Social Inequalities

Social Inequalities

The social structure in every country or state is the backbone or the foundation of the nation. It consists of all the institutions and structures that are responsible for developing the citizens and people of the society into good human beings and takes care of them in order to sustain and maintain the nation. All the social variables and institutions commanding them are linked to the economic growth and social sustenance of the nation either directly or indirectly. However, many a times, these social structures and society as a whole, is subject to social inequalities that need to be dealt with and eliminated from the society. This paper deals with the social inequalities that exist in Britain and elaborates upon the impacts of inequalities on the British social policy.

Social Inequalities

The society is viewed by the sociologists as a system of stratification which relies upon the elements of privilege, hierarchy of power, and prestige that result into the existence of social inequality. The concept of social inequality basically pertains to the relational system within a society which possessed the strength of harming or restricting the social class, social status, and social circle of a group. The domain of social inequality comprises of the people's easy access to the rights of voting, assembly and freedom of speech, the right to use the education system, quality housing, healthcare and various other social services and goods (Atkinson, Anthony, 1970). The prominent features representing the existence of social inequality include the unequal rewards and opportunities for various statuses and social positions in a society or a group. The term 'social inequality 'fundamentally comprises of the recurrent and structured trends of imbalanced opportunities, wealth, distributions of goods, punishments, and rewards.

In various rich countries, the concept of economic growth is no longer a dependable or much reliable source of the well being and living with higher standards. In fact, there are many countries that attain the life expectancy level same as those that exist in Britain and this indicates that they are also subject to the income inequalities at different levels. There may be various reasons of the existence of social inequality in a society; however, they might be far reaching and very much broad. It is likely that social inequality emerges due to the presence of social stereotyping or because of the understanding of society in terms of appropriate gender roles. The causes for social inequalities are many more; they may be created through the legislations that are discriminatory. The presence of social inequality is likely to be connected notably with the gender inequality, racial inequality, and wealth inequality. The opportunities of income and wealth are usually trickled down by the manners in which the people in a society tend to behave. These social behaviors may also be performed through the sexist or racial practices leading to various types and categories of discriminations.

Effects of Inequality on British Social Policy

Income Inequality

Income distribution, in the economic terms, pertains to the ways in which the total ...