Social inequality - defining inequality Flashcards
Issues of inequality?
Inequality remains a significant issue in modern society, despite Western claims of offering equal opportunities. While some progress has been made, such as women gaining the right to vote in the UK in 1928, women are still underrepresented in government, suggesting that equal voting rights have not translated into equal access to power. Some sociologists, like functionalists, argue that inequality is necessary for societal stability, but this view is strongly opposed by Marxists and feminists, who see inequality as a source of oppression and exploitation.
Inequality?
defining feature of social life; however, there are difficulties in defining inequalities
Areas of social life?
Social life refers to various aspects of daily living, such as education, work, media, politics, family, and youth culture. Inequality exists across these areas, manifesting in different forms, including class, gender, age, and ethnicity.
What is inequality?
Inequality is a complex concept that encompasses various aspects of human experience. Halsey (1980) defined it in two ways: equality of opportunity, where everyone has the same chances to succeed, and equality of outcome, where people are represented in societal institutions in proportion to their presence in the population. While he argued that British society offers equality of opportunity—such as legislation against discrimination and equal pay rights for women—the reality shows significant inequality of outcome. For example, women’s average income is still significantly lower than men’s, despite legal equality of opportunity. This highlights the gap between legal rights and real-life outcomes.
Forms of inequality?
Ferdinand Mount (2008), for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, identified five key forms of inequality: wealth inequality, inequality of participation in society, inequality of access to power, inequality of outcome, and inequality of opportunity. He noted that these forms often overlap. For example, the wealthy pay less tax proportionately, allowing them to invest more in their children’s education, leading to better job prospects, access to elite universities, and greater political influence through control of media and networks. This concentration of wealth also gives the wealthy better access to healthcare, reinforcing social inequalities.
Patterns and trends of wealth inequality within the UK
Since the 1980s, overall incomes in the UK have risen, but the wealthiest have seen much larger increases compared to the poorest. In the 1980s, the income gap between the richest and poorest was narrower. Additionally, the poor paid a higher proportion of their income in tax than the wealthy, partly due to “hidden” taxes, such as those included in the price of goods rather than being deducted from wages.
