Sociology (9292) | Attempts to reduce/ eliminate inequalities

Welcome! Tackling Inequality: How Societies Try to Make Things Fairer

Hello Sociologist! In the previous chapters, we looked at how deep and widespread inequality is in society, based on things like class, gender, ethnicity, age, and disability.
This chapter moves on to a more hopeful question: What do people, governments, and organizations actually do to try and reduce or eliminate these inequalities?

This is crucial because Sociology isn't just about identifying problems; it’s about understanding the attempts to solve them—and why those attempts sometimes fail. Don't worry if some of the laws seem complex; we will break them down into simple actions!

Quick Review: Why do we need to reduce inequality?

Inequality means some groups have much better life chances (in health, education, and wealth) than others. Attempts to reduce this aim to create a fairer society where everyone can achieve their potential, regardless of their background.

Section 1: The State's Role – Government Policy and Law

The most powerful tool for tackling inequality comes from the State (the government). Governments can introduce laws and control money to change how society works.

1. Using Money: Taxation and the Welfare State

A. Taxation Policies

Governments use taxes collected from citizens to fund public services and redistribute wealth.

• Progressive Taxation: This is the main way governments try to tackle class inequality.
  It means people who earn more pay a higher *percentage* of their income in tax. The goal is to take more from the rich to help fund services for the poor.
  Analogy: If you earn £100, you pay £10 tax (10%). If your friend earns £1000, they might pay £250 tax (25%). They pay a higher percentage.
• Regressive Taxation (A Problematic Tool): These taxes (like sales tax or VAT) charge everyone the same rate, regardless of income. Sociologists argue this is often regressive because it takes up a much larger proportion of a poor person's income, often increasing inequality.

B. The Welfare State

The Welfare State refers to the system where the government provides crucial services and financial support (benefits) to citizens. This is a direct attempt to reduce poverty and improve life chances.

Key Functions of the Welfare State:

1. Provision of Services: Free or subsidized healthcare (like the NHS in the UK) and state education. These help ensure that a poor child has the same access to quality health and schooling as a rich child.
2. Financial Benefits: Providing money for those who cannot work (due to age, illness, or unemployment). Examples include universal credit, child benefits, and pensions.

Key Takeaway: Governments use progressive tax to fund the Welfare State, which provides essential services and benefits, primarily aiming to soften the impact of poverty and class differences.

2. Using Law: Anti-Discrimination Legislation

Laws are essential for tackling inequalities based on gender, ethnicity, disability, and age. These laws make it illegal to treat people unfairly based on these characteristics.

Specific Examples of Legislation

• The Equal Pay Act: A landmark policy attempting to reduce gender inequality. It requires that men and women receive the same pay for doing the same or equivalent work.
• Disability Discrimination Acts: Requires employers and public service providers (like shops, trains, schools) to make "reasonable adjustments" to ensure people with disabilities are not excluded (e.g., wheelchair ramps, lifts, accessible toilets).
• Anti-Racism/Equality Laws: These prohibit direct or indirect discrimination in areas like hiring, housing, and education based on ethnicity or religion.

Section 2: Policy Focus – Targeting Specific Inequalities

Policies are often tailored to specific forms of inequality.

1. Tackling Class Inequality (The Minimum Wage)

One crucial attempt to lift the very poorest out of poverty is setting a National Minimum Wage (NMW).

• What it is: The lowest hourly amount an employer is legally allowed to pay their workers.
• The Sociological Aim: By ensuring a minimum living standard, it guarantees that full-time work provides enough income to survive, reducing exploitation and the 'working poor' population.
• The Limitation: Sociologists often point out that the NMW is sometimes still too low to keep up with the rising cost of living (inflation), meaning poverty persists.

2. Tackling Gender Inequality (Family and Work Balance)

Reducing gender inequality requires changing not just salaries, but also traditional roles and expectations, especially related to family life.

• Paternity and Maternity Leave: Providing paid time off for both parents after the birth of a child is designed to:
  

  1. Encourage fathers to share caring responsibilities more equally.
  2. Protect the career of the mother by ensuring she can return to her job.
  This is a vital effort to reduce the 'motherhood penalty' (the economic disadvantage women face when they become mothers).

