The Role Governments Play In Social Inequality Flashcards
Methods used to tackle socio economic inequalities: taxation
Income tax is used by governments to redistribute wealth to create a fairer society
Most goverments have a progressive taxation system where wealthier people pay more tax
Essentials like food may be exempt which helps poorer people who spend a larger % of their incomes on food
Methods used to tackle socio economic inequalities: subsidies
Children in poorer families might get FSM, clothing allowances and help with university fees
Free child care for single parents
Disabled people may also get benefits
Methods used to tackle socio economic inequalities: planning
Give priority to upgrading housing/ services in the poorest areas
Often organised geographically and targetted at the poorest areas
Methods used to tackle socio economic inequalities: law
Outlaws discrimination based on age, racial or gender criteria
Aims to give equal opportunities for all groups
Poorest workers are protected by minimum wage legislation
Methods used to tackle socio economic inequalities: education
Provides funding for training and upgrading skills to raise skill levels and qualifications = more employment prospects and economic growth
Raising awareness on ways to improve personal health often targetted at poorer groups (exercise, smoking)
Why has pension spending doubled? What is the result of this?
Increasing life expectancy and ageing population. The age at which you can withdraw pensions is rising
Distinction between poorer pensioners and other pensioners
Poorer pensioners are solely reliant on state pension and live in the inner cities
Other pensioners tend to have occupational pensions, own their homes outright and benefit from house price inflation which makes them richer
How much money was spent on state pensions 2019-20?
£101.3 bn
How much was spent on healthcare from 2019-20?
£130.1 bn
Healthcare
The NHS is free at the point of delivery and funded through taxation
Provision varies because inner cities and rural areas can be short of GPs but affluent suburbs are well served
Children from some migrant communities like Somali are unvaccinated against common diseases like measles
Rural services
A cornerstone of rural planning in the UK has been to support rural areas
Services like education are concentrated in large villages which act act as hubs for people living in surrounding smaller settlements.
Improvements in personal mobility have taken place so many rural residents no longer rely exclusively on nearest key settlement
