Answer to Question #230440 in Sociology for NEO

Question

Critical discussion of unemployment as a social problem (application of criteria) and the negative effects of the SA and pandemic context factors (effects stemming from pandemic-related pollution

Answer 1

Unemployment as a social problem

Unemployment is a major social and economic problem with far-reaching consequences across the board, but it is sometimes neglected. A more robust evaluation method should be implemented to understand better the causes of unemployment and how to solve them. Severe financial difficulty and poverty, debt, homelessness and housing stress, family conflicts and disintegration, boredom, alienation, shame and stigma, increasing social isolation, criminality, and eroding confidence and self-esteem are personal and social consequences of unemployment.

Negative effects of the SA and pandemic context factors

Economically, a lockdown has a lot of ramifications. The consequences of the epidemic in the rest of the globe, and therefore on demand for South Africa's exports, are less severe than those of the internal lockdown. Still, they are nevertheless significant by any standard. The 'Quick' recovery scenario predicts a GDP fall of approximately 5% by the end of 2020. This economic outcome would have been catastrophically awful just a month ago. In keeping with the 'Slow' and 'Long' recovery scenarios, persistent Covid-19 impacts would significantly poorer GDP results.