SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS

WHAT IS A SOCIAL INSTITUTION?

A social institution is an organization or a structure within the society that helps in

socializing and shaping the behaviour of members of the society so that they fit well in
the society. Examples of social institutions are the family, schools, the kgotla, and
religious groups or faith communities such as different Christian churches, Hindu and
Sikh temples, and mosques. These settings within the society deal with people’s needs
and services. They also encourage people to abide by the law and maintain peace and
stability.

THE ROLE OF SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS IN PROMOTING FAIRNESS AND

EQUALITY

Many social institutions play an important role in promoting fairness and equality. Below
are examples of ways in which some social institutions promote fairness and equality.

THE FAMILY

The family plays a very important role in promoting fairness and equality through
socialising members to understand and accept that fairness and equality are important
moral values.
Below are some ways in which the family promotes fairness and equality.
♠ Children who treat others unfairly are reprimanded or punished.
♠ Adult members of the family act as role models for the children by treating other
people fairly and equally.
♠ Some parents promote fairness by making sure that the chores allocated to children are
suitable for their age.
♠ Some parents promote equality by avoiding gender bias when allocating chores to their
children. For example, both male and female children are expected to help with cooking,
cleaning the house, and washing dishes.
♠ Some men make decisions together with their wives in matters concerning their
families.
♠ Parents ensure fairness and equality by ensuring that children have an equal share of
property in their wills.

THE SCHOOLS

The school plays a role in promoting fairness and equality through teaching learners the
importance of fairness and equality and making school rules that treat everyone fairly and
equally.
The school can promote fairness and equality in the following ways:

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♠ By teaching learners about fairness and equality and encouraging them to treat each
other fairly and equally. They are taught about fairness and equality in subjects like
Moral Education and Social Studies.
♠ Ensuring that all students have equal and fair access to learning resources such as
textbooks and opportunities to develop their talents.
♠ In every school, there are class monitors and prefects who represent the interests of
student6s on issues that affect them. Student leaders can be encouraged to lead by
example by treating their fellow students fairly and equally.
♠ Teachers should treat boys and girls fairly and equally. For example, encouraging more
boys to do optional subjects such as Home Economics, that in the past were mainly done
by girls and encouraging girls to do subjects such as Design and Technology that were
mainly done by boys.
♠ By ensuring that school rules are obeyed by all students without exception. Punishment
for breaking school rules should be fair.
♠ By ensuring all students wear school uniform. This is a way of promoting equality
among students because it ensures that they all wear the same clothing regardless of
economic background.

RELIGIONS

Religious groups and communities promote fairness and equality through teaching their
followers to treat others fairly and equally. The following are some ways in which
religions promote fairness and equality.

♠ By teaching followers to treat others fairly and equally.

♠ Religions preach against discrimination, especially of vulnerable people such as the
children, the poor and the disabled. They encourage people to respect others.
♠ As a way of promoting gender equality, some religious groups accept women as
religious leaders, for example, women can be ordained as pastors or priests.

THE KGOTLA

In Botswana, almost every village has a kgotla.

The institution of the kgotla helps in promoting fairness and equality in the following
ways.
♠ Through kgotla meetings, members of the community are encouraged to treat each
other fairly and not violate the rights of others.
♠ To promote fairness, before disputes are settled, every person is given a fair hearing. A
person also has the right to appeal to a higher customary court if he or she is unhappy
with the judgement.
♠ Both males and females are allowed to attend kgotla meetings. In the past only male
adults attended kgotla meetings but nowadays all adults are allowed to attend kgotla
meetings. Young people are also encouraged to attend kgotla meetings. This promotes
equality in the community.

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♠ In order to promote fairness, people are allowed to voice their views during kgotla
meetings. The Setswana proverb ‘mmualebe o bua la gagwe gore mona lentle a tle a
letswe’ and the statement ‘mafoko a kgotla a mantle otlhe’ show that people are
encouraged to say their views and opinions.

DICTATORSHIP IN SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS

Dictatorship refers to the act of exercising complete power over people and forcefully
telling them what to do. People are governed without their consent. Dictatorship
encourages unfairness and injustice. A dictator is someone who forces others to accept
his decisions or ideas and power and authority.

CHARACTERISTICS OF DICTATORSHIP

♠ Lack of consultation by leaders. Leaders make decisions on their own without seeking
the advice or ideas from other people.
♠ Decisions made by leaders cannot be questioned and they are final. Often people do not
question their leaders’decisions out of fear of being victimized.
♠ Leaders have unlimited power and control over everything.
♠ Leaders usually exercise power and authority using physical force or the threat of force.
♠ Leaders demand that things should always be done their way. They have the attitude of
‘I know best and I know it all’.
♠ Many people tend to believe everything their leaders tell them and never question or
seek information outside what they are told.

