Horizontal Inequality (HI) is inequality among groups as opposed to among individuals or households (Vertical Inequality). These groups are culturally differentiated and members of these groups share a common identity. Basically Horizontal inequalities are inequalities based on these group identities and these identities are constructed and defined through cultural convictions. Group identities can be spread across three dimensions, Economic, Social and Political (Stewart, 2009). So, Horizontal Inequality can be Inequalities in terms of different group’s access to economic/social/political resources. Group membership is an intrinsic part of human life. It is the quest of universal human consciousness to look for a sense of belongingness. …show more content…
The three major dimensions of Horizontal Inequality are, as discussed before, Economic, Social, Political. Economic HI would include inequalities regarding distribution of economic resources and inequalities in terms of income. Another aspect of Economic HI is imbalance of employment opportunities. The social dimension of HI would include various social outcomes such as life expectancy, infant and child mortality, educational attainment and access to various services such as Health services, formal education, water supply, sanitation, housing etc. Political HI can be defined in terms of the group members’ political participation in electoral as well as non-electoral politics. (Stewart, …show more content…
He further hypothesizes that inequalities between culturally define groups lead to violent conflict because when cultural difference coincides with economic and political discrimination the result is usually violent struggle between advantaged and disadvantaged groups. Mobilisation of groups as a collective may occur if people identify strongly with the groups. Studies have shown that higher level of Horizontal Inequality coincides with higher intensity of conflict. Stewart’s argument is that conflict is more likely when one group faces inequality across all three dimensions i.e. Social, Economic and Political. The leadership among this community gets agitated with political HI and the rest of the group can be mobilised because of the Socio-economic discrimination faced by
The model is an element of conflict theory that views racial personality not just as a consequence of negative perception between different racial groups but as a reflection of the competition and conflict between the same groups over power and status. The model roots its argument in a collective group position with the group interest being the driving force that underlie the relation between the groups. Most of the group interest are attached to the beliefs of the members that they have claims to the scarce resources. The attitude of the dominant group towards other racial groups are positional: a term that defines the shape of the sense of the supremacy of the groups over other minority groups. On the other hand, the subordinate group is usually motivated by unfair treatment by the dominant group.
Inequality is often associated with racial injustice, but actually goes beyond that and has created new ways for social inequality to exist among various circumstances in our country. It affects millions in terms of their way/ quality of life. In the United States and around the world, civilians struggle to receive adequate health care at the expense of their day jobs, hindering them from this as they cannot afford it. The middle has been struggling for decades over the same issues, yet permanent action has yet to transform the country. The issue of inequality has recinfoced itself in health care and income and continues to manifest itself in our society today leading to social problems in which we cannot escape making it an institutional
The conflict standpoint is based on the idea that the society is comprised of various different groups who are in constant friction with one another for the access of scarce and valuable resources; these may include wealth, fame, power, or the authority to apply one’s own value system onto the general society. The conflict theorists argue that a conflict exists in the society when a group of people who believe that their interests are not being met, or that they are not getting a fair share of the society’s resources, work to counter what they perceive as a handicap or a
Inequities are unfair differences in levels of the health status and opportunities between groups in a society. These inequities are influenced by determinants and factors that impact groups or individuals within that society. Individuals located in Rural and Remote areas and the Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islanders’ people all suffer inequities relative to sociocultural, socioecomic and environmental determinants. Roughly 34% of Australians live in rural and remote areas.
Even in a society that, overall, is diverse, people with similar ideas and experiences tend to congregate in small groups, where they are comfortable. It is much easier to remain in homogenous groups, among those who understand each other. When different groups combine, many different life experiences and points of view will be present and will potentially clash. Misunderstanding is bound to occur in some form when individuals of different backgrounds interact. When misunderstandings occur, people tend to respond with violence, fear, or stereotyping.
We would assume that in our diversified society, these rights and freedoms are being extended to everyone without question. However, we face the matter of classifying ourselves based on a group we associate with, whether that be race, ethnicity, or gender. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, these classifications served as a powerful driving force to the inequality many faced. The inequality existed in two forms, inequality of opportunity and inequality of outcome. The first, inequality of opportunity, makes its way into practicality when laws or government decisions are the main driving force for widening social inequality.
Often times, mindless conformity leads to senseless violence that could have been avoided with just a little more thought. In order to justify hateful and exclusive acts, the actions of people in minorities are often taken
Kozol, Jonathan. 2007. "Savage Inequalities." Pp. 341-347 in Sociological Odyssey: Contemporary Readings in Introductory Sociology, edited by Patricia A. Adler and Peter Adler. Belmont: Thompson.
Social stratification, social networks or occupation are all structural reasons for inequality. Individual’s talents, education and class can all affect inequality. Sociologists have different theories for why structural and individual occur and the reasons behind them. In The Wire the gang members range from young to old.
Introduction Social inequality means the unequal distribution of income, unequal access to education, opportunity, wealth and power in a society. It goes hand in hand with the social stratification. It is feature is the exist the inequality of opportunities and rewards for different social statuses within a group or society. There are two points to measure social inequality is including the inequality of conditions and the opportunities for each people.
Health inequalities are preventable and unjust differences in health status experienced by certain population groups. People in lower socio-economic groups are more likely to experience chronic ill-health and die earlier than those who are more advantaged. Health inequalities are not only apparent between people of different socio-economic groups – they exist between different genders and different ethnic groups (“Health inequalities,” n.d.). The situation in which people are born, grow, develop, work and age are affected by social, economic, environmental and most importantly political factors.
According to Corneo’s paper income inequality is mainly caused by three different factors
• Inequality in Society - Inequality exists in every society. - People, who have more power than others, can decide and manage other’s behaviors. - There are some people richer than others. - Plus, some people have higher status and are given more respect by others. • Measuring the Degree of Inequality in Society: The Power Distance Index - The PDI is used to measure the social inequality over states.
Horizontal inequality can arise between groups clustered by ethnicity, religion, linguistic, history, culture and tribal affiliations. Four primary sources of horizontal inequality and examples regarding violent conflict that has arisen due to them are highlighted below: Primary sources of horizontal inequality Violent conflict example Discrimination in public spending Discrimination in public spending on education and healthcare leading to lack of development in rural and already disadvantaged areas of Burindi, Nepal have been the source of civil war in the country (Murshed and Gates, Murshed and Tadjoeddin, 2009). Asset inequality Asset inequality in agrarian countries as El Salvador, Guatemala, Phillippines and Zimbabwe
Equality, like fairness, is an important value in most societies. Irrespective of ideology, culture, and religion, people care about inequality. Widening inequality also has significant implications for growth and macroeconomic stability, it can concentrate political and decision making power in the hands of a few, lead to a suboptimal use of human resources, cause investment-reducing political and economic instability, and raise crisis risk. The economic and social fallout from the global financial crisis and the resultant headwinds to global growth and employment have heightened the attention to rising income inequality.