Social Inequalities - Essay 1 - Wealth Flashcards
Wealth inequalities Introduction?
Some would argue that unemployment and low pay have a large impact on wealth inequalities that lead to poverty while others argue that educational attainment is more likely to see someone suffer from poverty. Ultimately this response will argue that educational attainment to be the factor most likely to experience poverty
Unemployment (Paragraph 1 )
Many would argue that unemployment is a key contributory factor to poverty. To be unemployed means to not be working and therefore not earning the money for the basics you need to survive such as food, clothing and shelter. It also means you may not be able to take advantage of opportunities to gain the skills required to gain employment such as unpaid internships, work experience or educational courses.For example, the JRF report shows households where no one is in work have a poverty rate of over 50% compared to households with households where someone works full time having a poverty rate of around 10%. This suggests that the higher poverty rate for these households may be because there is no one at home working increasing their risk of poverty. Further to this, if you’re unemployed you are likely more dependent on benefits which will make you more vulnerable to poverty. In the UK benefits are generally set as the absolute minimum someone needs to survive and the UK has some of the least generous benefits in Europe. The amount of support someone gets and who gets them is set by the government. Over the last decade, the government has taken a more individualistic view and frozen, restricted or reduced the support available. According to the JFR in 2022 this is one of the reasons why those out of work and on benefits such as Universal Credit have a poverty rate of around 54% in contrast to the overall working age poverty rate of around 20% for the UK. When you consider that poverty has risen in the last 10 years while benefits have become less supportive, it is clear that being on benefits puts you at great risk of government changes and so poverty. Overall, claiming benefits and being unemployed traps people in a vicious circle of poverty which is difficult to escape due to high paying jobs being out of reach. With a working age poverty rate of 20% it shows that even if the unemployed secure a job, it may not be enough to escape poverty and wealth inequalities in the UK.
low pay (Paragraph 2)
Paid work is not, on its own, a guarantee of being free from poverty. If employment alone was enough to avoid poverty then we would expect there to be much lower levels of poverty in the UK, with a poverty rate that would more closely match the unemployment rate of the country. In fact, the poverty rate for the country is much higher than the unemployment rate and the majority of working age adults in poverty live in households where there is at least one adult in work. For example, The UK unemployment rate at the end of 2021 was around 4% which is significantly lower than the working age poverty rate of 20% in the UK.Clearly in work poverty is a big problem in the UK and low pay is a key cause of that. Low pay is an issue that is more likely to affect women and younger people. This is because women and young people are more likely to work in low paid sectors that are more flexible around caring and educational commitments. Low pay is very much a cause of poverty that is not being addressed enough, especially in female dominated fields. Many families are falling below the poverty line becoming “working poor” households, particularly those with a single mother. For example, the JRF report found that in areas such as the administration and support services the rate of poverty has actually increased 4% in the last 10 years. These sectors are ones where women are overrepresented. This makes clear that having a job is not enough to prevent someone being in poverty and that this factor is resulting in women suffering more in particular. Clearly being in work is just not enough to stay out of poverty and too many people are not paid enough for a good quality life and it is shown that females in particular are suffering most due to unpaid household work and low paying job sectors. Many females are victims of wealth inequalities within the UK.
Educational attainment (Paragraph 3)
The educational attainment of an individual is a good indicator as to the likelihood that someone may be in poverty. Those with a higher level of qualification will have more skills and thus be more employable. It is also likely that they will have skills and knowledge to enter a higher paid profession. This is in contrast to those with lower levels of education who are more likely to be in poverty. The JRF found the poverty rate was lowest for those qualified to a degree level (13%) compared to those with no degree (23%) and those with no qualification who had a poverty rate of 44%. This contrast between level of educational attainment and poverty is quite stark and suggests that it may be a significant cause of poverty. This makes access to education a key factor to consider but this might be harder for people in some parts of the UK. The area of the UK you live in can increase the likelihood of being able to afford to go to university and reduce your risk of poverty. This is because University is free for Scottish students but English students have to pay tuition fees. According to UCAS English students can pay up to £9,250 a year to go to university in 2020 and overall around 50% of the Scottish population have a college or degree level of qualification compared to around 40% of English people. Considering the lower poverty rate in Scotland and the higher levels of educational attainment compared to England, it can be argued that education is a very important contributor to poverty. Overall, it is quite clear just how important having a good level of qualification is to avoiding experiencing poverty but perhaps Scottish students have an advantage in escaping wealth inequalities in the UK.
wealth inequalities conclusion
As set out it is clear that factors such as low pay and unemployment do increase people’s risk of experiencing wealth inequalities because, even if people have a job and are employed does not mean that they are at no risk of experiencing wealth inequalities. However, as argued this response shows that a factor such as educational attainment is a greater contributor to poverty than any of the others discussed due to an immediate set back like for example people in England must pay tuition fees to engage in higher education meaning those already living in poverty will struggle to get out as they will not be able to gain a degree meaning they will find it difficult to find a well paying job.
