Social Inequalities in the UK

Question 1

There are many causes of income and wealth inequality. Discuss - introduction

Answer 1

Some would argue that unemployment or low pay are the factors most likely to cause wealth inequalities that lead to poverty while others argue that educational attainment is more likely to see someone suffer from poverty. Ultimately, this essay will argue that a lack of a high level of qualification is the factor most likely to cause poverty.

Question 2

There are many causes of income and wealth inequality. Discuss - paragraph one

Answer 2

P - One cause of wealth inequalities is whether or not someone has received a high level of education
E - Those with good qualifications and education - more likely to have wider range of applicable skills to a job they apply for and employers are more likely to consider them. It is also more likely that they are able to go for higher paid position with the qualifications they have. This isn’t the same for those with lower levels of education who are more likely to face poverty.
E - This is proven through 2019 JRF report which shows poverty rate for those who are degree educated is 1 in 10, compared to those with no qualifications which is 4 in 10.

Question 3

There are many causes of income and wealth inequality. Discuss - paragraph one rebuttal

Answer 3

R - Clearly proves that level of qualification you have can increase or decrease the risk of experiencing poverty. However, depending on where you live can affect your chances of receiving education to escape poverty.
E - In UK, which country you live in can increase your likelihood of being able to afford attending university and reduce risk of poverty. In Scotland, university is free to attend. However, in England, students must pay tuition fees.
E - According to UCAS, English students can pay anywhere up to £9,250 a year to attend university in Scotland whereas Scottish students can study in same place for free. This difference in access to education could explain why poverty levels are higher in England compared to Scotland.
L - It is clear that having a good education and qualification can be crucial to avoiding poverty.

Question 4

There are many causes of income and wealth inequality. Discuss - paragraph two

Answer 4

P - Another cause of wealth inequalities could be unemployment.
E - If someone is unemployed then they’re not currently working, therefore not earning stable income to be able to afford basic necessities or be able to afford opportunities to get them out of poverty and into employment.
E - According to Office for National Statistics, UK employment rate at start of 2020 was around 4% of workers. This means around 1 in 20 people in UK could experience poverty due to them being unemployed

Question 5

There are many causes of income and wealth inequality. Discuss - paragraph two rebuttal

Answer 5

R - However, it’s clear that unemployment does not affect all age groups equally.
E - Those who are younger and of working age - more likely to be out of work than those who are older. This means that young people more likely to face poverty than older people.
E - Evidence from Office for National Statistics shows youth unemployment rate in UK at start of 2020 was around 12%. This makes clear that although for whole of UK, unemployment rate is 4%, young people are at greater risk with unemployment rate 3x higher.
L - Whilst unemployment is arguably a big cause of poverty, the reasons people are unemployed could be linked back to lack of education and qualifications, which is higher amongst younger, more inexperienced people, therefore being a bigger cause of poverty.

Question 6

There are many causes of income and wealth inequality. Discuss - paragraph three

Answer 6

P - Another cause of wealth inequality is low pay.
E - Although people may be employed and working a paying job, level of pay they receive may not be enough to avoid poverty. Often, after considering cost of living, low paid workers will not have money for extra spending, so fall behind poverty line as ‘working poor’ households
E - Evidence from BBC and JRF report 2019/20 show that more than ⅗ of those in poverty are from a working household.

Question 7

There are many causes of income and wealth inequality. Discuss - paragraph three rebuttal

Answer 7

R - Although households are in work, doesn’t guarantee wage high enough to live comfortably. However, problem of low pay worsened despite gov. efforts.
E - In recent years government introduced National Living Wage (around £9.50) which is minimum amount an adult should be paid in order to survive. However, poverty is now worse than 20 years ago
E - According to BBC/JRF report 2019/20, 13% of workers in poverty compared to 10% in 2000. This shows that gov. efforts to reduce poverty have not been successful as more people in poverty now than 20 years ago.
L - Therefore, being in work is not enough to guarantee good quality of life as workers may not be paid enough - could be because many do not have level of education required for higher paid jobs to stay out of poverty.

Question 8

There are many causes of income and wealth inequality. Discuss - conclusion

Answer 8

Ultimately, it is clear that factors such as unemployment and low pay can increase people’s risk of experiencing wealth inequalities. However, this response shows that arguably a greater contributor to poverty is the level of education someone has attained. If a person’s education is not at a high level then they are less likely to have opportunities to remove themselves from poverty, meaning education is the underlying and root cause of wealth inequality.

Question 9

To what extent can ill-health be blamed on the lifestyle choices of the population - introduction

Answer 9

There are many causes of health inequality in the UK. Lifestyle choices, such as poor diet and drinking alcohol, play a significant role when explaining poor health amongst the UK population. However, there are many other causes of ill-health too, including smoking and lack of exercise. It must be acknowledged though that most, if not all, causes of poor health can be linked back to poverty, making that the leading cause of poor health.

