Even a superficial look at the people around us gives reason to talk about their dissimilarity. People are different by gender, age, temperament, growth, hair color, intelligence, and many other characteristics. Nature endowed one with musical abilities, the other with power, the third with beauty, and for some, she prepared for the fate of a weak disabled person. Differences between people, due to their physiological and mental characteristics, are called natural.
All societies, known stories, 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 benefits and powers. In other words, social inequality is inherent in all societies without exception. Even the ancient philosopher Plato argued that any city, no matter how small it is, is actually divided into two halves - one for the poor, the other for the rich, and they are at enmity with each other.
Natural differences are far from harmless, they can become the basis for the emergence of unequal relationships between individuals. The strong force the weak, the cunning defeat the simpletons. Inequality resulting from natural differences is the first form of inequality, in one form or another manifested in some species of animals. However in human society is dominated by social inequality,inextricably linked with social differences, social differentiation.
Inequality between people exists in any society. This is quite natural and logical, given that people differ in their abilities, interests, life preferences, value orientations, etc. In every society there are poor and rich, educated and uneducated, entrepreneurial and unpretentious, possessing power and deprived of it. In this regard, the problem of the origin of social inequality, attitudes towards it and ways to eliminate it has always aroused increased interest among researchers, politicians and society, which consider social inequality as injustice.
In the absence of social inequality, individuals would lose the incentive to engage in complex and labor-intensive, dangerous or uninteresting activities, and to improve their skills. With the help of income inequality and prestige, society encourages individuals to pursue necessary, but difficult and unpleasant professions, encourages more educated and talented people, etc.
Social inequality - a form of differentiation in which individual individuals, social groups, layers, classes are at different levels of the vertical social hierarchy and have unequal life chances and opportunities to satisfy needs.
In the most general form, inequality means that people live in conditions in which they have unequal access to the limited resources of material and spiritual consumption.
Social inequality is perceived and experienced by many people (primarily unemployed, economic migrants, those who are at or near the poverty line) as a manifestation of injustice. Social inequality, property stratification of society, as a rule, lead to an increase in social tension in society.
The main principles of social policy are:
1. protection of living standards by introducing various forms of compensation with increasing prices and indexation;
2. providing assistance to the poorest families;
3. issuance of unemployment assistance;
4. ensuring a policy of social insurance, setting a minimum wage for employees;
5. the development of education, the protection of health and the environment, mainly at the expense of the state;
6. pursuing an active policy aimed at providing qualifications.
Social are called those differences which are generated by social factors:lifestyle (urban and rural population), division of labor (mental and physical workers), social roles (father, doctor, politician), etc., which leads to differences in the degree of ownership of property, income, power, achievement social status, prestige, education.
Different levels of social development are base for social inequality, the emergence of rich and poor, the stratification of society, its stratification (stratum - a layer that includes people with the same income, power, education, prestige).
Income - the amount of cash receipts received by the person per unit of time. It can be labor, or maybe ownership of property that “works”.
Education - A set of knowledge obtained in educational institutions. Its level is measured by the number of years of study. Say, junior high school is 9 years old. The professor has behind him more than 20 years of education.
Social inequality is the result of uneven access of members of society to the spiritual and material resources, which leads to a stratification of this and the formation of a vertical hierarchy. People who are at different levels of the hierarchy have unequal chances of life in realizing their aspirations and needs. Any society is somehow structured: according to national, geographical, gender, demographic or other characteristics. However, social inequality is completely unique.
nature. Its main source is the development of civilization itself, existing in the form of society.
Reasons for Social Inequality
Any society in human history was characterized by the specialization of its members. Already this fact in the future generates social inequality, since specialization sooner or later leads to a difference between more and less demanded forms of activity. So, in the most primitive societies, healers and warriors shamans had the highest status. Usually the best of them became the heads of a tribe or people. However, this differentiation does not yet imply the obligatory accompaniment of material wealth. In primitive society, social inequality is not at all the result of material stratification, since trade relations themselves have not yet been significant. However, the fundamental reason remains the same - specialization. In modern society, for example, people find themselves in a privileged position
creating a cultural product - film actors, television presenters, professional athletes and others.
