Introduction
Living in a demographically diverse society means multiple factors can shape one’s life experiences. In this case, the master statuses define the social position that one occupies and define the behaviors and roles of the individual in a social context. My life experiences emanate from my social status, including race, gender, and religion. I am a 23-year-old Latino student, male, and a Catholic whose family is relatively poor and who identifies as below middle class. As such, I have often faced difficulties caused by racial inequalities.
Identifying My Master Statuses
The master statuses selected are race and religion because they have played the most significant role in shaping my life experiences. A Latino Catholic occupies a unique position in American society that is sharply stratified. Indeed, social stratification leads to a situation where very few individuals, often white males, control wealth and power while the rest of the society enjoys very little of either (Crossman).
Social structures in the United States play a vital role in defining an individual. As an individual below the middle class, I experience greater poverty, unemployment, and even limited access to healthcare. Additionally, social institutions will often treat people differently based on such structures as social class, status, culture, and group affiliation.
The Impact of Master Statuses on My Life Experiences
The two master statuses affect my life differently, often depending on the context. Race exposes my family and me to the problems associated with systemic racial inequalities. On the contrary, religion often provides solace, a sense of hope, and the desire to keep fighting for a better future. Current literature elaborates on how structural racism works in the United States, especially regarding how it affects racial minorities.
The concept of structural racism entails the racial exploitation of minorities by institutions. In the United States, among the most exploited racial minorities are Latinos, especially undocumented immigrants. Undocumented Latino immigrants are exposed to labor exploitation, worse health outcomes, and devastating working conditions (Salinas and Salinas 2).
Even though I do not identify as an undocumented immigrant, my family has often experienced similar problems with work. First, it is difficult for my elder brother and mother to secure stable employment. The jobs available often pay low rates, sometimes even below the minimum wage. The working conditions are always extreme, including exposure to industrial chemicals, long working hours and challenging manual work.
Even though I am only a college student, being a racial minority means I cannot attend the country’s best schools. My mother hardly finds work, and my brother often cares for the family. I have also been involved in many kinds of work since I was sixteen to help with the family and cater to some of my school expenses. Therefore, being a Latino in the United States often means exposure to many social problems engineered by American institutions.
Applying Sociological Concepts to My Social Identity
Even though contemporary American society is mainly secular, religion still has a place in people’s social lives. Indeed, religion is one of the most critical social institutions among Hispanics. Latino Catholics differ from English-speaking Catholics because they are perceived as warmer and more welcoming. They build a sense of family where everyone is welcome regardless of race, age, language, sexual orientation, or marital status.
On the contrary, English-speaking Catholics are more individualistic and goal-oriented. In other words, English-speaking Catholics do not create a similar atmosphere to their Hispanic counterparts. In this regard, I would argue that Latinos are more religious based on personal observation. My family and I always go to church and attend all the Catholic services. I have a greater sense of fellowship at church than friendships at school or other settings. As a staunch Catholic, my beliefs often give me hope and keep me from adverse behaviors. Social injustices dictate crime rates among racial minorities. However, my brother and I have restrained ourselves from any crime due to our religion.
Race and religion matter in the larger society because they are both social institutions. Religion is a social institution because it comprises practices and beliefs that address societal needs. Karl Marx believed that individuals are defined by their relationships with others and with social institutions (Khan et al. 19). Therefore, subscribing to a particular religion means complying with the belief system or a larger society.
Race matters because it can dictate critical social processes and institutions. For example, being a Latino means lacking access to the best education and healthcare services. At the same time, being white can guarantee an individual leniency in the criminal justice system. The American racial profile can be summed up as a white supremacist population dominating vulnerable racial minorities. Such systems have been built for centuries and have a significant heritage from colonization and slavery.
Therefore, being a Latino in America automatically dictates the social position and treatment by social institutions. Even though gender roles among Latinos remain relevant, my family perceives itself as more modern. Therefore, my brother and I do not now allow society to dictate roles. In other words, we do not share roles based on our gender since doing so would relegate our mother to domestic chores.
Intersecting Identities and Their Influence on My Social Reality
Race and religion often intersect and create new life experiences. Recent events in the United States make the lives of racial minorities even more difficult due to their religious affiliation. Even though I lack personal encounters with such experiences, the news media has covered attacks on Hispanic catholic churches in the country. Examples include attacks on three catholic churches in El Paso that served Hispanics and immigrants (Acevedo).
Today, many churches are under attack by various disgruntled groups. Negative perceptions of Hispanic immigrants in the country expose them to hate crimes. Crenshaw introduced the concept of intersectionality as a framework that expresses how multiple forms of inequality compound themselves to produce even graver detriments to the socially disadvantaged (1245).
For example, it matters that one is white, gay, and male because the discrimination level is lower than that of a lesbian black woman in American society. Such characterization means gender, race, and sexual orientation all produce compounded discrimination, making her situation exponentially worse. In my case, the attacks on Hispanic churches indicate that the intersectionality of race and religion causes severe hatred rather than mere discrimination and inequality.
Conclusion
My life experiences have been shaped by several master statuses individually and through intersectionality. I am a male Latino student who also upholds Catholic beliefs. Due to these master statuses, I have a relatively low-income family below the middle class. I cannot access the best schools in the country, and my relatives cannot find well-paying, stable jobs.
Social institutions in the United States have caused a sharp social stratification. Such a system automatically relegated racial minorities to lower classes, where they do not enjoy the wealth and power held by the dominant white population. Intersectionality between religion and race proves to be a dangerous mix, leading to hate crimes, illustrated by the three attacks on Catholic churches in El Paso.
Works Cited
Acevedo, Nicole. “Arson at 3 Catholic Churches Serving Hispanics in El Paso Probed by FBI, Reward Set.”. 2019. NBC News. Web.
Crenshaw, Kimberle. “Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence against Women of Color.” Stanford Law Review, vol. 43, no. 6, 1991, pp. 1241-1299.
Crossman, Ashley. “The Concept of Social Structure in Sociology.”. 2019. ThoughtCo. Web.
Khan, Shamus et al. A Sociology Experiment. New York: PanOpen, 2020.
Salinas, Juan, and Manisha Salinas. “Systemic Racism and Undocumented Latino Migrant Laborers During COVID-19: A Narrative Review and Implications for Improving Occupational Health.” Journal of Migration and Health, vol. 5, 2022, pp. 1-4.