Social inequalities impacting groups Flashcards
Background info
The Equality Act 2010 promised to protect UK citizens from discrimination, harassment and victimisation across all areas of society including the workplace, educational settings and social settings. However, it is undeniable that nearly 15 years after its introduction that social inequalities remain more prevalent for some groups over others.
List of factors
This essay will discuss factors that disproportionately impact women, minority ethnics and men such as societal pressures, pay gaps and discrimination.
Line of argument
This essay will reach the conclusion that socio-economic inequalities significantly impact all groups discussed, but the significance of this extent becomes even more so when individuals are affected by the intersectionality of such factors
Point one
Women are significantly impacted by socio-economic inequalities due to what is known as the gender pay gap.
Point one explain
The gender pay gap has always been a pressing matter in causing socio-economic disparities which majorly affects women.
The gender pay gap is where women earn less that men for completing the same jobs. This can cause socio-economic inequalities as by having women be paid less than their male counterparts it means that they are more likely to face poverty which may mean that they struggle to afford essentials such as food and shelter.
Point one example
For example, for every £1 a man earns in the U.K, on average, their female counterparts earn just 90p. This is proved by the Office for National Statistics stating that for full-time employees aged 40-49, the gender pay gap is a staggering 10.9%.
Point one analysis
This would suggest that there is a large disparity between what women and men get paid which disproportionately affects women. This shows that many women are unable to afford the same necessities as their male counterparts because of the inequality of their pay which increases their likely hood of facing poverty/experiencing socio-economic inequalities.
Point two/rebuttal
Furthermore, women are significantly impacted by socio-economic inequalities due to being in a lone parent household.
Point two explain
This is because women tend to be the main head of the household in lone parent families. This can cause socio-economic inequalities as by bringing in less income that nuclear families it leaves them more likely to experience poverty. Women also tend to work in the 5 C’s which are the lowest paying jobs in society, so this also plays a part in causing socio-economic inequalities.
Societal gender roles also play a role in this as women are expected to take on the caring roles in society so it can often affect their employment, with many of those heading a lone parent household also being on a zero-hour contracts.
Point two example
It can clearly be argued that this disproportionately affects women as according to the Office of National Statistics, in 2022, 84% of the 2.9 million lone parent households were headed by women. This is evidenced by 90,000 of children living in lone parent households are in relative poverty (One Parent Families Scotland).
Point two analysis
This clearly proves that women are more likely to face socio-economic inequalities compared to men since they have to head lone parent while getting paid less than them and also experiencing societal gender pressures to complete caring roles which affects employment as some jobs may not have flexible working hours that fit around caring responsibilities which can lead to unemployment and further the socio-economic gap.
Point two link
Overall, while both factors are significant causes in causing socio-economic discrepancies, the gender pay gap is a more pressing issue because all women are affected by being paid less than men however, not all women have to run a lone parent household.
Point three
It should not be ignored that socio-economic inequalities also significantly impact men in the UK, particularly when we consider men’s mental health.
Point three explain
This means that due to societal pressures, men’s mental health is often considered a taboo topic which can cause serious and damaging effects such as addiction amongst other issues. These can all cause socio-economic impacts as if you are experiencing mental health concerns, you are less likely to positively engage with your job which can lead to consequences such as being unemployed which is a massive factor in contributing to poverty. Addiction can also lead to poverty as those experiencing addiction may spend all their funding on what they are addicted to and may go into financial difficulties in trying to fund their addiction.
Point three example
For example, 75% of all deaths of those under 50 in the U.K is due to suicide. This is backed up by men being nearly 3x more likely than women to experience an addiction with alcohol and drugs.
Point three analysis
This means due to experiencing adverse mental health effects and struggles with addiction, this can cause socio-economic inequalities as it may leave men unable to work or secure long-term employment and may also lead them into poverty as they may experience financial problems in order to satisfy their addictions.
Point four/rebuttal
However, women are also negatively impacted when we consider health inequalities in the UK.
Point four explain
This is because women’s health is often taking less seriously compared to men’s with a lot more time, funding and research being placed into males’ healthcare. This leads to women’s health concerns being brushed aside which causes women to live in pain for longer which means that because they are facing poor health, they may not be able to work which can cause poverty.
Point four example
Statistics show that while 1 in 3 experience a reproductive health issue in their lifetime, only 25% of publicly funded research is placed into the reproductive field. This is backed up by over 5x more research being placed into male specific health issues than women.
Point four analysis
This suggests that due to women’s health often being ignored and misunderstood it often leads to socio-economic impacts as it can lead to women being unable to work due to their pain, which in turn leads to them not being able to afford items which help them with their pain which perpetuates this poverty and ill-health cycle. By also having women live in pain, this can negatively impact their mental health which can also lead them to be unable to work which further causes socio-economic inequalities.
Point four link
Overall, this shows that while both factors are significant causes in causing socio-economic dissimilarities, men’s mental health is a more overwhelming factor as unlike women’s health it directly leads to death.
Point five
Minority ethnic groups are also significantly impacted by socio-economic inequalities in the UK particularly when it comes to employment and pay.
Point five explain
This is due to racism with many researchers finding that this leads to many people from minority ethnic backgrounds struggling to find long-term employment, getting paid less than their white co-workers and being underrepresented at senior level roles. They are also more likely to experience discrimination in the workplace which further causes socio-economic disparities as it can lead to poor mental health which in turn leads to more socio-economic inequalities.
Point five example
This is illustrated by minority ethnic households being in deep or very deep poverty compared to the Scottish average. This is further evidenced by someone from a BAME background were twice as likely to experience poverty compared to their white counterparts.
