Despite the progress of civilization and the establishment of democratic values, in the modern United States, such problems as poverty and inequality persist, which is a significant social gap. These issues are manifested in the inability of certain categories of citizens to use common services and opportunities to the full due to the restrictions imposed by stereotypes and the lack of livelihoods. One can single out health and education as specific areas in which the effects of poverty and inequality are acute. According to Chokshi (2018), individual strata of the country’s population, in particular, indigenous people and rural black citizens, do not have full access to medical services, which is manifested in a reduction in life expectancy. As evidence, the author cites research results that confirm a significant gap between the life expectancy of the poor and wealthy categories of citizens in favor of rich people (Chokshi, 2018). As a result, there is a direct correlation between income and health.
In terms of the impacts on education in the country, poverty and inequality are the critical drivers of social gaps. Owens and Candipan (2019) assess inequalities between high-income and low-income neighborhoods from a school education perspective. The researchers argue that the resources that schools provide to children from wealthy areas are of better quality, which is reflected in the level of student academic achievement (Owens & Candipan, 2019). The inability to provide children from low-income families with sufficient financial and social benefits is due to the existing inequality and poverty problems. Thus, the manifestations of the considered social gaps in the modern United States are apparent, and to address these issues, the participation of different interested parties and boards is necessary at all levels.
References
Chokshi, D. A. (2018). Income, poverty, and health inequality.JAMA, 319(13), 1312-1313. Web.
Owens, A., & Candipan, J. (2019). Social and spatial inequalities of educational opportunity: A portrait of schools serving high-and low-income neighbourhoods in US metropolitan areas. Urban Studies, 56(15), 3178-3197. Web.