Inequality and Poverty Flashcards
What is socio-economic imbalance?
situation where people do not have equal access to resources
What is economic inequality?
gap in levels of income and wealth between rich and poor
What is wealth?
A person’s possessions and savings
What do we call the document that expresses our wishes for our possessions when we die?
A will
How does inheritance contribute to economic inequality?
Differences in wealth are passed down from one generation to the next
Give reasons for differences in income
Education and Training Sexism Racism Personal preferences Innate ability Nepotism
What is nepotism?
Awarding jobs to people you know or who are related to you
What is innate ability?
Special talents and abilities that enable you to earn money
What is social inequality?
When different groups of people do not have equal access to resources or rights
What causes social inequality?
Discrimination
Restricting people’s opportunities and rights
Prejudice
Social attitudes
Give examples of social inequality
Gender inequality
Racial inequality
Age inequality
Inequality on basis of disability
Give some forms of social inequality
Limiting right to vote
Restricting freedom of speech
Preventing ownership of property
Restricting access to education, healthcare, housing, transport
What does inequitable mean?
Unfair
What is prejudice?
negative opinion or judgement of someone without knowledge of facts
What is a social attitude?
A way of feeling or thinking in a culture. A form of prejudice which is widely held
How equitable is the distribution of income across races in South Africa?
Very unfair
49% of black families are poor
1% of white families are poor
What is infrastructure?
The basic physical systems that support economic activity. E.g roads, electricity, water
Are all communities equally served by infrastructure?
No. As a general rule, poor people have less access
What was apartheid?
A system of discrimination in which black people were unfairly treated and prevented from participating fully in the economy
What does apartheid mean?
apartness
What were the four race groups under apartheid?
Black Asian, White, Coloured, Asian
Give some examples of apartheid laws.
Land Act - preventing black people from owning land in “White areas”.
Group Areas Act - dictated where people could live
Bantu Authorities Act - created homelands where black people were forced to live
Bantu Education Act - designed a curriculum for black people where they only taught skills required to become workers and labourers
What is poverty?
to be extremely poor
What is exploitation?
abuse
What is the poverty trap?
A cycle of of poverty that is very difficult to escape
Name the four parts of the poverty cycle
No Money -> No Education -> No Skills -> No Work -> No Money...
What is the obvious way to break the poverty cycle?
Education and skills development
When people are educated, they are less available to exploitation
What is an urban area?
An area where many people live, and which has infrastructure
What is a rural area?
An area with low population density and little infrastructure
What are some socio-economic challenges in the urban areas?
High cost of living
Pollution
Influx of People
Traffic congestion
What is pollution?
Adding harmful waste materials to the water, air and soil
What is noise pollution?
Noise from traffic, aeroplanes, factories that is distracting and annoying
What is traffic congestion?
When the roads leading in and out of cities are crowded with vehicles
What are some socio-economic challenges in the rural areas?
Lack of infrastructure - roads, electricity, etc
Inadequate access to public services - schools, clinics, etc
Lack of employment opportunities
What is indigenous knowledge?
Local knowledge which is unique to a given culture or society
Name some strategies to create sustainable job opportunities.
Promoting entrepreneurship and new businesses
Stimulating business development
Encouraging manufacturing
Improving infrastructure
How can the government stimulate entrepreneurship?
Providing training
Offering advice and support
Making money available to cover start-up costs
How can the government stimulate business development?
Make money available:
- tax subsidies and loans
Why should the government focus on manufacturing for job creation?
Manufacturing creates more jobs than service industries - requires more workers
Why is infrastructure important for job creation?
Businesses struggle without roads, water and electricity