Question 10

To what extent can ill-health be blamed on the lifestyle choices of the population - paragraph one

Answer 10

P - One lifestyle choice that can cause ill-health is a poor diet
E - Evidence has shown those with poorer diet choices more likely to suffer from poor health. Choices like not eating enough fruit/veg, eating high levels of saturated fats and sugar or eating processed meat can lead to conditions like obesity, diabetes and certain types of cancer. These health problems can have huge impact on individuals life and can lessen quality of life, sometimes even lifespan.
E - Overweight and obesity is second biggest cause of cancer in UK, with 1 in 20 cancer cases caused by excess weight.

Question 11

To what extent can ill-health be blamed on the lifestyle choices of the population - paragraph one rebuttal

Answer 11

R - However, for people living in poverty, a poor diet is something which cannot be helped.
E - Fresh fruit/veg and healthier foods tend to be more expensive than processed, unhealthy foods - forcing people in poverty to choose the unhealthy option as it’s all they can afford. In some cases, people living in poverty may not be able to afford food at all and feeding themselves and families becomes impossible.
E - In 2017/18, household types most likely to experience food insecurity were single parent households and adults below age of 65 and living alone.
L - Although poor diet is choice for some, can not be helped for those in poverty. Therefore, ill-health should be blamed on levels of deprivation rather than lifestyle choices.

Question 12

To what extent can ill-health be blamed on the lifestyle choices of the population - paragraph two

Answer 12

P - Another lifestyle choice that can cause ill-health is lack of exercise.
E - To stay healthy, it is recommended adults should undertake at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity on weekly basis. Those that do not meet recommendation much more likely to have poor health than those who do
E - According to Scottish Health Survey 2019, 39% of women and 29% of men do not meet recommended level of physical activity. People who do regular activity have 50% lower risk of type 2 diabetes and 50% lower risk of colon cancer.

Question 13

To what extent can ill-health be blamed on the lifestyle choices of the population - paragraph two rebuttal

Answer 13

R - However, those in more deprived areas may not be able to participate in physical activity.
E - This could be for a number of reasons - not being able to afford gym memberships/ fees for clubs, having poor health that could be result of poor diet due to deprivation, or lack of interest, possibly because of stress/lack of time to participate in physical activity.
E - Adults in most deprived areas were more likely to have very low activity levels than those in least deprived areas, 32% in most deprived compared to 12% in least deprived
L - Although not exercising is choice for some, many people in poverty don’t have a choice. Therefore, lifestyle choices can only be blamed to small extent and really poor health should be blamed on deprivation.

Question 14

To what extent can ill-health be blamed on the lifestyle choices of the population - paragraph three

Answer 14

P - Another lifestyle choice that can lead to ill-health is smoking.
E - Although smoking is an addiction, also considered a lifestyle choice and can have huge consequences for a person’s health and wellbeing. According to WHO, smoking kills equivalent of entire Scottish population globally each year. Smokers much more likely to develop cancer, have a stroke and have a heart attack.
E - There are nearly 100,000 smoking-related hospital admissions every year in Scotland, equating to 1,923 people a week, or 274 people a day.

Question 15

To what extent can ill-health be blamed on the lifestyle choices of the population - paragraph three rebuttal

Answer 15

R - However, those who are in more deprived areas are much more likely to smoke.
E - This could be for number of reasons - stress, lack of support or being introduced at young age and becoming addicted. Those in poorer areas may carry a lot of stress/anxiety due to circumstances and see smoking a way to escape. There may be lack of support to quit smoking in more deprived areas as it is seen as common and acceptable. Those who have grown up in poverty are more likely to have had exposure to smoking and therefore see it as normal so continue to smoke until it becomes an addiction.
E - In 2018, adults in most deprived areas continued to be around three times more likely to smoke than those in least deprived areas.
L - Therefore, smoking as a cause of ill-health is linked to deprivation rather than lifestyle choice.

Question 16

To what extent can ill-health be blamed on the lifestyle choices of the population - conclusion

Answer 16

Ultimately, the extent to which lifestyle choice has an impact on health is not as great as the impact deprivation has. People in deprivation make these lifestyle choices that lead to poor health because they see no other option and they cannot help it. They might make these choices because of stress or because they simply have no choice. Therefore, whilst lifestyle choices play a huge part in poor health, these choices are usually made due to deprivation, meaning that deprivation should be blamed for the poor health of the population.