EXAMPLES OF DICTATORSHIP IN SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS

THE FAMILY

♠ Husbands may make decisions concerning family matters without consulting their
wives and expect their wives to accept the decisions without complaining or disagreeing.
They may even indicate that their decision is final.
♠ Choosing for a spouse, who they should be friends with and who they should not be
friends with without any explanation. The spouse is not allowed to question the decision.
♠ Parents can set up rules that children cannot question because children are supposed to
be obedient to their parents.
♠ Parents choosing a wife or husband for their son or daughter. Some may refuse to
accept their son or daughter’s choice of marriage partner.
♠ A mother in- law dictating to a daughter in law how he should care for her children

EFFECTS OF DICTATORSHIP IN THE FAMILY

► Dictatorship does not give children the opportunity to grow and be independents they
are always told what to do and not to question authority.
► It can undermine the role of the other spouse as all instructions and decisions will
come from the one in power and the other party will just obey.

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► It can lead to people rebelling against the laws instilled for example, the children and
spouse may dessert the family.

THE SCHOOL

♠ School management making or changing school rules without consulting parents,

students and members of staff.
♠ Scheduling study time at the weekend and insisting that all students attend even if they
have good reasons for not being able to do so.

EFFECTS OF DICTATORSHIP IN THE SCHOOL

► Other stakeholders like teachers; support staff and students can boycott or strike.
► It can lead to poor performance or low productivity.
► Poor developments as stakeholders like Parents Teachers Association may decide no
to put any efforts in the running of the school.

RELIGION

♠ In some religious groups, followers are expected to follow their leaders without
question. For example, they are not allowed to question how money collected for
religious purposes is being spent. Those who question may be accused of indiscipline and
lack of faith.
♠ Some religious leaders dictate how members of the religious group should live their
lives.

EFFECTS OF DICTATORSHIP AT THE KGOTLA

► In the kgotla set up at times there is dictatorship as some chiefs impose their thinking
on the society. The Kgosi may abuse authority and use his power to manipulate people.
► Dictatorship can result in the stalling of development of a village as people may not
contribute towards development.
► It can discourage people to attend kgotla meetings because a kgotla is a platform
where people meet and share ideas, but if there is dictatorship it demoralizes the society.
► The community may rebel against the chief and call for his or her removal.

WHY IS THERE DICTATORSHIP IN SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS?

Below are some reasons that lead to dictatorship in social institutions.

● Cultural traditions encourage dictatorship in some social institutions. For example, in

the family, traditionally the man was the head of the family. He had the right to make
decisions without consulting his wife. He could sell family property such as cattle
without her consent. Men were socialized to know that they had control over their wives
and children that is why in some families, men could make decisions without seeking
their wives’ opinions or consent.

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● Some leaders take advantage of people’s ignorance or lack of understanding of the
rules, laws and their rights.
● Leaders may have been given the right, power and authority to make decisions on their
own.
● Religious leaders may take advantage of people’s deep faith to persuade them to do
whatever they say. They may use religious teachings to make their followers accept what
they are told without question.

THE IMPORTANCE OF FAIRNESS AND EQUALIY IN MORAL DECISION –

MAKING

Morally acceptable decisions are based on moral values, including fairness and equality.

Fairness and equality are important for the following reasons. The decision would:
♠ be accepted by many people because it is likely to be based on good reasons.
♠ not cause conflicts and misunderstanding between people because it would promote
peace and harmony.
♠ not promote favouritism and any form of discrimination and would benefit people
regardless of sex, colour, race or any other difference between them.
♠ help leaders gain respect from other people.
♠ promote respect for human rights because fairness and equality are fundamental values
on which human rights are based.

MORAL ISSUES THAT ARISE FROM THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL

INSTITUTIONS

A moral issue is any issue that involves ideas and beliefs about right and wrong conduct
or behaviour. Social institutions influence people’s ideas of right and wrong through the
process of socialisation.

