What Is Social Inequality in Sociology? – Definition, Effects & Causes
Social inequality is the existence of unequal opportunities and rewards for different social positions or statuses within a group or society. Let’s examine some causes and effects of poverty and test our knowledge with a quiz.
Definition of Social Inequality
Social inequality is the existence of unequal opportunities and rewards for different social positions or statuses within a group or society. Although the United States differs from most European nations that have a titled nobility, the U.S. is still highly stratified. Social inequality has several important dimensions. Income is the earnings from work or investments, while wealth is the total value of money and other assets minus debts. Other important dimensions include power, occupational prestige, schooling, ancestry, and race and ethnicity.
Causes of Social Inequality
There is little question that many people in the U.S. are better off than most other people in the world. That being said, poverty also impacts millions of people in the U.S. Why do such social inequalities exist? Let’s examine the two prevailing explanations of poverty: blaming the poor and blaming society.
One approach to explain poverty is to blame the poor – that the poor are responsible for their own poverty. There is some evidence to support this theory, because the main reason people are poor is the lack of employment. According to this view, society has plenty of opportunities for people to realize the American dream, and people are poor because they lack the motivation, skills, or schooling to find work.
Another approach to explain poverty is to blame society – that society is responsible for poverty. While it is true that unemployment is a main contributor to poverty, the reasons people don’t work are more in line with this approach. Loss of jobs in the inner city is a major contributor to poverty. There simply isn’t enough work to support families.
Effects of Social Inequality
Social inequality affects nearly every dimension of our lives. For example, did you know that children from poor families are three times more likely to die from disease, accidents, neglect, or violence during the first year of life than those children born to wealthy families? In addition, on average, wealthy people live five years longer than those less fortunate.
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