Final answer:
Social structures are the highly complex and variable organizational frameworks that organize social life in various cultural realms, such as family and political systems, and are subject to change through individual and societal actions.
Step-by-step explanation:
Highly complex, variable, and enduring forms of cultural practices that organize social life from a structuralist perspective are called social structures.
These structures represent the organizational framework for various realms of culture such as the family, economy, political system, and religious observance.
They encompass both material culture, like buildings, and nonmaterial aspects, like the practices, rituals, and ideas that define when, where, and how societal functions are performed. Social structures are not static but are subject to continuous change through interpretation, participation, and resistance by individuals within society.
A culture consists of components including values, beliefs, norms, and language, which collectively shape the social structure.
Symbols and rituals are intricately embedded within these structures, providing a cohesive yet flexible framework for societal organization. Structural functionalism is one theoretical approach that analyzes how these aspects of culture contribute to the society as a whole.