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2020s in social history

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This is a social history of the 2020s. Social history refers to changes affecting societies and the lived experiences of their members.

Global issues

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Social effects of the COVID-19 pandemic

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Main article: Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

The impact on personal gatherings was strong as medical experts advised, and local authorities often mandated stay-at-home orders to prevent gatherings of any size, not just the larger events that were initially restricted. Such gatherings could be replaced by teleconferencing, or in some cases with unconventional attempts to maintain social distancing with activities such as a balcony sing-along for a concert,[1] or a "birthday parade" for a birthday party.[2] Replacements for gatherings were seen as significant to mental health during the crisis.[3] Social isolation among alcohol users also adopted a trend towards Kalsarikänni or "pantsdrunking", a Finnish antisocial drinking culture.[4][5][6][7]

Low income individuals were more likely to contract the coronavirus and to die from it.[8] In both New York City and Barcelona, low income neighborhoods were disproportionately hit by coronavirus cases. Hypotheses for why this was the case included that poorer families were more likely to live in crowded housing and work in the low skill jobs, such as supermarkets and elder care, which were deemed essential during the crisis.[9][10] In the United States, millions of low-income people may lack access to health care due to being uninsured or underinsured.[11] Millions of Americans lost their health insurance after losing their jobs.[12][13][14] Many low income workers in service jobs became unemployed.[15]

The coronavirus pandemic was followed by a concern for a potential spike in suicides, exacerbated by social isolation due to quarantine and social-distancing guidelines, fear, and unemployment and financial factors.[16][17] Many countries reported an increase in domestic violence and intimate partner violence attributed to lockdowns amid the COVID-19 pandemic.[18] Financial insecurity, stress, and uncertainty led to increased aggression at home, with abusers able to control large amounts of their victims' daily life.[19] United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called for a domestic violence "ceasefire".[20]

Race

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The murder of George Floyd has led to many protest and riots across the United States and internationally. The stated goal of the protest has been to end police brutality and racial inequality.

Gender

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See also: Women in government

The World Economic Forum published a report on the global gender gap in January 2020 that concludes gender parity will not be reached for 99.5 years. The report benchmarks 153 countries in four dimensions: Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival, and Political Empowerment. The top-ranking country for parity is Iceland, and Albania, Ethiopia, Mali, Mexico, and Spain are the most improved. At least 35 countries have achieved gender parity in education, and 71 have closed at least 97% of the gap in health. Political empowerment remains poor—85 countries have never had a female head of state and women hold only 25% of all available positions, while eight countries have no women in government at all. Globally, only 55% of women (ages 15–64) are economically active, compared to 78% of men. 72 countries do not allow women to open bank accounts or obtain credit.[21]

Sexual minorities

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  • Switzerland banned discrimination on the basis of sexuality based on a referendum, putting into effect a law previously introduced in 2018, that was subsequently blocked by the government that requested a referendum to be held on the matter first.[22]
  • In Northern Ireland, the first same-sex marriage, after legislation to allow this took effect in January 2020.[23][24]
  • In Costa Rica, same-sex marriage and joint adoption by same-sex couples became legal on 26 May 2020.
  • In the United States, the Supreme Court ruled that job discrimination against workers for their sexual orientation or gender identity is illegal.
  • The Trump Administration passed a law on 12 June 2020 removing protections against discrimination from LGBTQ people in terms of health care and health insurance in the United States.[25]

Drug policy

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Drug policies continues to evolve, in particular in relation to cannabis and psychedelics. Landmark events internationally were:

Technology

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Trends in technology include greater use of artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous vehicles (AV), virtual reality, a ten-year human lifespan increase (due to better drugs, stem cell manipulation, and gene therapy), renewable and sustainable energy, and space (commercialization, weaponization, and exploration).[29]

