SOCI 102 Blogpost #1

Through the data collected, we can interpret that my network is fairly homophilic. There is a tendency that I affiliate myself with males more than girls. I think this is because of how I was raised as a child. I did not have the opportunity outside of school to meet girls and even then, I chose to befriend more males than females. A major factor to this may be because of the extracurricular activities I did outside of school. Playing sports was how I was brought up, whether it be basketball, rugby or swimming. In all of these activities, I was competing in all male leagues. The only time I had a chance to meet people of the opposite gender outside of school was when I danced competitively from second grade to fifth grade. I was in a hip hop class with three other boys and eleven other girls. Interestingly enough, because I was young and still nervous around girls, there was the tendency to only hang out with the three other boys in my class whenever we had free time. The fact that I took dance lessons and enjoyed it demonstrated social inequality in regards with gender and identity. As a kid growing up, it is generally more common for a girl to dance than it is a boy, therefore we can assume that I was feminized because of the cultural norm that girls danced while guys played sports such as soccer. Another thing that is interesting to point out is that no matter what the context/institution data was, all of their educational background was at least university level with a bachelors degree. With the exception of my little brother, who I assume will also pursue post secondary education. No matter where the other people’s current location or nationality is, they all have at least the same level of education. I believe this says a lot about my social class and status. People who I want to affiliate myself with are usually privileged. In that sense, we all have our basic needs covered so we have the opportunity to learn more and pursue a higher level of education. All of my close friends, whether I met them in elementary school, high school or university itself, are pursuing post secondary education. This is important as social connections are improved and my network can be expanded for future aspirations since I have more resources than someone who chose not to attend to university. Being in a fraternity also helps me pursue my aspirations and expand my network. Most of my friends I have made in university are somehow related to the Greek system. This affiliation is very important to me and my biography because it defines who I am. It also helps me connect and meet with people who have similar interests, hobbies and goals. The data collected shows that I choose to be with people who are similar to me. Even though the way they were raised might be different, I can see my own self in people I choose to be with are in some way, shape or form.

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