To what extent have government policies been effective in reducing inequalities? Flashcards
Introduction
There are many government policies which can reduce inequalities. The policies such as MUP, tuition fees, NLW and shared parental leave are all policies which aim to reduce inequalities. This essay will provide a detailed analysis on the effectiveness of these policies. Although all of these policies can have beneficial impacts, I believe that Scotland introducing no tuition fees for university and college students is the most successfully government policy in reducing inequality. This is because scrapping tuition fees creates a fairer chance for students of all backgrounds to complete a degree or take part in a college course.
Free tuition fees
The first government policy which has attempted to tackle education inequalities is Scotland scrapping tuition fees. Tuition fees were introduced across the entire uk in 1998 but following the creation of the Scottish parliament they were scrapped in Scotland. Since 2007 the Scottish government has paid the fees of Scottish students going to universities. Whilst in England fees have increased from £1000 / year in 1998 to £9250 / year in 2018. Although the system was reformed so that fees are no longer paid upfront but can be paid back when a graduate earns more than £21000 / year. Supporters of free tuition fees argue that education is a right not a privilege and that it removes a potential barrier for people applying to university. This means it will provide a much fairer chance of people getting into university as no one is discriminated against if they can’t afford to go to uni. Free tuition fees also leaves students debt free. In England it is argued that the debt is a disadvantage for people particularly those from low income families. According to the ATL the average student in England leaves university with a £44,000 debt. A disadvantage of free tuition fees means that richer people will also not have to pay to go to uni which means the government are paying for people who would be able to afford it even if they didn’t. This is money being wasted which can be used elsewhere to help the country. Free tuition fees is a positive policy as it means all young people have an equal chance of getting a degree.
Minimum unit pricing
Another government policy which attempts to tackle inequality is minimum unit pricing. MUP sets a floor price for a unit of alcohol, currently 50 pence per unit. This means alcohol cannot legally be sold for lower than that. This policy was introduced in may 2018. This policy was introduced as it is argued that higher prices will reduce the number of people becoming addicted and cause overall consumption to fall, particularly amongst heavy drinkers. The amount of alcohol sold per adult in Scotland is now at a 25-year low. This policy may encourage people to not drink as much if they are paying more for alcohol. However, it can be argued that this will have no effect as poor people are much more likely to die due to alcohol related deaths whereas richer and middle-class people will still be able to afford it. It is also highly likely that some alcohols will not even be affected by MUP. Sales figures show that more alcohol was sold in shops in the first 9 months of minimum pricing. This shows that introducing a minimum unit price has not tackled the inequality it Intended to. Although MUP has not tackled the health inequality of alcohol the Scottish govt are considering to increase the minimum unit price. An increase in the price may lead to it being harder for even middle-class people to afford it which may affect the alcohol inequality rates.
Shared parental leave
Another government policy which has attempted to tackle inequality is shared parental leave. The law has been changes to allow mothers and fathers to share 50 weeks of parental leave. This policy aims to provide more flexibility for families and give women the choice of returning earlier from maternity leave without having to find childcare. Only 3 in 5 fathers in work are actually eligible for shared parental leave. An advantage of shared parental leave may be that it is more flexible for women and it means that it may influence more men to take responsibility of their children. However the historic view that the father is the main breadwinner and the mother as the primary carer is still a huge stereotype today, which will be difficult to break for many people. This is a disadvantage as it means many men will not opt to share parental leave resulting in women forced to be the primary carer. For example of those who are eligible only 1% opted to share parental leave with their partner in the first year of the policy being introduced. This shows how small the number of people wanting to share parental leave is. The govt policy is not very successful as it aims to provide more flexibility for women however it is clear to see that breaking the stereotypes will take time and so therefore not many people have shared parental leave. More than 90%, the majority of men chose not to share parental leave.
National minimum wage
Another government policy which aims to tackle inequality is the national minimum wage. The national minimum wage is the minimum pay per hour almost all workers are entitled to. The national living wage is higher than the national minimum wage. The national minimum wage is currently £10.42 for over 23 year old. If you are under 23 it varies from £10.18 (21 and 22 year olds) and for under 18s it is £5.28. The real living wages are higher than the national minimum wage because they are independently calculated based on what people need to get by. Currently £10.90 in the uk. The national minimum wage is designed to protect as many low paid workers as possible. The national minimum wage may have an advantage as it allows all employees of the same age to be entitled to the same minimum pay per hour. This is an advantage as it means no one can be discriminated against because it is illegal for your employer to pay you less than the national minimum wage, resulting in all workers being treated more fairly. However, the national minimum wage is not enough for people to live on. This causes income inequality as it means the government are not paying anyone on minimum wage enough to live their life. This causes the cycle of poverty to continue as it means people who are in poverty and more affected by the minimum wage, they are not even being paid enough by the government to live on.
Conclusion
In conclusion the government policies tuition fees, national minimum wage, shared parental leave and minimum unit pricing are all policies which do have some extent of benefit in tackling inequality. Minimum unit pricing sets a floor price for a unit of alcohol which may encourage people to drink less due to the price. Shared parental leave aims to provide more flexibility for families however the majority of men do not want to share it. The national minimum wage is the pay per hour almost all workers are entitled to which means everyone is treated equally as everyone must be paid the same amount if they are on minimum wage. However I believe that free tuition fees is the most successful and effective government policy this is because not having to pay for university allows students from all backgrounds an equal opportunity to get a degree meaning no one is at an advantage.
