5.3 How does economic change influence patterns of social inequality in places? Flashcards
5.3 How does economic change influence patterns of social inequality in places?
Key idea ➡ The distribution of resources, wealth and opportunities are not evenly spread within and between places.
What is social inequality and how can it be measured?
Differences, based on factors such as age, ethnicity, gender, religion, education and wealth exist in all societies. Such differences often raise moral issues concerning inequality. Spatial inequality relates to social difference varying from place to place. The terms ‘quality of life’ and ‘standard of living’ are frequently used when discussing differences between places.
Pages 155-156.
Spatial inequality
Social differences that vary from place to place. For example quality of life and the standard of living.
Quality of life
The extent to which people’s needs and desires (social, psychological or physical) are met. This can be seen in areas such as the treatment of people.
Are all people treated with equal dignity and do they have equal rights? Does everyone have reasonable access to services such health care, education and leisure? Are all opinions heard and respected?
Standard of living
The ability to access services and goods. This includes basics such as food and water, clothes, housing and personal mobility.
The cycle of deprivation diagram
Page 156.
The cycle of deprivation
Where families from one generation to the next live below the poverty line and the poverty is passed on. The term is often used to claim that the welfare state traps people into a life of poverty from which they become dependent upon state benefits.
Page 156.
Measuring social inequality
-Income
-Housing
-Education
-Health care
-Employment
Measuring social inequality definition
In order to understand social inequalities we first need to access appropriate data. In addition to census data a whole range of social information has become available in the past 50 to 60 years, including data on employment, education and health care.
Income (Measuring social inequality)
At the global scale, the role of income in measuring social inequality is seen the World Bank’s (WB) definition of absolute poverty: US$1.25/day PPP (Purchasing Power Parity).
Below this level of income, a person cannot afford to purchase the minimum amount of food and non-food essentials such as clothes and shelter. The use of purchasing power is important as the cost of obtaining a particular good or service can vary greatly from one country to another.
Relative poverty is another useful measure.
Purchasing Power Parity (PPP)
Measurement tool of calculating exchange rates so that each currency buys an equal amount of goods as every other currency.
Relative poverty
A useful measure as it relates the level of poverty to the distribution of income across the whole population. For the UK and throughout the EU, the relative poverty level is 60% of the median household income. About 13 million inhabitants of the UK, including some 3.5 million children, currently fall below this threshold.
Gini Coefficient
A technique that can be used to measure levels of income inequality within countries. It is defined as a ratio with values between 0 and 1.0. The lower the value the more equal is income distribution.
A Gini coefficient of 1.0 would mean that all the income in a country was in the hands of one person while a value of 0 indicates that everyone in a country has equal income.
Housing (Measuring social inequality)
Being able to afford accommodation of an adequate standard is closely related to income. At all scales social inequality is evident in the type and quality of housing people occupy.
Housing tenure is an important indicator of social inequality.
Housing tenure
Housing tenure is an important indicator of social inequality. Owner-occupiers own their house outright. In many ACs this is achieved through borrowing money in the form of a mortgage which is normally paid back over 25 to 30 years.
Some people rent from private landlords while others rent from a local authority (council). Charities and housing associations also provide subsidised accommodation for rent. In many LIDCs, housing tenure is complex, especially in the slum areas. In many such areas a well organised system of landlords and tenants exists.
The term, ‘squatter settlement’ is often misleading and should only be used where people have no legal right to the land they occupy.
Education (Measuring social inequality)
Formal education is provided by schools, colleges, apprenticeships and universities. Informal education can be doing something in the home or workplace. The acquisition of skills can be underestimated if only formal qualifications are measured. This is particularly true when studying in EDCs and LIDCs.
Literacy rates/levels indicates the ability of an individual to read and write at a basic level. Globally there are clear contrasts among countries in levels of literacy and especially in terms of gender equality.
Health care (Measuring social inequality)
Access to health care and levels of ill-health are closely associated with social inequality. The association between poverty and ill-health is very strong and reflects a number of influences.
In the UK, increasing attention is paid to unequal access to health care, the so-called ‘postcode lottery’.
Pages 158-159.
Employment (Measuring social inequality)
Whether a household includes someone who is in receipt of regular income has a profound impact on the standard of living and quality of life. Unemployment is perhaps the obvious measure but it is not always straightforward to assess.
Not all countries take counts of employment and defining what counts as employment and what does not can be difficult.
How and why spatial patterns of social inequality vary
-Wealth
-Housing
-Health
-Education
-Access to services
Human Development Index (HDI) is based on
The Human Development Index (HDI) is based on economic and social indicators:
-Income adjusted to take account of purchasing power in the country.
-Life expectancy at birth.
-Education using the adult literacy rate and the average number of years spent in school.
Human Development Index (HDI)
The HDI was introduced in 1990 by the UN and highlights the great inequalities that exist between countries in both economic and social terms. The Human Development Index (HDI) is based on economic and social indicators.
The index ranges from 1 (most developed) to 0 (least developed). A high index equates to 0.8 and above; medium index from 0.5 to 0.79; and a low index is less than 0.5.
How and why spatial patterns of social inequality vary definition
Inequalities exist at all scales from the global to the local. There are inequalities between urban places and rural places and there are also contrasts at the intra-urban scale.
Several factors influence the relative level of social inequality between places. A single factor is unlikely to explain inequalities at any scale. It is the interaction of several factors which tends to lead to spatial patterns of inequality.
Wealth (How and why spatial patterns of social inequality vary)
The ability to purchase goods and services is fundamental to social well-being. Low incomes are linked to factors such as ill-health, lower educational attainment and poor access to services. The cost of living is also an important consideration when discussing the role of wealth.
Page 159.
Housing (How and why spatial patterns of social inequality vary)
Quality of accommodation is a significant influence on social inequality. The smaller the income of a household, the less choice of housing they have. Poor quality housing and overcrowded conditions often create ill-health.
Pages 159-160.
