Early history
The early study of social structures has considerably informed the study of institutions, culture and agency, social interaction, and history.
Alexis de Tocqueville was

As noted above, social structure has been identified as:
• the relationship of definite entities or groups to each other;

The notion of social structure may mask systematic biases, as it involves many identifiable sub-variables (e.g. gender). Some argue that men and women who have otherwise equal

• Abercrombie, Nicholas, Stephan Hill, and Bryan S. Turner. 2000. "Social structure." Pp. 326–7 in The Penguin Dictionary of Sociology (4th ed.). London: Penguin.
• Eloire, Fabien. 2015. "The Bourdieusian Conception of Social Capital: A Methodological Reflection

Some believe that social structure is naturally developed, caused by larger systemic needs (e.g. the need for labour, management, professional, and military classes), or by conflicts between groups (e.g. competition among political parties or elites and

Social structures coerce our individuality and social groups by shaping the actions, thoughts, and beliefs of every individual human being. In terms of agents of socialization, social