Key Social and Cultural Institutions in Australia: Roles and Influence

This essay examines the profound influences exerted by major social and cultural institutions within Australian society. It delves into how these entities shape norms, values, and behaviors across various domains. The Uniting Church in Australia is highlighted as a significant religious institution influencing societal ethics and community activities. Politically, the Australian Labor Party's ideological stance on social democracy affects policy-making and political discourse at national levels. In health care, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare plays a crucial role in shaping public health strategies through comprehensive data analysis. Legally, the Law Council of Australia represents the legal profession and ensures adherence to justice standards. Lastly, the media institution represented by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation shapes public opinion and cultural trends through its broadcasting services. Together, these institutions form an interconnected web that significantly impacts societal structures and individual lives in Australia.

Running head: SOCIOLOGY
Sociology
Name of Student:
Name of University:
Author’s Note:

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Activity 1:
Eight major social and cultural institutions in Australian Society:
The major cultural institutions in Australia include the Australian National Maritime
Museum, Australian War memorial, museum of Australian democracy at Old Parliament House,
the National Archives of Australia, National Library of Australia, National Gallery of Australia
and many more.
The major social institutions include eSafety women, the Housing support programs,
Living Safe together, online gambling, Reducing Violence and many more which look after a
plethora of issues.
How does media impact societal functions in Australia:
The societal functions in Australia are influenced by the media according to the age
groups of the people. It is seen that the smaller age groups specially kids and teenagers are like
sponges and absorb everything in the media very fast. The young adults also engage in activities
which are influenced by the media. The influence is subliminal for those who are not
constructive enough to form their own views. In certain cases there are instances of victimization
as well (Barnett et al. 2014).
Ways in which either aged care or education systems impact communities, families and
individuals:
The majority of the population is skewed towards an older distribution. This is
responsible for negligence towards older population and it has led to the social policy problems

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for the governments. There is a pressure to support the aged members of the family financially
on all the citizens. There is a large proportion of the aged care which is usually managed by the
families. The impact of death on the people can be prevented. On the other hand, the care of
dementia patients and other mental diseases impacts the family members and their mental health.
Taking up these responsibilities also makes the individuals a better person.
Activity 2:
Discrimination against others on a number of attributes and possible inequality faced by
the clients:
There might be discrimination amongst individuals on the basis of race, inequality,
measurement, mechanisms and other minorities. These issues of discrimination might cause the
clients to feel demoralized and they might lose the interest of working or interacting with people.
The most important issue is that related to race which should not be the concern of any
individual. The people who are discriminated against feel low and inferior in comparison to
others.
Intent of Australia’s National Disability Scheme and proposed benefits:
The NDIS provides support to people with disability, their families and their careers. It is
jointly funded as well as governed by Australian and state and territory governments. It proposes
to help people access mainstream services including health, housing and education, access
community services like sports clubs and libraries and maintain informal support which includes
families and friends (Thill 2015).

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Impact of long term unemployment on individuals and their families:
Long term unemployment is considered to be a persistent and destructive social issue. It
needs to be addressed because it has terrible impacts on both individuals as well as society.
According to studies, the people who are unemployed for one year are very likely to be
unemployed for an elongated period of time. The personal and financial issues are also severe
including that of economic crisis, poverty, debt, homelessness, housing stress, family tensions
and breakdown, alienation, shame and stigma, increased social isolation, crime, erosion of
confidence and self esteem and finally ill health (Feather 2012).
Activity 3:
Challenges associated with adolescence and the possible impact of teenage behavior on
their families:
Adolescence is basically defined as the period between childhood and adulthood. It is that
challenging period when a young person moves from dependency on their parents to
independence, autonomy and maturity. There are biological, cognitive and also psychological
challenges. It involves the puberty stage which leads to biological challenges. There are
cognitive challenges involve issues of not being understood, psychological challenges are
patterns of rules of change and that of individuation. The erratic behavior and indulgence in
drugs and other additions leads to tension and huge worries in their families (Crone and Dahl
2012).