Question 17

Poverty is the main cause of poor health. Discuss. - introduction

Answer 17

There are many causes of poor health in the UK. Factors such as geography, gender and race play a significant role when explaining poor health amongst the UK population. However, it must be acknowledged that most, if not all causes of poor health can be linked back to poverty and deprivation, making it the leading cause of poor health.

Question 18

Poverty is the main cause of poor health. Discuss - paragraph one

Answer 18

P - One cause of poor health can be geographical location.
E - A person’s health is largely impacted by environment in which they live and where they live. If people live within easy reach of medical services - much more likely to seek help at earlier stage, catching problems before become too serious to treat. There is an inequality between those in Scotland and North of England compared to South of England, often referred to as North/South divide. Life expectancy much lower in North than South.
E - In 2014, map of UK life expectancy showed those in highlands and islands off coast of Scotland had much lower life expectancy than those in more densely populated areas in South of the UK. This could be because they are in more isolated area and hospitals and doctors are much further away, meaning have less access to quick healthcare.

Question 19

Poverty is the main cause of poor health. Discuss - paragraph one rebuttal

Answer 19

R - However, arguably the underlying cause of geographical inequality, is in fact deprivation
E - Areas with highest levels of deprivation tend to have lowest levels of life expectancy, and areas with lowest levels of deprivation tend to have highest levels of life expectancy. There are many areas that have low levels of life expectancy and high levels of deprivation that are close to areas with high levels of life expectancy, clearly showing link to deprivation.
E - Aberdeen city council revealed that residents in the affluent community of Mannofield live on average nearly 17 years longer than those in poorer Woodside area of the city, two areas only four miles apart.
L - The only explanation for such a difference in life expectancy, so close together, is poverty.

Question 20

Poverty is the main cause of poor health. Discuss - paragraph two

Answer 20

P - Another cause of poor health is gender.
E - Typically women live longer than men. This is largely down to fact that women are much more likely to attend doctor and seek help for ill health they are experiencing than men. This means more likely to catch serious conditions at an earlier stage and get effective treatment, meaning they are more likely to survive. Women are also much more likely to express feelings and seek support, while men are more likely to internalise anger, turning to substance and alcohol abuse for relief, potentially resulting in suicide.
E - The average life expectancy for men is 79.1, whereas it is 82.9 for women. Women are more likely to get help than men and therefore more likely to live longer.

Question 21

Poverty is the main cause of poor health. Discuss - paragraph two rebuttal

Answer 21

R - However, although women live longer, they are more likely to experience ill health than men
E - Women are much more likely to be caregivers for children, disabled and elderly, which can mean reduced sleep, less leisure time and increased risk of poverty. Women tend to take career breaks to give care, resulting in lower income leading to less access to good healthcare, as well as an increase in risk of poverty. All of these can have serious negative consequences for both physical and mental health.
E - According to 2021 survey by Survation, 4% of men said they had to leave last job due to caring work, and 9% of women said the same thing. Research also shows that women become a carer over a decade before men.
L - Therefore, women are more likely to suffer ill-health than men due to deprivation, due to the inability to work because they are care givers.

Question 22

Poverty is the main cause of poor health. Discuss - paragraph three

Answer 22

P - Another cause of poor health is race.
E - Most ethnic minority groups have poorer health than the white British group. Many members of ethnic minority community fail to access health care because of lack of good English skills. Often without knowing interpreters, minorities have difficulty knowing what is available to them or explaining what the problem is. There are also cultural barriers. Different groups in the community have different ways of dealing with ill-health - may not be understood by UK health professionals.
E - Illness rates for Pakistani and Bangladeshi women are 10% higher than for white women. Diabetes is a particular problem for Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, who are more than five times more likely to suffer from it than the white population.

Question 23

Poverty is the main cause of poor health. Discuss - paragraph three rebuttal

Answer 23

R - However, those ethnic minority groups that have incomes close to the white population average, such as Indians, Africans and Asians, record health levels close to that of the white population.
E - The groups which are the poorest record significantly lower levels of health.
E - According to government statistics, in 2019/20, poverty rates were highest for people in households where the head of house was from the Pakistani or Bangladeshi ethnic groups and lowest for those from white ethnic groups. Pakistanis and Bangladeshis also record health levels that are 50% worse than whites.
L - Therefore, it is clear that there is a link between poor health and deprivation due to ethnicity.

Question 24

Poverty is the main cause of poor health. Discuss - conclusion

Answer 24

Ultimately, all factors that contribute to poor health can link back to poverty. Whilst there are many causes of poor health such as geography, gender and race, they all have underlying links to deprivation which are overall much more likely to cause poor health. Therefore, poverty is the biggest cause of poor health.

Question 25

Government measures have failed to reduce inequalities. Discuss - introduction

Answer 25

Both wealth inequalities and health inequalities exist and the government has introduced multiple measures in an attempt to reduce these inequalities. These policies include smoking legislation, alcohol legislation and universal credit. It can be argued that the government policies have failed to reduce wealth inequalities, however have been successful in reducing health inequalities.

