- "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."
This topic deals with the disparities that exist between different segments of society in terms of income, resources, and opportunities.
Social stratification: The systematic division of society into different strata based on factors like income, education, occupation, and social status.
Poverty: The lack of basic necessities like food, clothing, and shelter due to insufficient income or resources.
Discrimination: The unfair treatment of individuals or groups based on their race, gender, religion, or other characteristics.
Inequality of opportunity: The unequal distribution of opportunities like access to education, healthcare, and employment.
Gender inequality: The unequal treatment of men and women in different spheres of life, e.g., education, employment, and politics.
Race and ethnicity: The unequal treatment of individuals or groups based on their race or ethnicity.
Social mobility: The ability of individuals to move up or down in the social hierarchy.
Social exclusion: The process of individuals or groups being excluded from mainstream society due to factors like poverty, discrimination, and social norms.
Social justice: The idea of fairness and equity in the distribution of opportunities and resources in society.
Social welfare: Programs and policies that aim to alleviate poverty and inequality and improve the quality of life of citizens.
Human rights: The basic rights that all humans are entitled to, e.g., the right to life, liberty, and equality.
Income inequality: The unequal distribution of income and wealth in society.
Education inequality: The unequal access to education and differences in educational outcomes across different segments of society.
Health inequality: Differences in health outcomes across different segments of society.
Housing inequality: Differences in access to affordable housing and quality housing across different segments of society.
Environmental inequality: The unequal distribution of environmental risks and benefits across different segments of society.
Global inequality: Unequal distribution of income, opportunity, and resources across different countries and regions of the world.
Intersectionality: The concept that social inequality cannot be understood solely based on one characteristic like gender or race, but is shaped by the intersection of multiple characteristics like gender, race, class, and sexuality.
Social capital: The resources and networks that individuals and groups have that can increase their social and economic opportunities.
Social cohesion: The degree to which individuals and groups in a society feel connected and share a sense of belonging.
Income Inequality: This refers to the unequal distribution of income among individuals or groups within a society. It is often measured using the Gini coefficient and can lead to poverty and economic inequality.
Gender Inequality: This is the unequal treatment of individuals based on their gender, which can manifest through discriminatory laws and practices, unequal access to education and employment opportunities, and gender-based violence.
Racial Inequality: This is the unequal treatment of individuals based on their race, which can manifest through discrimination, prejudice, and systemic barriers that limit access to resources and opportunities.
Social Class Inequality: This refers to the unequal treatment of individuals based on their social class, which can be determined by factors such as income, education level, and occupation.
Disability Inequality: This is the unequal treatment of individuals based on their disability or perceived disability, which can manifest through discrimination, prejudice, and exclusion from mainstream society.
Age Inequality: This refers to the unequal treatment of individuals based on their age, which can manifest through discrimination, ageism, and limited access to resources.
Cultural Inequality: This is the unequal treatment of individuals based on their cultural background or ethnicity, which can manifest through discrimination, prejudice, and marginalization.
Educational Inequality: This refers to the unequal access to education opportunities and resources, which can limit an individual's potential and perpetuate social inequality.
Health Inequality: This is the unequal access to healthcare resources, which can lead to disparities in health outcomes and perpetuate social inequality.
Political Inequality: This refers to the unequal distribution of power and influence within a society, which can lead to unequal representation and decision-making, perpetuating social inequality.
- "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."