Social structure is a term used in sociology and anthropology to refer to relationships or bonds between groups of individuals (e.g. societies). Whereas 'structure' refers to "the macro", "agency"refers to "the micro". (See also: Structure and agency)
In a general sense, the term can refer to:
- entities or groups in definite relation to each other,
- relatively enduring patterns of behaviour and relationship within a society, or
- social institutions and norms becoming embedded into social systems in such a way that they shape the behavior of actors within those social systems.
By the 1930s, the term was in general use in social science[1], especially as a variable whose sub-components needed to be distinguished in relationship to other sociological variables.
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