Question 26

Government measures have failed to reduce inequalities. Discuss - paragraph one

Answer 26

P - One government measure introduced to reduce inequality was smoking legislation.
E - In all UK countries between 2006/2007, smoking ban was introduced, making it illegal to smoke in public places, including bars, restaurants, public transport etc. This policy was introduced in attempt to reduce smoking, therefore reducing health implications smoking has on smoker and those around. Breaking law is punishable by fine - millions set aside to enforce smoking legislations.
E - More recent legislation includes ban of tobacco products being on display, which came into effect across whole of UK in 2015. This law meant all tobacco products must be completely covered from view in both larger shops and more local, smaller shops.

Question 27

Government measures have failed to reduce inequalities. Discuss - paragraph one rebuttal

Answer 27

R - These laws that have been introduced have clearly been effective as number of smokers has been decreasing.
E - Since the smoking ban, number of smokers has decreased in UK, with less than 15% of people smoking in 2019, compared to 22% in 2016. Studies have shown there has also been significant improvements in health.
E - In the three years after ban, number of children being admitted to hospital with asthma decreased by 18% each year in Scotland. There was also 17% reduction in heart attack admissions to nine Scottish hospitals. The legislation surrounding smoking met with high public support, with 78% of people supporting it, including smokers
L - Therefore, government measures have been successful in reducing health inequalities.

Question 28

Government measures have failed to reduce inequalities. Discuss - paragraph two

Answer 28

P - Another government measure introduced to reduce inequality was alcohol legislation.
E - In recent years, Scottish gov. has made alcohol a focus to try and reduce health inequalities. They have introduced many laws to try and reduce amount of alcohol consumption, including: banning quantity discounts in shops, restricting alcohol advertisements and restricting buying hours of alcohol in shops to between 10am and 10pm.
E - Another legislation was Minimum Unit Pricing law (MUP) which saw minimum price per unit of alcohol in drink set to 50p. Introduced with intent of discouraging people from buying cheap, high strength alcohol and risking damage to health. According to BBC, compared to England and Wales (which have no policy), in Scotland there was fall of almost 4% of alcohol sold per person, suggesting policy is effective.

Question 29

Government measures have failed to reduce inequalities. Discuss - paragraph two rebuttal

Answer 29

R - However, it is too soon to tell just how effective MUP is.
E - Scotland has significant ‘booze culture’, meaning level of alcohol consumed in Scotland is higher than other countries.
E - In 2018, alcohol linked deaths in Scotland were twice the rate of those in England. Despite this, in Scotland, the number of alcohol units consumed in 2003 was 16.1 and has since dropped to 12.1 in 2019.
L - Therefore, although it may be too soon to tell if certain policies have been successful, it seems overall government measures have been successful in reducing health inequalities.

Question 30

Government measures have failed to reduce inequalities. Discuss - paragraph three

Answer 30

P - Another government measure introduced to reduce inequalities is Universal Credit.
E - Universal Credit is a benefit paid by UK government which merges number of benefits into one. Intended to increase claimant responsibility and reduce ‘dependency culture’. Money is paid monthly rather than weekly or fortnightly with the intent of promoting better budgeting and more closely reflecting monthly salary payments. The introduction of Universal Credit has played a big part in reducing unemployment levels.
E - Before the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2020, the unemployment rate had gone down to around 4%, the lowest level in a long time, showing the system is effective.

Question 31

Government measures have failed to reduce inequalities. Discuss - paragraph three rebuttal

Answer 31

R - However, Universal Credit has also contributed to rise in hunger and foodbank use.
E - The rollout of UC has been heavily criticised. This is because people have to apply online, which is challenging for poorer people - more likely to have no computer access. There have also been delays with rollouts, with minimum of 5 week wait for first payment. In response to delay, families are offered loan, however most cannot afford to pay it back and therefore end up in debt.
E - 70% of those receiving the benefit have experienced debt during wait. As a result of this, use of foodbanks has increased. For example, in last 5 years, foodbank use has increased by 73%.
L - Therefore, the government has not been successful in reducing wealth inequalities as more people are struggling than ever before.

Question 32

Government measures have failed to reduce inequalities. Discuss - conclusion

Answer 32

Ultimately, government measures have only been partly successful in reducing inequalities. Legislation to reduce health inequalities such as alcohol and smoking legislation has proved successful in tackling the health issues surrounding them. However, policies introduced to reduce wealth inequalities, such as Universal Credit, have not proven as successful. These policies are not tackling the root causes of the problems and therefore leaving people worse off than they maybe would have been previously.