DEMOGRAPHICS IN CANADIAN SOCIETY Unit 2
WHAT I M LEARNING TODAY Explore how Canada s diversity impacts how society functions Understand how money and power influence who is in control of society Explore Karl Marx and Antonio Gramsci
CANADA AT A GLANCE In 2011, Canada s population was 34 278 400. Over 28 000 immigrants came to Canada in 2010 In 2010, 250 800 deaths and 382 000 births
IMMIGRATION Immigrants tend to come from China, India, Philippines, Pakistan, USA, South Korea, Romania, UK and Columbia Population growth seems to occur mainly in Canada s largest metropolitan areas 1 and 6 school aged children living in Toronto & Vancouver has immigrated to Canada within the last 10 years This large number of new Canadians introduced a diverse cultural mix into the existing culture For example, Toronto has one of the largest Italian populations outside of Italy Cities Where New Canadian Immigrants Settled as a Percent of Total Number of Immigrants Entering Toronto 40.4% Montreal 13.7% Vancouver 14.9% Calgary 5.2% Ottawa 3.2% Edmonton 2.9% Winnipeg 2.2% Hamilton 1.2% London 1.9% Rural and Other Cities 14.4%
FUTURE OF CANADA S POPULATION Life expectancy has improved for Canadians Affordable medications, universal health and social programs that support families have contributed to this Between 1926-2005: the average life increased by 20 years for males and 22.7 for females 17% of Canada s population was under 15 years of age 69% between 15-64 13% 65+ Canadians are having fewer children which helps contribute to the replacement fertility rate (average no. of children that the women of one generation would need to have a result in a generation of the same size) Having less children has a significant impact on money contributed to pension and social welfare programs - Canadians will need to work longer or start saving earlier to prepare for retirement
LANGUAGE Bilingual - English & French Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese), Punjabi, Arabic, Spanish, Tagalog (Pilipino), Russian Persian, Tamil, Urdu and Korean Rise in immigrants to Canada changes the visual landscape street signs in BC include Chinese With these changes, efforts are being taken to preserve existing languages and cultures of the First Nation s SECTION 35 of the Constitution Act of 1982
MONEY AND POWER All of us have experienced a time in our lives when we felt that the actions of others were unfair to us This same type of conflict between what people feel they deserve and what they receive can be seen in the distribution of wealth and power in a society Karl Marx began examining the inequalities between the classes as a way of understanding who we are and the facets of our social situation
THE BOURGEOISIE AND THE PROLETARIAT According to Marx, society is split into two major social groups: the property owning bourgeoisie the working class proletariat There is also the middle class, the petty bourgeoisie, who are made up of the small shop owners and small-scale producers Where a person fits in defines his or her social status - their opportunities within society Bourgeoisie get power from controlling the means of production - the working class work for these people and consume the products Marx believed that the bourgeoisie exploited the working class and oppressed them though capitalism He felt that government or legal systems are tools used by the ruling class to keep the subject class under control
MARX S LABOUR THEORY OF VALUE AND ALIENATION Marx wanted to understand how poverty, unemployment and other economic crises were created Canadians define themselves through the jobs they perform Marx argued that the value of a commodity is related to the cost of production necessary to obtain it - the more manufacturing involved in producing an item, the greater the labour costs to produce it Under Marx s theory, Bourgeoisie do not want to yield control over the means of production so they try to control the proletariat through alienating them from their work Alienation meaning, separating the worker from the final product of his or her work As they become more alienated, they may take less pride in the final creation and may not seem themselves reflected in the economic system
REFLECT AND RESPOND REVIEW: Capitalism is when the economic and political parts of society are controlled by a private owner for profit 1. What are the some of the negative aspects of a capitalist society? 2. How has Canadian society benefitted from Capitalism? REVIEW: Marx said that there were three classes: bourgeoisie (property owners), petty bourgeoisie (small scale producers/ shop owners) and proletariat (working class) 1. How do these classes fit in Canadian society? Can you give an example of jobs or people that fit in those categories?
SO WHAT DOES THIS ALL MEAN? By examining social structures, we can use it to demonstrate how work is organized and it outlines the depth of skill necessary for a person to be successful The more highly skilled a person is, the higher the income, the greater of importance and more social status With title and position come social benefits and the social believe that the person is more valuable If a machine is capable of doing the same job that a person does, the value of that particular job decrease and thus the skill set of that person is less valued (Car Industry - GM) Affects how a person is compensated and their self image
ANTONIO GRAMSCI AND CHANGE Marxist theorist who sought to challenge the ruling class He believed that the capitalist state controlled society Two parts: the political society rules through force and the civil society rules through consent He also supported the idea of a quiet revolution This is different than overthrowing the bourgeoisies Early education was key to changing the future and media needs to be harnessed to spread the ideas for changes
CULTURAL HEGEMONY How do people come into power? Gramsci believed that a culturally diverse comity can be dominated by one ruling class This is accomplished by securing the consent of certain ideas by persuading other groups to accept the dominant group s values, which become the social norms THUS, CULTURAL HEGEMONY!
POINT/COUNTERPOINT A few days ago, we looked at different advertisements Advertisements of products are becoming more visible and prominent in society One place that has yet to be influenced in a heavy way has been schools - what if that changed? Take a look at the Point/Counterpoint article.
CULTURAL HEGEMONY EXPLORED The idea of consumption is a great example of cultural hegemony People are taught to want the newest products Reinforcement through television, Internet, radio and newsprint advertising primates the idea that we need the newest products Promises of an easier life, more attention youth and other dribble results bombard our society Members of the ruling class want consumption to increase to earn more money