Many moral issues are controversial and debatable because people have different views
about whether or not the behaviour or choice is morally right or acceptable. There are
reasons that may be advanced for and against them. Examples of debatable moral issues
that arise from the influence of social institutions are:
a) Abortion
b) Suicide
c) Gender inequality
d) Euthanasia
e) The use of contraception
f) Capital punishment
g) Human rights

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h) Sexual orientation
i) Prostitution
j) Religious beliefs and teachings

ABORTION

Religions teach that life is sacred because it is created by a Supreme Being. However,
most religions, including many Christian denominations, accept that abortion is
sometimes necessary, for example, in order to save the life of the mother. An exception is
the Roman Catholic Church which does not accept abortion at all, even if the life of the
mother is in danger.

Religious teachings on abortion influence the individuals as well as other social

institutions such as the family and the government on issues relating to abortion. For
example, the religious beliefs of families may lead them to socialize their individual
members to accept that life is sacred and abortion is therefore morally wrong. In such
families, when a teenager falls pregnant, even if the parents are angry with their child,
they would not allow their child to have an abortion.

Schools teach students about the consequences of abortion, the different views and
beliefs on abortion and the moral implications of abortion. This may influence the
students’ views about the morality of abortion.

THE USE OF CONTRACEPTION

Some families are influenced by their religious beliefs and as a result they may decideto
use or not to use contraceptives. Other families see the use of contraception as a human
right issue, and that the couple has a right to choose which contraception to use. However
many couples now consider the use of condoms because of STI’s especially HIV.

In some families, the wife may be condemned for using contraceptives as some partners
feel that sex is meant for procreation. This practice can put the woman’s life in danger
particularly when one considers that in African society, a man frequently has multiple
partners. There are cases in which women have been beaten up by husbands because of
wanting to have sex by using condoms.

Schools may condemn contraceptives such as condoms being promoted because they
view this as encouraging sexual activity among the youth or teenagers who are unable to
abstain. On the other hand, condoms protect young people against unwanted pregnancy
and sexually transmitted infections particularly HIV. In some subjects such as Religious
Education, Moral Education, Guidance and Counselling and Science, learners are taught
about contraception. The knowledge that they acquire from school, may influence the
learners’ decision on whether to use contraceptives or not when they start engaging in
sex. They are also influenced on which method of contraception to use.

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Religious followers are likely to be influenced by the teachings of their own religions and
may decide to use or not to use contraception.
Some churches also put couples’ lives at risk when they condemn the use of condoms,
particularly in this era of HIV and AIDS. Their teachings ignore the dangers posed by
unprotected sex. In Christianity, the Roman Catholic Church condemns all artificial
methods of birth control and teaches that the primary purpose of sexual intercourse is to
bear children. This can become a moral dilemma to the followers as it puts their health at
risk.

PROSTITUTION

This is a sexual act for which people are expected to pay. It is considered to be morally
wrong and is illegal I most countries.
Families: Parents try to teach their children proper moral conduct, but at times, poverty
and other social problems may force parents or children into paid sex to support
themselves.
Churches: Religious teachings generally condemn prostitution and regard it as
immorality. They believe that sex is a means of procreation and should never be for
commercial purposes and that people who engage in sex should be married to each other.

SUICIDE

Religion considers suicide as a morally wrong thing to do because life is considered

sacred. Those who commit suicide are considered to be committing sin because they are
destroying the sacredness of life. This religious belief may influence the followers’
attitude towards suicide and those who may attempt to commit it. This can influence
followers to avoid suicide. For example, in Christianity followers are taught that those
who commit suicide would not have eternal life as a result most Christians are likely to
avoid it.
Families influence its members to avoid suicide through religious beliefs and teachings of
moral values such as respect for life. Families normally encourage members to avoid
suicide by helping them to overcome problems that can lad to suicide.

Through subjects such as Guidance and Counselling and Moral Education students are
equipped with life skills that help them to overcome problems that can lead to suicide.
They are also taught about the effects and consequences of suicide which can influence
their attitude towards it.

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT

Most religions are agaist capital punishment because of the belief that life is sacred and
that no one has a right to destroy it except the creator. Generally religions are against
violence and do not support capital punishment because it involves violence. However
Sharia law in Islam allows capital punishment for certain crimes in Islam such as adultery
and murder. This influences the religious followers to argue for or against capital
punishment.

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The school promotes awareness of capital punishment as a moral and human rights
issues. Learners are taught about views and beliefs held by other people and different
organizations such as Ditshwanelo and Amnesty International. This influences the
learners’ views and opinions about capital punishment.

HUMAN RIGHTS

Human rights are violated for example in arranged marriages.

RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND TEACHINGS

Some religious beliefs and teachings do not allow women to hold positions of leadership,
which denies them equal opportunities.