"Structural inequality occurs when the fabric of organizations, institutions, governments or social networks contains an embedded cultural, linguistic, economic, religious/belief, physical or identity based bias which provides advantages for some members and marginalizes or produces disadvantages for other members."
This theory argues that inequalities in society are a result of systemic discrimination, and cannot be fixed through individual effort alone.
Structural determinism: The concept that social structures and institutions (such as the economy, education system, healthcare system, and criminal justice system) determine people's life outcomes, particularly in relation to race and other marginalized identities.
Critical Race Theory: A theoretical framework that studies the ways in which race and racism intersect with other forms of power (e.g., gender, class, sexuality) to shape social structures and individual experiences.
Intersectionality: A concept that describes how race, gender, class, sexuality, and other social identities intersect and influence each other, resulting in unique experiences of privilege and marginalization.
Institutional racism: A form of racism that is built into the policies, practices, and norms of societal institutions, such as schools, government agencies, and the criminal justice system.
Structural inequality: Disparities in opportunities and outcomes that result from social structures, such as economic inequality, educational disparities, and healthcare disparities.
Social justice: The goal of creating a society in which all people have equal access to opportunities, resources, and power, and in which social structures are dismantled or restructured to minimize inequality.
Power dynamics: The ways in which power is distributed and exercised in society, often along lines of race, gender, class, and other social identities.
Implicit bias: Unconscious attitudes and beliefs that influence our perception of other individuals and groups.
Privilege: Unearned advantages that certain social identities (such as whiteness, maleness, and upper-class status) confer in society.
Marginalization: The social process of being pushed to the edges or outside of social structures, leading to disadvantages in opportunities and resources.
"This can involve personal agency, freedom of expression, property rights, freedom of association, religious freedom, social status, or unequal access to healthcare, housing, education, physical, cultural, social, religious or political belief, financial resources or other social opportunities."
"Structural inequality is believed to be an embedded part of all known cultural groups."
"The global history of slavery, serfdom, indentured servitude and other forms of coerced cultural or government mandated labour or economic exploitation that marginalizes individuals and the subsequent suppression of human rights are key factors defining structural inequality."
"In particular, the history of oppression of the Jewish people, as victims of historic and ongoing antisemitism that dates back to their slavery under the Pharaohs offer an example of the historic nature and wide variance of structural inequality."
"Structural inequality can be encouraged and maintained in society through structured institutions such as state governments, and other cultural institutions like government-run school systems with the goal of maintaining the existing governance/tax structure regardless of wealth, employment opportunities, and social standing of different identity groups."
"In the attempt to equalize allocation of state funding, policymakers evaluate the elements of disparity to determine an equalization of funding throughout school districts."
"Combating structural inequality often requires the broad, policy-based structural change on behalf of government organizations, and is often a critical component of poverty reduction."
"A well-organized democratic government that can effectively combine moderate growth with redistributive policies stands the best chance of combating structural inequality."
"The fabric of organizations, institutions, governments or social networks contains an embedded cultural, linguistic, economic, religious/belief, physical or identity based bias which provides advantages for some members."
"The fabric of organizations, institutions, governments or social networks contains an embedded cultural, linguistic, economic, religious/belief, physical or identity based bias which marginalizes or produces disadvantages for other members."
"Structural inequality can involve unequal access to healthcare, housing, education, physical, cultural, social, religious or political belief, financial resources or other social opportunities."
"Keeping minority students from high academic achievement in high school and college as well as in the workforce of the country."
"The history of oppression of the Jewish people, as victims of historic and ongoing antisemitism that dates back to their slavery under the Pharaohs offers an example of the historic nature and wide variance of structural inequality."
"Structural inequality can be encouraged and maintained in society through structured institutions such as state governments, and other cultural institutions like government-run school systems."
"Combating structural inequality is often a critical component of poverty reduction."
"Structural inequality can involve personal agency, freedom of expression, property rights, freedom of association, religious freedom, social status."
"Policymakers evaluate the elements of disparity to determine an equalization of funding throughout school districts."
"Structural inequality can marginalize or produce disadvantages for members based on their social standing."
"The global history of slavery, serfdom, indentured servitude and other forms of coerced cultural or government mandated labour or economic exploitation that marginalizes individuals are key factors defining structural inequality."