As it is known, the outbreak of COVID-19 is a global crisis that has affected many significant aspects of human life worldwide. In addition, the corresponding consequences in specific fields are even more critical since the pandemic has been ongoing for almost two years. Various social institutions have had to adapt to the circumstances established by the coronavirus, meaning that they have gone through severe changes due to the pandemic.
However, some sociologists believe that such a crisis does not only cause new issues within social institutions but also reveals the ones that have already existed. The purpose of this paper is to identify how the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the problems of various social institutions, such as the economy and education. In addition, the paper aims to discuss the inequality in society highlighted by the coronavirus outbreak. Many significant economic, educational, and societal issues have existed before coronavirus, but the pandemic has made them more dangerous and emphasized their significance for the modern world.
The pandemic caused difficulties that have cost much for the world’s civilized countries, which depend crucially on their economies. According to Carlsson-Szlezak, Reeves, and Swartz (2020), too many unidentifiable aspects of the coronavirus may still possess severe consequences for the world economy. For instance, the researchers claim that firms and households have reacted uncertainly to the COVID-19 pandemic (Carlsson-Szlezak et al. 2020).
The authors specifically state that any attempts to provide a definitive forecast for the pandemic situation (including the economic field) are determined to fail (Carlsson-Szlezak et al. 2020). The essential economic issue revealed by coronavirus is the companies’ unreadiness to face such a crisis and manage its consequences. In other words, the world economy appears to have no instruments for survival in a critical situation such as the COVID-19 pandemic, though a similar crisis might occur in the future.
Moreover, the coronavirus pandemic has revealed that the world economy has been in a state of “mechanical stasis” as it has been challenging for the economy to face the threats of the COVID-19. For example, the researchers report that the economy has “frozen” since the period of social distancing can severely disrupt some significant economic aspects (Carlsson-Szlezak et al. 2020). These include the formation of capital, productivity growth, and labor participation (Carlsson-Szlezak et al. 2020).
The researchers emphasize that the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic is unlike financial crises because an extended economic freeze of such a magnitude can have more important consequences (Carlsson-Szlezak et al. 2020). Hence, firms and households seem unable to adapt and adequately function in the specific circumstances established by the pandemic, such as social distancing, meaning that organizations can lose profits or even bankrupt. In other words, they are not “equipped” appropriately to manage the business if the environment rapidly changes.
The educational field has also suffered the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic since the governments of most countries have had to apply specific measures to educational institutions to contain the outbreak’s consequences. Specifically, recent studies report that school closures in 165 countries have made almost 90% of students unable to attend classes (Jolie and Azoulay 2020). In addition, Jolie and Azoulay (2020) state that education nowadays is not only about learning; it also provides students with protection from various life difficulties such as hunger, violence, or exploitation.
The schools’ shutdown has led to the increase of early marriages, children recruitment into militias, teenage pregnancies, sexual violence, and child labor (Jolie and Azoulay 2020). In other words, many difficulties are correlated with children’s inability to attend classes, meaning that the lives and safety of children’s all over the world depend on schooling severely.
Therefore, the coronavirus pandemic has revealed that the children’s care system worldwide has critical imperfections since school closures have such a crucial impact on children’s lives. Jolie and Azoulay (2020) conclude that the educational process can significantly improve the life prospects of individuals and the stability and prosperity of entire societies. That interdependence has several advantages because the improvements mentioned above concern significant aspects of children’s lives.
However, the difficulties described in the previous paragraph demonstrate that too many elements of children’s safety are associated with schooling, particularly attending classes intramurally. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that education is “responsible” for children in far too many ways aside from learning. To a certain extent, it is a more global issue than a simple educational problem, yet it is evident that the current state of education influences the rates of child violence and similar difficulties.
Another critical issue highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic situation is inequality in modern society. Although that problem is not the first one to be addressed in this paper, it is a highly significant matter since it directly affects people’s health and, subsequently, lives. According to the corresponding polling, people with higher average income are more likely to avoid public places that can be too crowded, such as stores or restaurants (Reeves and Rothwell 2020).
Moreover, the researchers report that many significant health conditions may amplify the effects of coronavirus and contribute to the increase of mortality rates accordingly (Reeves and Rothwell 2020). These conditions include diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and other health issues that are more prevalent among patients with lower income levels (Reeves and Rothwell 2020). In other words, the well-being of individuals depends on their financial status, which seems utterly inappropriate since health is probably the most crucial aspect of people’s lives. Overall, the coronavirus pandemic has shown that people with higher income are more likely to have a better health condition in general compared to people in a worse financial state.
As described in this paper, there are many critical issues within the social institutions that have become more visible and dangerous since the COVID-19 outbreak. These include economic problems revealed by the pandemic as firms and households have not been prepared to face a global crisis and its consequences. Many organizations have been unable to function correctly in the conditions established by the coronavirus, meaning that they are bound to a specific state and cannot adapt to the new economic environment.
Furthermore, significant imperfections have been revealed in the educational field as global school closures have increased the rates of early marriages, child violence and sexual exploitation, and other similar issues. The children’s safety, even though partially, depends on their ability to attend classes at school, which appears inappropriate since schooling is supposed to be an educational aspect and not an instrument for preventing child violence. Finally, the coronavirus pandemic has revealed inequality in society because it appears that people with higher income have better health and lower risks of COVID-19 infection. Although coronavirus is a negative phenomenon, it has highlighted the issues that should be addressed immediately to improve people’s lives.
References
Carlsson-Szlezak, Philipp, Martin Reeves, and Paul Swartz. 2020. “Understanding the Economic Shock of Coronavirus.” Harvard Business Review. Web.
Jolie, Angelina, and Audrey Azoulay. 2020. “Closing Schools Has Derailed the Lives of Kids All Over the World. Here’s How We Can Help Them Keep Learning.” Time. Web.
Reeves, Richard V., and Jonathan Rothwell. 2020. “Class and COVID: How the Less Affluent Face Double Risks.” Brookings. Web.