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Explain how retirees might interact with the community:
After people reach old age, they experience loneliness, complacence which can be solved
by actively interacting with the society so that their issues can be resolved. The retirees can be a
part of retirement communities and a range of organized activities to minimize isolation. Those
who reside in buildings with gyms can exercise on a regular basis. They can join health clubs as
well as golf, tennis or racket ball clubs which provide them with a social network. There are
learning groups and even groups indulging in common interests like gardening, discussing
books, films and so on in which the retirees can be involved in (Barnett et al. 2014).
Factors that might have an impact on Vietnam veterans:
The Vietnam veterans served as armed forces in the Vietnam War. There have been
instances of post traumatic stress disorder in the veterans who have survived the war due to the
issues related to witnessing of traumatic experiences. There have been instances of health
hazards, weakening mental and physical health and lack of a proper balance (Brooks et al. 2012).
Characteristics and some of the ideals of baby boomers:
Baby boomers refer to those individuals who were born between 1946 and 1964. These
people have certain characteristics which are specifically noticeable in their age group. These
people do not shirk from their responsibilities and are actually self assured and capable of
fulfilling their particular roles in the society. These category of people are competitive and have
high motivation to reach their pre-determined goals. These people are focused mentally on a
particular topic or a subject and usually possess amazing attention spans. These people are also
resourceful, team oriented with strong sense of community and are extremely disciplined. In
certain cases the people are non conformist and independent (Fingerman et al. 2012).

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Generation Y cohort and their own micro-culture:
The people who have been born from 1977 to 1995 are known as generation Y. The
micro-culture refers to the particular subgroups which are marked with specific languages and
expectations as well as different perceptions towards the society. The generation Y has
developed several characteristics such as minimal accomplishments, competitive sports and
possesses unrealistic expectations of working life. According to reports, these people require “me
time” on the job, non-stop feedback and also career advice from the managers. In certain cases
they are also civically as well as politically disengaged. Over the years the generation Y is
responsible for having built their own micro culture (VanMeter et al. 2013).
Five major social and cultural institutions in the Australian society and their functions:
Religious institution:
The Uniting Church in Australia is one of the most famous religious communities in
Australia and over a million people identify with the church and it is basically a protestant
church and its orientation is reformed and Methodist.
Political institution:
The Australian Labor party is a political organization in Australia. It has been in the
opposition in the federal level from the time of the elections in 2013. The ideology of the
organization is that of a social democracy (Lea and Nicoll 2013).
Health institution:
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare is a national asset and is one of the top
health and welfare statistics agencies in Australia.

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Legal institution:
One of the legal institutions in Australia is the Law Council of Australia. It is an
association of all the law societies and bar associations in Australia. It helps in representing the
legal profession at the national level.
Media Institution:
Australian Broadcasting Corporation is Australia’s national broadcaster. The funding of
this organization is provided by the taxpayers of Australia. It is famous for several shows on
television and also has numerous subsidiaries (Lea and Nicoll 2013).

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References:
Barnett, I., van Sluijs, E., Ogilvie, D. and Wareham, N.J., 2014. Changes in household, transport
and recreational physical activity and television viewing time across the transition to retirement:
longitudinal evidence from the EPIC-Norfolk cohort. J Epidemiol Community Health, pp.jech-
2013.
Brooks, E., Novins, D.K., Thomas, D., Jiang, L., Nagamoto, H.T., Dailey, N., Bair, B. and
Shore, J.H., 2012. Personal characteristics affecting veterans' use of services for posttraumatic
stress disorder. Psychiatric services, 63(9), pp.862-867.
Crone, E.A. and Dahl, R.E., 2012. Understanding adolescence as a period of social–affective
engagement and goal flexibility. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 13(9), pp.636-650.
Feather, N.T., 2012. The psychological impact of unemployment. Springer Science & Business
Media.
Fingerman, K.L., Pillemer, K.A., Silverstein, M. and Suitor, J.J., 2012. The baby boomers’
intergenerational relationships. The Gerontologist, 52(2), pp.199-209.
Lea, M.R. and Nicoll, K. eds., 2013. Distributed learning: Social and cultural approaches to
practice. Routledge.
Thill, C., 2015. Listening for policy change: how the voices of disabled people shaped
Australia’s National Disability Insurance Scheme. Disability & Society, 30(1), pp.15-28.
VanMeter, R.A., Grisaffe, D.B., Chonko, L.B. and Roberts, J.A., 2013. Generation Y’s ethical
ideology and its potential workplace implications. Journal of Business Ethics, 117(1), pp.93-109.