorious crime-ridden primarily Black
community. As a group Black Americans are poorer
than WASPs and as a result, marginalized. (Re
BBC Europe special report)
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The Full Monty and Marginalization

• Without the proper training the situation is
  every bit as devastating as with training but
  without corresponding jobs. At the same time
  economic or demographic ups and down can cause
  entire generations to drift into the margins of
  society
• (Beck 1992 133)

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Discussion

• How do YOU see the marginalization of women and
  the un- and underemployed as we just discussed?