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Different Forms Of Social Inequality

Author: Sam Greeves
by Sam Greeves
Posted: May 06, 2014

What is social inequality?

Social inequality refers to un-equivalent distribution of opportunities as well as resources between different classes and groups existing within a society. Areas in which disparities can exist include voting rights, quality of accommodation, quality of education and healthcare as well as freedom of speech. In the American context, social inequality exists on the basis of wealth, race and sex.

Forms of inequality

-Gender inequality

Gender inequality is one of the most repressive forms of social inequality. Transgender and effeminate people can express their sex in the way they dress, the way they talk and through all important documents which they fill. Gender normativity, which in simple terms refers to society’s expectations from us when we present particular bodies, is known to cause considerable discrimination on transgender, gays as well as effeminate people. Across the world, transgenders have been regarded as unproductive and as a menace for the society. The social roles demarcated for both men and women in economic, educational as well as political spheres causes greater gender inequality. The inadequate representation of women in decision making process as well as political activities is evident in developing as well as underdeveloped countries.

-Racial inequality

Racial inequality is caused by the social distinctions between people from different racial groups within a society on the basis of skin color, features as well as place of a person’s origin. Discrimination on the basis of identity occurs when people from one ethnic group regard themselves as superior to others, and exploits them. This type of inequality can take place in the domains of housing as well as employment. Even in recent times, employers have shown biasness for giving precedence to a candidate from a particular race though others may have the same skills and qualifications required for the job.

-Caste inequality

Though not prevalent in a massive scale in America, caste system exists among expatriate communities from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Korea and Japan. Caste depends either on one’s family by birth or through occupation. Though not hereditary by nature, it imposes a number of restrictions on sharing of food and drink between different social groups, endogamy as well as food habits.

-Age inequality

Age inequality takes place when there is biasness when it comes to promotions, resources, recruitment or facilities on the basis of age. One of the most common types of aged based discrimination is adultism in which children and individuals under legal adult age are the victims.

-Class inequality

The way in which inequality is measured between social classes depends on the context in which it is used. Karl Marx stated that there are significant inequalities between two major social classes- laborers (proletariat) and capitalists (bourgeoisie). This division signifies conflicting socio-economic aspirations in the form of profit maximization for capitalists and survival for laborers, thus causing inequality and clashes.

Conclusion

Apart from the areas which have been mentioned above, inequality also exists in the fields of education and healthcare as well. People from high and middle class backgrounds are likely to receive better education as well as treatment in comparison to those from lower class.

About the Author

This article has been compiled by sam g, who is an educational instructor.

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Author: Sam Greeves

Sam Greeves

Member since: Apr 21, 2014
Published articles: 19

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