Physicians gradually transformed medicine into an effective science by studying the human body, developing surgical techniques, and discovering and developing drugs to fight disease and improve health. Pointing to their specialized knowledge, these doctors gradually established themselves as professionals who earned medical degrees. In 1847, the founding of the American Medical Association (AMA) symbolized the growing acceptance of a scientific model of medicine.

Schooling also serves several less widely recognized functions. It provides child care for the growing number of one-parent and two-career families. In addition, schooling occupies thousands of young people in their teens and twenties who would otherwise be competing for limited opportunities in the job market. High schools, colleges, and universities also bring together people who learn a great deal about romantic relationships. Finally, schools establish networks that serve as a valuable career resource throughout life.

Not only do six in ten people in our society claim that religion is important in their lives, about 72 percent of U.S. adults identify with a religion (Smith et al., 2021). Table 14–1 shows that 40 percent of U.S. adults say they are Protestants, 21 percent say they are Catholics, and about 2 percent identify as Jews. Others follow dozens of other religions, from animism to Zen Buddhism, making our society the most religiously diverse on Earth (Smith et al., 2021). This remarkable religious diversity results from our historically high numbers of immigrants from all over the world as well as a constitutional ban on government sponsoring any particular religion.

To most people, it may seem that family life is important, but so many other things—getting a good education, establishing a career and, in one way or another, making the world a better place—matter more. In fact, just 34 percent of respondents endorsed the first statement, and 64 percent endorsed the second. As we have seen, the rate of marriage in the United States recently hit a fifty-year low, and people who do marry are now doing so considerably later in life.