Cause and solutions to social inequality

Introduction

Inequality cannot be attributed to a particular person but the various social structures that determine a person’s economic and social standing. While social inequality in United States can mostly be attributed to unequal distribution of resources, global inequality is majorly due to lack of fairness in market in terms of resource exploitation between developed and developing countries.

Social inequality in US

The major factor contributing to social inequality in United States is inequitable resource allocation which leads to social stratification. The pattern of socialization is brought about by different aspects that lead to stratification between individuals so that they are divided into different groups and classes. The resulting society’s structure influences the social standings which are different from one group of people to another.  In United States the economic wellbeing, the education level and leadership positions defines a person’s social standing so that those considered to be rich, highly educated and great leaders occupy a higher social standing in the society than those below them.  This means that the population in United States will be categorized on the basis of how poor or rich they are, how educated they are and how much influence they possess over others. Due to various changes in the US economy, some people and their families have been struggling more than others and those with similar livelihoods normally socialize at similar levels (OpenStax College, 2015).  The kind of livelihood affects people’s social live and their social standing in the society.

Global inequality

The global inequality appears as both social and economic inequality and it stems from the exploitation of the less developed nations by the developed nations. The exploitation is in terms of natural resources and markets so that nations that have low income are unable to industrialize or improve their global standing. The developed nations set up companies in the developing nations and using their economic and technological power they exploit local resources or even export them to their home companies. The companies pay meager salaries to majority of local workers so that the income cannot meet their needs sufficiently.  This confines populations in developing countries in subjective poverty, which consists of various dimensions; in this case the actual income cannot meet the perceptions and expectations of the people (OpenStax College, 2015). This makes the core nations to be dependent on developed economies for access to a sufficient piece of world economy and economic stimulus for local growth. This creates a cycle of dependence that prevents the developing nations from reaching full economic growth. The developed nations select the nations to be offered stimulus or loans and what will be funded, a segmented market is created which benefits only the dominant developed markets (OpenStax College, 2015).

 

 

Solutions

Equitable distribution of resources

The basic means of achieving this is striving to provide everyone with an opportunity to equal chances of succeeding. In order to achieve equal resources allocation, every member of the population should be provided with an opportunity to gain education, employment or even in business operations.  This involves having a social pattern that does not allow some groups of people to succeed at the expense of others.

Having an open trade policy

This involves providing a fair playing ground for all countries around the world to participate in global economy and preventing exploitation. The developed countries should be allowed to exploits their resources, establish domestic companies so as to reduce the dependency cycle.

Upholding workers’ rights

This involves providing reasonable pay to workers so as to reduce the cases of abject poverty especially in developing countries. The governments should adopt and implement laws that abolish sweatshops which are a form of exploitation.

Conclusion

Inequality results from social stratification in terms of social standing and economic success in countries and around the globe. The issues of unequal allocation of resources can be solved through provision of equal opportunities for individuals to succeed. Provision of an open trade policy and upholding workers right can solve the global inequality.

Reference

OpenStax College, 2015).Introduction to Sociology. Rice University.2ed.