We explain what inequality is, socially, economically, in education and in the law. Also, what is gender inequality.
What is inequality?
inequality occurs when two or more things or situations are not equal, that is, they are not equivalent, nor fair, nor do they correspond. This can refer to very different things, depending on the context.
For example, in the field of mathematics, inequality is called an order relationship between two values that are neither equal nor equivalent, that is, when there is no equality between them. This last relationship is represented with the “equals” symbol (=), while inequalities are represented with the symbols “greater than” (>) or “less than” (<) depending on which one corresponds. So, for example, 2 < 3, 3 > 1, and 1 = 1.
However, in the context of social sciences, the concept of inequality acquires numerous and complex meanings, which allude to the different forms of inequality that afflict the lives of human beings. This means that the existence of human beings is not usually equal or equitable, but that some have a lot and others have little, some enjoy advantages and others drown in difficulties.
Below we will review the different senses in which this may be true.
See also: Equality
Social inequality
Social inequality is a very broad category, which takes into consideration the different aspects of people's lives and the way in which these influence the opportunities they have the place they occupy in society or the quality of life that awaits them.
Social inequality can be understood as inequality in the place that people occupy in the world and in society, specifically with regard to their race and ethnicity, their economic position, their access to the institutions of a State, their work practice. and other similar aspects.
Social inequality is based on discrimination that is, in the establishment of classes and types of people, some of which are acceptable and welcome, and others despicable and rejectable.
Social inequality manifests itself, for example, when a person is denied a job because of their gender, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation. Another example is denying people of a low socioeconomic level entry to a store or an institution, since it is reserving certain opportunities, certain benefits and certain experiences for a specific, privileged sector of society. This usually translates into some having a lot and others, very little.
Economic inequality
Economic inequality or income inequality can be understood as only one aspect of social inequality, referring exclusively to monetary and economic matters. In other words, income inequality has to do with the unequal distribution of money, and therefore of the goods and services available between the different actors in a society, or even between the different countries of the world.
Thus, there are high-income countries and low-income countries. Their respective citizens have more or less opportunities for prominence in the world depending on which one they belong to; But within each of them, there are also citizens with high incomes and citizens with low incomes, that is, rich and poor social classes: the former have more than they need and the latter less than what they need.
Economic inequality, in a capitalist world, quickly transforms into other types of inequalities since everything revolves around money. Those who have more money can aspire not only to more and better life experiences, but also to more and better opportunities to make money, which means that wealth tends to accumulate in few hands, leaving many others in situations of need. .
Educational inequality
Educational inequality has to do with the inequitable distribution of access to education either globally, or in a specific country. This allows illiterate people to coexist in the same country with people with many levels of education.
This inequality has an impact on each person's work capacity and therefore on their level of economic income: Less educated people can aspire to lower-paid jobs and therefore constitute weaker households.
Furthermore, educational inequality forms a barrier between the popular classes and the wealthy, since education is much more than simply acquiring an economically profitable job: it is also a way of conceiving the world, of understanding the functioning of the State and, therefore, hence, independence. The most educated people are freer, for the simple fact of having greater conceptual tools in life.
Let's imagine, as an example, a person who does not know how to read or write. At first, you will have the physical energy of youth and will be able to perform demanding jobs that may not even be so poorly paid; But he will do so from the weakest position possible, since he will not even be able to read and understand the employment contract to which he adheres, and in the event that his employer fails to comply with any of its terms, he will not even be able to find out.
As you get older, your strength will begin to fail and with it probably your chances of making money, so you will have to depend on the rest of your family and the few opportunities that life, by chance, brings you.
Legal inequality
Legal inequality or legal inequality refers to the significant difference in treatment by the State and law enforcement agencies given to citizens depending on your socioeconomic position, your ethnic group, your gender, religion or your sexual orientation, for example.
Situations of legal inequality generally provide gentler and more considerate treatment to the wealthy classes and a harsher and more merciless one towards the lower classes, which contributes to widening the abyss between those who have more and those who do not.
Legal inequality can occur in the discrimination of certain human groups, withdrawing the protection of the law, or it can consist of differential treatment according to social stratum, such as when longer sentences are given to criminals of one race than to criminals of another. , even though they both committed the same crime.
Legal inequality It is typical of corrupt legal systems, authoritarian regimes and dictatorships or of failed states and cultures in which racism, sexism or deep religious fundamentalism prevails.
Gender inequality
Gender inequality is a form of social inequality, which has to do with discrimination based on sex or sexual orientation. This means that certain individuals are deprived of economic, educational, legal or cultural opportunities for the simple fact, for example, of being born a woman or of being a homosexual person.
Gender inequality is evident in the contemporary world in many ways, and It is a symptom of a sexist and patriarchal culture which provides fewer opportunities for women in terms of educational and professional development, or legal protection, than for men. This is a source of economic, educational and legal inequalities, naturally, such as women receiving lower salaries for doing the same work as a man (the so-called “gender gap”).
References
- “Social inequality” on Wikipedia.
- “Income inequality” on Wikipedia.
- “Gender inequality” on Wikipedia.
- “Mathematical inequality” on Wikipedia.
- “What is inequality, what types exist and what consequences do they have?” at UNHCR.
- “What is inequality?” at the United Nations (UN).
