Class Inequality from Terry Bailey's blog

Throughout the history, all societies were organized in such a way that some social groups always had a privileged position over others, which was expressed in the unequal distribution of social goods and powers. In other words, social inequality is inherent to all societies without exception. However, the privileged class should care about the less privileged ones, since it will contribute to overall prosperity. The reduction of inequality can have a multilateral positive impact on modern society, including improving its social structure, overcoming poverty, and alleviating social conflicts.

Social inequality is a specific form of social differentiation, in which individuals, social groups, strata, or classes are at different levels of the vertical social hierarchy with an uneven distribution of such socio-economic resources as material wealth, power, and social status. Brady, Finnigan, and Hubgen (2018) define four main risk factors of poverty. They are single motherhood, “unemployment, low levels of education and forming households at young ages”. These factors create the grounds for forming various social classes that face enormous stereotypes, stigma, and prejudices. Changes in the incomes of the population and the stratification of society lead to the most adverse consequences. There are strata of people living below the poverty line, which is considered objectionable in a developed society.

In particular, people who come back from prisons form a new social class, experiencing the inequality in the access to the labor market, education, and daily life procedures. Formerly incarcerated people face a number of challenges in the modern society. According to class readings, an individual who has spent time in jail experiences stigma of incarceration after getting out. The inability of the underclass of ex-offenders to reintegrate into the society leads to enormous negative economic and social consequences. As discussed in class, if the ex-offenders cannot find work and earn money, they will commit crimes again to survive. The discrimination of formerly incarcerated men leads to the rise of divorce and single parenthood rates (Western & Pettit, 2010). Class inequality becomes a reason for the decline in the birth rate and the rise in mortality rates.

Privileged people should care about the inequality that others face in the modern society. Fisher et.al. (1996) underline that inequality has negative effects on the overall wealth of the state and slows the economic growth. “Historically, societies that had more inequality of earnings tended to have lower subsequent economic growth” (Fisher et.al., 1996). The availability of resources for the people who face inequality contributes to the growth of their entrepreneurial and productive abilities. The leveling of income levels would contribute to the development of the middle class, which is still quite scarce for the modern society, and facilitate other improvements in the social structure. The fairness in the distribution of incomes simultaneously counteracts the growth of unearned income, and the formation of monopolistic elites, ensuring the rise of stability and security. The elimination of inequality can contribute to the prosperity of the society through providing an access to work and education for talented people. There is a leakage of skilled workers in the spheres that do not demand relevant knowledge abroad. As a result, the educational and professional potential of the society is worsening. Because of a low standard of living, the labor activity of the population is declining and health and fertility are deteriorating, which lead to demographic crises. The result of this will be a reduction in the country's economic progress and a slowdown in the welfare of all its citizens.

It is often noted that one of the main diseases of the modern society is corruption that is closely related to the uneven distribution of income. A significant portion of surplus income forms a corruption fund, which is used for destructive societal purposes. In addition, the inequality is fraught with a revival of class struggle and its well-known consequences from the history. Western and Pettit (2010) emphasize that class disparities generate “the new class of social outsiders”. The socio-class split of the society keeps the country in the zone of increased risks since inequality leads to social tension. This represents a moral stratification of society. The commonality of goals, interests, and a sense of healthy patriotism are lost. As a result of the division of society onto the population of regions and individual citizens, inter-regional and even ethnic conflicts arise, which leads to the destruction of the social unity.

Inequality can reach tremendous proportions and generate a threat to the political and economic stability of the country. Therefore, it is crucial to establish policies that will help to decrease class inequality in the society. Fisher et.al. (1996) state that policies contribute to the increase of inequality in the society. Laws establish the base for market rules, which cover wages, patents, conditions, taxes, etc. Laws are able to either widen or narrow differences in earnings and income. Particular government programs can influence inequality through the provision of food stamps, tax deductions, subsidies, and ensuring social security.

Thus, class inequality has existed throughout the history. Nevertheless, it has a negative influence on the development and prosperity of the society as a whole. Inequality creates a real threat to the development of the society and has manifestations that go far beyond the economy, affecting the most diverse aspects of society's life, such as deterioration on demographic processes, reoffending, corruption, aggravation of socio-political processes, etc. Therefore, privileged people have to care about the less privileged ones in order to eliminate adverse effects of the inequality. Since significant stagnant inequality adversely affects the growth and condition of the society, its decline is important in the long term and should become part of the country's strategy in the future. This article was written with the help of prime essay writers.