• Encouraging Women in STEM: Educational policies often focus on encouraging girls to pursue subjects like Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM) that traditionally lead to higher-paid jobs, helping to close the overall gender pay gap.

3. Tackling Ethnic Inequality (Positive Discrimination Debate)

While general anti-discrimination laws exist, some countries or organizations have tried more radical approaches to address historical racial disadvantage.

Positive Action (or Affirmative Action):

This involves actively favoring a group that has historically suffered discrimination (such as ethnic minorities or women) in hiring, promotion, or university places, provided they meet the basic requirements.

• Proponents (Supporters) argue: It is necessary to overcome generations of unfair exclusion and discrimination and increase representation in high-status roles.
• Critics argue: It can lead to 'reverse discrimination' where people from the majority group feel unfairly disadvantaged, and it contradicts the idea of pure meritocracy (reward based only on ability).

Did you know? In the UK, 'Positive Action' is generally permitted only in training and encouragement (e.g., offering specific training courses to underrepresented groups), but 'Positive Discrimination' (setting quotas or selecting a less-qualified candidate purely based on ethnicity/gender) is usually illegal.

Section 3: Beyond the State – Non-Governmental Efforts

Governments aren't the only groups fighting inequality. Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and local communities play a huge role.

1. The Role of NGOs and Charities

NGOs are independent organizations that are often non-profit. They work directly to address inequalities that governments may overlook or struggle to fix.

• Direct Provision: Providing practical help, such as food banks (addressing poverty/class), housing shelters, or legal aid clinics. Example: Oxfam or local homeless charities.
• Lobbying and Pressure: NGOs campaign and pressure governments to introduce stronger laws or increase funding for social services. Example: Disability rights groups advocating for better public transport access.
• Raising Awareness: Changing public attitudes through campaigns about issues like unconscious bias, racism, or sexism.

2. Trade Unions

Trade Unions are organizations of workers who join together to protect their rights and improve their working conditions and pay.

By negotiating with employers, unions play a crucial role in reducing class inequality by:

• Fighting for higher wages and better benefits for their members.
• Ensuring fairer disciplinary procedures, reducing potential exploitation.

3. Individual and Community Action

Social change often starts small. Individual actions and community organizing are vital:

• Challenging Prejudice: Individuals challenging sexist or racist jokes and language in their daily lives.
• Mentorship Schemes: Community groups setting up schemes to mentor children from disadvantaged backgrounds, improving their educational attainment (reducing class inequality).

Section 4: Why Inequality Persists – Limitations of Attempts

If so many policies and efforts exist, why hasn't inequality been eliminated? Sociologists identify several reasons why attempts often face limitations.

1. Economic Barriers (The Cost)

• Tax Avoidance/Evasion: Wealthy individuals and large companies can legally (or illegally) move money to avoid paying high taxes, reducing the funds available for the welfare state.
• Globalisation: Companies can move production to countries with lower wages, pressuring governments to keep minimum wages low to remain 'competitive.'

2. Cultural and Attitudinal Barriers

Laws can change behavior, but they don't always change deep-seated beliefs or prejudices.

• Cultural Norms: If society still believes that women should be the primary caregivers, then even with shared parental leave policies, women may still be expected to take more time off, damaging their careers (gender inequality persists).
• Hidden Bias (Unconscious Bias): Even if racism is illegal, employers may still subconsciously favor applicants who look or sound like them, meaning ethnic minorities still face barriers in hiring.
• The Cycle of Poverty: Poverty often creates a cycle where children in poor families lack the resources and cultural capital to fully benefit from free state education, leading to continued low achievement and reproducing class inequality across generations.

3. Limitations of the Welfare State

The Welfare State itself is often criticized:

• Insufficient Benefits: Benefits may be set too low to lift people truly out of poverty, providing only basic subsistence.
• The Stigma: Receiving benefits often carries a social stigma, making recipients feel ashamed or labeled, which can further compound their exclusion.

Key Takeaway: Attempts to reduce inequality are ongoing, but limitations arise from global economic pressures, deeply embedded cultural prejudices, and the inherent difficulty of breaking the cycle of poverty.