Introduction
Inequality can be defined as the state of correspondence in rank, value, quantity, degree or ability. It also means sameness, justice, impartiality or fairness. Failure to achieve the description above leads to the phenomenon referred to as inequality which is partiality, unevenness or disparity.
Although a significant progress may have been achieved in the modern British society over the past many years, some kinds of inequalities are set to remain at levels that will prove intolerable with time. This of course calls for a new approach to tackling discrimination and the disadvantages that may arise as a result of the same. Inequality still scars out the entire society and holds back too many individuals from realizing their potentials. The following points will make clear the level to which inequality remains a phenomenon.
To begin with, there exists an economic disparity between the rich and the poor; this is mainly because nations succeed differently in developing their own styles of achieving objectives. Precisely, economic divergence involves more than the rates of industrialization and indeed more than economics. Where the relative poverty is related to the standards of living that are considered being normal. (Young, 2000, p.59).
Types of inequalities
The other kind of emerging difference is the divergence in acquisition and subsequent possession of knowledge. Modern knowledge has substantiated inequality. There exists a variety in this case, between the educated, the non-educated and the educated middle classes. The operation of each member in each category varies greatly with class. This has encouraged unevenness among the members of the society for instance; records make it justifiable that ignorance, iniquity and inequity thrives among the poor and the less educated more than they may be prevalent among the rich and educated people.
There also exists social inequality in that people of a particular class tend to mostly stay together not preferring to be associated with the others considered to be in lower classes or status. To add to this, the difference in income got by the rich and that got by the poor, continue to broaden each and every new day. This has brought about a massive imbalance in financial reward and subsequent unequal sharing of resources or rather wealth.
The big income difference specifically in the modern British society serves as an indicator of the scale of social differentiation and social distances within it. Where the income in Britain is not as unevenly distributed as the wealth, “the gap between the top and bottom is still considerable.” (Saunders, 1994, p. 39) This in turn has a close connection with the health status of the parties involved in that those who live in societies filled with inequality have worse health and shorter lives than those in the less unequal ones. There also tends to be more violence and weaker community life in such societies. The indicators therefore are that poor health may share casual pathways with many other social problems associated with relative deprivation including violence.
Another level of inequality that again is notable in the modern British society is political inequality. This is confirmed by the fact that there is great imbalance in the parliament, only people of particular gender take the better part of the positions available for instance, the parliament is dominated mostly by male legislators with a few females having rather fewer positions. On the other hand only the rich make it to such positions while the poor, disabled and the less fortunate are left unconsidered.
All these points put together describe fully the level of inequality in the British society hence the need to take an action urgently lest the phenomenon tarnishes the moral image of the rather progressing society.
The above discussion was based on inequality as a general phenomenon that exists in a society between a people of different cases not banking keenly on gender differences, this portion will therefore bring the argument lower to the kind of disparity that exists between the male and the female in the modern British society.
Just as the other forms of inequality might be eating the morals out of the society, gender inequality has of late brought with it several shortcomings, to begin with, it has been practically impossible for others to explore their full potentials due to the pre-conclusion that women are the weaker in any given society. This has hindered industrialization since most of the fruitful ideas put forward by the women are never looked into yet if considered would help improve the general operation of a system, an institution and therefore the whole society.
Inequality in politics
In terms of politics, most of the political positions are taken by men in the modern British society if not in the other parts of the world, this fixes the women so much that not so many will be able to express their views confidently, this also hinders them from exploring their capabilities especially when it comes to responsibilities associated with leadership. Because of this most women resort to more demeaning if not dehumanizing occupations for instance; prostitution. In the same line women have been taken to be tools of use by men to fulfill their own physical desires since not all of them are financially upbeat, the less fortunate ones resort to submission in exchange for/of money, this is quite demeaning isn’t it?
The kind of disparity that has always existed between the males and the females has brought with it great discrimination in that women have been looked down upon by the men and considered so helpless that they fully at one point or the other will have to depend on the men for the satisfaction of their needs. This has brought about imbalance in responsibilities in that the men take the more prestigious ones while the women are left with the less prestigious but more involving responsibilities like child upbringing and taking care of the home.
Another effect that has been brought about by gender disparity is the difference in income per capita between the male and the female, in most cases, it the men who earn more in any given setting, this still gives them an opportunity to ride over the women, a factor which encourages no productivity at all. In the same context other misfortunes come with the imbalance in possession of resources, issues ranging from; poverty to inequity and subsequently to low self-esteem has come as a result of the existing inequality.
Conclusion
To round it all up, since women have no greater responsibilities they are reduced to motherhood.(Giddens, 1997, p. 468) Some more effects also spring up with motherhood in that it reduces the participation of a woman in wage employment by a drastic figure of about thirty-six percent. This comes as a result of maternity and conception not to mention upbringing, in other words, women have been reduced to laborers and no other thing seen beyond that. Although in the UK many legal advances such as the Equal Pay Act and The sex Discrimination Act were actively supported (Giddens, 1997, p. 470) the issue of inequality is still present.
References
Young. P (2000). Mastering Social Welfare. 4th edition.
Taylor.P. et al. (2000). Sociology in Focus.
Giddens, (1997). Sociology. 3rd edition.
Saunders, S. (1994) Social class and Stratification.