Traditional Sociological Myths and Social Exclusion: Examining the Moderating Role of Education, Media Exposure, and Social Awareness in Sindh

Abstract

This paper analyses the effect of the conventional sociological myths on social exclusion in Sindh, Pakistan and explores the moderating abilities of education, exposure to media and social consciousness. Based on a positivist philosophy and quantitative cross-sectional design, a survey was used to collect data on 193 respondents on the basis of a structured survey. The independent variables were measured using seven sociological myths, which were social hierarchy, gender role fixity, moral deviance, cultural incompatibility, economic dependency, social contagion, and religious/cultural justification, and social exclusion was the dependent variable. The analysis was performed with Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with SmartPLS. Findings suggest that all the seven myths have a great impact on social exclusion, with social hierarchy and cultural incompatibility having the most significant impacts. The moderation analysis helps to understand that the influence of these myths is reduced by education, media exposure, and social awareness, and their protective effect is revealed. The research highlights the role of awareness, inclusive education and media interventions in the reduction of exclusion and the social equity in Sindh.