References

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  1. ^ Hassan, Jennifer. "During quarantine, balconies worldwide set the stage for DJ sets, squats and singing". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2020-03-17. Retrieved 2020-03-29.
  2. ^ Ryan, Shannon. "How do you celebrate a kid's birthday during the stay-at-home order? Try a Coronavirus Caravan, with drive-by signs and songs and smiles". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2020-03-29.
  3. ^ Janiak, Lily (March 23, 2020). "Bay Area neighbors sing and dance in social-distancing block party". San Francisco Arts & Entertainment Guide. Retrieved 2020-03-29.
  4. ^ "Kalsarikännit: Drinking at home in your undies, like Finns". The World from PRX.
  5. ^ "It's time to embrace the Finnish tradition of drinking in your underwear". Matador Network.
  6. ^ Brech, Anna (11 April 2020). "The Finnish word for being drunk in underwear is perfect for now". Stylist.
  7. ^ "What may happen after the coronavirus in Finland?". Reachinghot. 5 May 2020.
  8. ^ Fisher, Max; Bubola, Emma (15 March 2020). "As Coronavirus Deepens Inequality, Inequality Worsens Its Spread". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  9. ^ Buchanan, Larry; Patel, Jugal K.; Rosenthal, Brian M.; Singhvi, Anjali (1 April 2020). "A Month of Coronavirus in New York City: See the Hardest-Hit Areas". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  10. ^ Burgen, Stephen; Jones, Sam (1 April 2020). "Poor and vulnerable hardest hit by pandemic in Spain". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  11. ^ "Coronavirus May Disproportionately Hurt the Poor—And That's Bad for Everyone". Time. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  12. ^ "Coronavirus: 5.4m Americans lost health insurance during pandemic, report says". The Independent. July 15, 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-07-18.
  13. ^ "27 million Americans could lose health insurance as Congress proposes industry 'bailout'". The Independent. 13 May 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-05-17.
  14. ^ "Up to 43m Americans could lose health insurance amid pandemic, report says". The Guardian. May 20, 2020.
  15. ^ Thompson, Derek (20 March 2020). "The Coronavirus Will Be a Catastrophe for the Poor". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  16. ^ Gunnell, David; et al. (April 21, 2020). "Suicide risk and prevention during the COVID-19 pandemic". The Lancet. 7 (6): 468–471. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(20)30171-1. PMC 7173821. PMID 32330430.
  17. ^ Baker, Noel (April 22, 2020). "Warning Covid-19 could lead to spike in suicide rates". Irish Examiner. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  18. ^ Godbole T (9 April 2020). "Domestic violence rises amid coronavirus lockdowns in Asia". Deutsche Welle (DW). Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  19. ^ Johnson K (12 April 2020). "Covid 19 coronavirus: Domestic violence is the second, silent epidemic amid lockdown". The New Zealand Herald. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  20. ^ "UN chief calls for domestic violence 'ceasefire' amid 'horrifying global surge'". UN News. 5 April 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  21. ^ "Report: Mind the 100 Year Gap". World Economic Forum. Retrieved 25 Jan 2020.
  22. ^ "Swiss vote to approve legislation to protect LGBTQ+ rights". TheGuardian.com. Archived from the original on 9 February 2020. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  23. ^ "First Same-Sex Marriage Takes Place in Northern Ireland". Archived from the original on 18 February 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  24. ^ "The Marriage (Same-sex Couples) and Civil Partnership (Opposite-sex Couples) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2019". Archived from the original on 31 January 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  25. ^ Simmons-Duffin, Selena (12 June 2020). "Transgender Health Protections Reversed By Trump Administration". NPR.org. Archived from the original on 23 June 2020. Retrieved 2020-06-23.
  26. ^ Riboulet-Zemouli, Kenzi; Krawitz, Michael Alan (2022-08-05). "WHO's first scientific review of medicinal Cannabis : from global struggle to patient implications". Drugs, Habits and Social Policy. 23 (1): 5–21. doi:10.1108/DHS-11-2021-0060. ISSN 2752-6739. S2CID 247421561.
  27. ^ Kwai, Isabella (2 December 2020). "U.N. Reclassifies Cannabis as a Less Dangerous Drug". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  28. ^ House, The White (2022-10-06). "Statement from President Biden on Marijuana Reform". The White House. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
  29. ^ Five technologies you’ll use in the 2020s The Economist, Retrieved 16 Jan 2020 20 Technology Metatrends That Will Define the Next Decade By Peter H. Diamandis, MD, Singularity Hub, 16 Jan 2020 20 trends for the 2020s by Robert Moran, Brunswick Group, PR Week, 14 January 2020
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