Social Inequality

Md. Saeed Anwar

Sociology Discipline
Khulna University

Etymological Meaning of Social Inequality:

Social Inequality consists of two words, social and
inequality.
Social refers to the interaction of organisms with
other organisms and to their collective co-existence.
Inequality means unequal rewards or opportunities
for an specific group.
So, social inequality means the existence of unequal
opportunities and rewards of different social
positions and status within a group or society.
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Definition of Social Inequality:

Social inequality refers to a situation in which
individuals in a society do not have equal
social status. (Wikipedia)
Social inequality occurs when sociallydefined categories of peoples do not have
equal social status in such aspects as, the
education and healthcare systems, and forms
of political representation and participation.
(Web Definition)
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Characteristics of Social Inequality:

Social inequality is universal.
Social inequality mainly creates on the basis
of social stratification .
Social inequality varies from society to
society.
Social inequality is considered as a social
facts.
Existing social structure is mainly responsible
to create social inequality.
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Dimensions of Social Inequality:

Social class:
Social class is an important dimension of social
inequality. There are different classes in our
society such as upper , middle and lower class.
People of all classes are treated separately. In this
way social class creates social inequality in
society.
Gender:
Gender is the social difference between male and
female. Male and female are treated separately in
our society. So, gender is another basis to create
social inequality.
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Dimensions of Social Inequality:

Power:
Those people who are wealthy class, they are
powerful in society and they have high status and
prestige. Power creates mainly two classes in
society, powerful and powerless. So, power is
another dimension of social inequality.
Minority groups
People who are significant for unequal treatment
and who regard themselves as object of collective
discrimination either physical or cultural
differences can be the basis of unequal treatment.
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Dimensions of Social Inequality:

Ethnic groups:
The term ethnic group refers to people who
have shared historical or cultural background
that leads them to identify with each other. It
also a dimension of social inequality.
Age:
In our society we see different ages people
such as- child, adult, old aged. All of these
people treated differently and they play
different role in our society. So, age also
creates social inequality.

Dimensions of Social Inequality:

Race:
Race as a group of people who are distinguished
from other groups on the basis of certain biological
characteristics.
Income:
Those people are highly educated ,their income
level is also high and those people who are not
educated they remain most of the time unemployed
as a result their income level is low. So, income is
another dimension of social inequality.
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Causes of Social Inequality:

Existing social structure

Lack of resources
Lack of proper distribution of wealth
Poverty
Employment
Education
Dominative mentality
Cultural differentiation
Religious discrimination
Social stratification

Consequences of Social Inequality:

Powerlessness
Social disorganization
Meaninglessness
Disorder
Chaos
Normlessness
Alienation
Maladjustment
Obstacle to development

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Conclusion:
Above all the explanation we can summaries that
social inequality is treated as a major problem in
our society. Social inequality is universal in a
sense that , it was existed in past, it is existing in
present and it will exist in future. There are many
causes and dimensions of social inequality. We
should play active role to reduce social inequality
as well as govt. should play effective role in this
regard.
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