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Home » Glossary » Social Structure

Social Structure

The organized pattern of social relationships and institutions that shape society.

Explanation

Social structure refers to the stable arrangement of institutions, norms, roles, and practices that organize society and influence individual and group behavior. It includes systems such as class, gender, race, and education, and underlies the distribution of resources and power. Social structures are dynamic but tend to reproduce existing patterns of inequality and control.

Theoretical Reference

Featured in the works of Emile Durkheim, Talcott Parsons, and Pierre Bourdieu.

Related Terms

  • Socialization
  • Role

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