- [Voiceover] Okay, let's
talk about social inequality.
Now when we talk about social inequality,
what we're saying is that the resources
in a society are unevenly distributed.
Now an excellent example of this is the
wealth distribution in the United States,
where the top 20% have 72%
of the wealth of the country,
and the bottom 20% only control about 3%.
So as we can see, that's a
great deal of inequality.
When we think about social inequality,
we often think about our society and how
it's structured into different classes.
One of the ways that we do this is by
labeling society as
containing the upper class,
middle class and lower, or working class.
And these class distinctions
are often made on
the basis of people's jobs or incomes.
And one of the things that we know is
that as you go up the social ladder,
you often have better
access to quality education,
healthcare, and other services,
such as housing or good nutrition.
One of the other things
that we can think about
is that there are groups of the population
that are really
disproportionately affected
by this social inequality.
Minorities, for example,
ethnic minorities,
or racial minorities, tend
to have greater degrees
of inequality, as
manifested by lower incomes,
lower educational opportunities,
and reduced access to healthcare.
And the healthcare they do
get is often substandard.
In addition to racial
and ethnic minorities,
we should also consider that people
who are very poor or are in poverty
also face considerable barriers
to obtaining the same healthcare,
education, and other resources,
such as housing, as other people.
So really being an ethnic minority,
racial minority, or being very poor
puts you at a great social disadvantage.
In some ways, gender does too.
We know that being female carries with it
certain disadvantages in
regards social equality,
in that females often
experiences differences
in terms of pay, known
as the gender pay gap,
where they may be paid
less than their male peers.
They may also experience
the "glass ceiling effect,"
where they may be more poorly represented
in higher positions,
more powerful positions,
within companies and other institutions,
even public institutions.
So gender is also an
important consideration.
So what happens when we have these
high rates of social inequality?
People may feel increasingly
socially excluded.
They may separate out,
and live in segregated neighborhoods,
and they may also feel
politically disempowered.
This potentially creates
a combination of things,
which can lead to civil unrest
and also may tempt people
into criminal activities.
So what can we do about social inequality?
Well, we can have a variety
of government schemes
to allow financial
support or social support,
such as Food Stamps, for individuals
facing considerable hardship.
We can try and identify
and remove barriers
to healthcare and
education for people facing
these considerable hardships.
Additionally, we can
carry out further research
into these vulnerable populations,
to help understand their needs
and try and figure out
suitable interventions,
where we can make a
difference into their lives
and allow them to integrate
better into society.
