- "Social inequality occurs when resources in a given society are distributed unevenly, typically through norms of allocation, that engender specific patterns along lines of socially defined categories of persons." - "The differentiation preference of access to social goods in the society is brought about by power, religion, kinship, prestige, race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, and class."
Analysis of how class and inequality intersect with political power structures and policies.
Power and domination: The study of power and domination focuses on the nature and sources of power in societies, and how it is distributed among individuals and groups.
Social inequality: This topic looks at the various ways in which social inequality is structured, including class, race, gender, and nationality.
Stratification systems: A stratification system is any social system that divides individuals or groups into different levels, based on factors like income, education, and occupation.
Social mobility: Social mobility refers to the ability of individuals or groups to move up or down the social ladder, either through their own efforts or through changes in the economy.
Social class: Social class is a term used to describe the different levels of economic and social status in society, and the ways in which they are connected to cultural, political, and other factors.
Elite theory: This theory argues that power in society is concentrated in the hands of a small elite, who use their influence to shape and control social, economic, and political institutions.
Marxian theory: Marxian theory focuses on the relationship between economic production and social inequality, arguing that the capitalist system produces an unequal distribution of wealth and power.
Weberian theory: Weberian theory looks at the ways in which individuals or groups can gain power and status through social and economic means, and how these factors interact with one another.
Income inequality: Income inequalityrefers to the uneven distribution of income within a given society or population, and the ways in which this affects individuals and groups.
Racial and ethnic inequality: This topic looks at the various factors that contribute to racial and ethnic inequality, including discrimination, institutionalized racism, and social and economic disparities.
Gender and sexuality: This topic looks at the ways in which gender and sexuality impact social inequality, including issues of discrimination, stereotyping, and access to resources.
Global inequality: Global inequality refers to the unequal distribution of wealth and resources among nations and populations, and the ways in which these disparities impact social, economic, and political outcomes.
Economic class: This type of class is determined by an individual's economic status, such as their income, occupation, and assets.
Social class: Social class refers to the group of people who share similar social and cultural characteristics, such as their education level, occupation, and lifestyle.
Political class: This refers to the social class of people who hold political power, such as politicians, political elites, and bureaucrats.
Occupational class: Occupational class refers to the hierarchy that exists between white and blue-collar jobs, high-paying professional jobs and low-paying service jobs, and skilled versus unskilled labor.
Gender class: Gender class refers to the inequality that exists between men and women in society.
Ethnic class: Ethnic class refers to the social hierarchy based on race, ethnicity, and nationality.
Caste class: Caste class refers to the social hierarchy based on the caste system in certain cultures.
Health class: Health class refers to the inequality that exists in access to health resources, such as medical care, healthy food, and clean water.
Environmental class: Environmental class refers to the inequality that exists in access to clean and safe environments, such as housing, air, and water.
Education class: Education class refers to the inequality that exists in access to quality education resources and opportunities.
Spatial class: Spatial class refers to the inequality that exists between urban and rural areas in terms of access to infrastructure, resources, and opportunities.
Age class: Age class refers to the inequality that exists between different age groups, such as children, youth, and the elderly.
- "It poses and creates a gender gap between individuals that limits the accessibility that women have within society."
- "Power, religion, kinship, prestige, race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, and class."
- "Social inequality is linked to economic inequality, usually described on the basis of the unequal distribution of income or wealth."
- "The social rights include labor market, the source of income, health care, and freedom of speech, education, political representation, and participation."
- "Although merit matters to some degree in many societies, research shows that the distribution of resources in societies often follows hierarchical social categorizations of persons to a degree too significant to warrant calling these societies 'meritocratic'."
- "Young was concerned that the Tripartite System of education being practised in the United Kingdom at the time he wrote the essay considered merit to be 'intelligence-plus-effort' and that it would create an educated middle-class elite at the expense of the education of the working class, inevitably resulting in injustice and eventually revolution."
- "In many cases, social inequality is linked to racial and ethnic inequality, gender inequality, and other forms of social status."
- "The most common metric for comparing social inequality in different nations is the Gini coefficient, which measures the concentration of wealth and income in a nation from 0 (evenly distributed wealth and income) to 1 (one person has all wealth and income)."
- "Two nations may have identical Gini coefficients but dramatically different economic (output) and/or quality of life, so the Gini coefficient must be contextualized for meaningful comparisons to be made."