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Sociology and Law

 It can be correctly said that Sociology helps law to better understand society for smoother regulation and formation of laws. Sociology and law are distinct disciplines but at the same time, I feel that law is another aspect of sociology as sociology is the study of society and its people, and it’s the people who create governments and laws to bring about order and productive functionality in the society.


Despite being distinct disciplines, the two are interwoven in such a manner that it is difficult to picture a world, one without the other. All and any societal institutions such as family, corporation, organisation et cetera are governed by law to create a semblance of order in every aspect of a persons’ life. Society defines what is expected of a person who is a part of that society, their behaviour, actions, reactions, ethics and morality are guided by what the society deems appropriate and law helps enforce these beliefs. Placement of judicial systems and law enforcement agencies proves to be the stimulus that deters people from straying away from the guidelines set by the society.


Sociology and law both are concerned with social order. The principle of evolution of both law and society is interdependent, change in one aspect brings about change in the other. One such example would be of the LGBTQ+ community and their struggle towards seeking justice and social acceptance. The shift in the perspective of the community of LGBTQ+ happened when the minority and their allies raised their voices against discrimination and injustices practised against them. Creating a realisation that this community is as much a part of our society as any others, by hosting pride marches, spreading awareness and acceptance of anything and everything different. The community and its allies took these injustices in public spheres to courts on many occasions. The judiciary has been open to the concerns posed by non-governmental organisations (NGOs), which include LGBTQIA representatives and allies. This has resulted in a number of landmark decisions over the last decade, leading to the reading down of Section 377 which criminalises same sex relations between consenting adults and passing of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2019. Now, with the help of these laws, it in turn has helped regulate the behaviour of the society by criminalising discrimination against the community of LGBTQ+, it’s become somewhat easier to hold people accountable for their actions. 

Sociology helps one to study the interaction of the masses with religion, social class, gender, sexuality, social stratification and such, when combined they paint a picture of what the society stands for in the current period of time.


Robert K. Merton came up with the strain theory, that basically explains how gaps between expectations and reality of individuals’ social status/class and such can bring about a strain on the individual and lead them to deviate from the norms of the society. 


For example, an individual has lost their job and is unable to find work, now, the social structure is such that they have bills to pay for food, electricity, shelter, water et cetera but given the loss of income they are out of money. These are the few ways they might go about their situation: 


  • Conformity: they might try and find another job. 

  • Innovation: they might try and find work to earn money but the work may not be strictly legal.

  • Ritualism: they might try to find a low paying job, but socially acceptable and legal.

  • Retreatism: they might give up on work altogether and may resort to begging.

  • Rebellion: they might give up on the idea of working for money and find alternate means for it, which may go against the norms of the society. 


Now this theory has made us realise what is the extent to which an individual would go to attain their goals, which in turn helps with process of policy making and ensuring smooth functioning of the society. 
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