Inequality criteria
As we have already seen on the example of primitive societies, social inequality can be expressed not only in financial position. And history knows many such examples. So, for medieval Europe, the genealogy was an extremely important factor in social status. The noble origin alone determined a high status in society, regardless of wealth. At the same time, the countries of the East hardly knew such an estate-hierarchical model. All subjects of the state - viziers and peasants - were the same slaves in the face of the sovereign, whose status proceeded from a simple fact of power. Sociologist Max Weber identified three possible criteria for inequality:
Thus, the difference in incomes, social respect and honor, as well as the number of subordinates depending on the value orientations of society can affect the final social status of a person in different ways.
Social inequality rate
Over the past two hundred years, there has been debate among economists and sociologists about the degree of stratification in a particular society. So, according to Vilfredo Pareto, the ratio of the poor to the rich is a constant. In contrast, the doctrine of Marxism testifies that there is a constant increase in social differentiation - the poor become poorer, the rich get richer. However, practical experience of the twentieth century has shown that if such an increasing stratification occurs, it makes society unstable and ultimately leads to social upheaval.
Social inequality - it would seem a relic of the past and should go into oblivion, but the modern reality is that in one form or another, stratification in society is present today and this gives rise to a sense of injustice in those people who are affected by social inequality.
Social inequality - what is it?
Social class inequality has existed since ancient times of human evolution. The history of different countries is a clear evidence of what oppression and enslavement of people leads to - these are riots, hunger riots, wars and revolutions. But this experience, prescribed by blood, does not teach anything. Yes, now it has taken a softer, veiled form. What is social inequality expressed in and what is it like today?
Social inequality is the division or differentiation of people into classes, societies or groups, according to their position in society, which implies the unequal use of opportunities, wealth and rights. If we represent social inequality schematically in the form of a ladder, then at its lowest levels there will be oppressed, poor, and at the top oppressors and those with power and money in their hands. This is the main sign of the stratification of society into rich and poor. There are other indicators of social inequality.
Reasons for Social Inequality
What are the causes of social inequality? Economists see the root cause in the unequal treatment of property and the distribution of wealth in general. R. Michels (a German sociologist) saw the reason in vesting with great privileges and powers the apparatus of power, which was chosen by the people themselves. The causes of social inequality in the opinion of the French sociologist E. Durkheim:
- Encouragement of people who bring the greatest benefit to society, the best in their field.
- Unique personal qualities and talents of a person that distinguish him from the general society.
Types of Social Inequality
The forms of social inequality are different, so there are several classifications. Types of social inequality according to physiological characteristics:
- age - applies to all people at certain age intervals, this can be seen when hiring, young people are not hired due to lack of experience, older people with their vast experience are replaced by young people, more promising from the point of view of superiors;
- social sexual inequality - here we can consider such a phenomenon as, expressed in the fact that few women in senior positions, participating in the economic life of the country, a woman is given the role of “husband”;
- social ethnic inequality - small ethnic groups, those that are not included in the concept of the "white race" are largely oppressed due to phenomena such as xenophobia and racism.
Social inequality in relation to status in society:
- lack / availability of wealth;
- proximity to power.
Manifestation of social inequality
The main signs of social inequality are observed in such a phenomenon as the division of labor. Human activity is diverse and each person is endowed with some talents and abilities, growth abilities. At the same time, social inequality manifests itself as a return of privileges to those who are more talented and promising for society. The stratification of society or stratification (from the word "stratum" - the geological layer) is the building of a hierarchical ladder, division into classes, and if earlier it was slaves and slave owners, feudal lords and servants, then at the present stage it is a division into:
- upper class;
- middle class;
- low-income (socially vulnerable);
- below the poverty line.
Consequences of social inequality
Social inequality and poverty, caused by the fact that only a select few can use the main resources of the planet, creates conflicts and wars among the population. The consequences are developing gradually and are expressed in the slow development of many countries, this leads to the fact that progress in the economy is also slowing down, democracy as a system is losing its position, tension, dissatisfaction, psychological pressure, social disharmony are growing in society. According to the UN, half of the world's resources are owned by 1% of the so-called upper elite (world domination).
The benefits of social inequality
Social inequality in society as a phenomenon does not bear only negative properties, if we consider social inequality from a positive side, then we can note important things, looking at which the idea arises that everything “has a place to be under the Sun.” Advantages of social inequality for a person:
- an incentive to become the best in their field, to show their abilities and talents to the maximum;
- motivation for those who want;
- streamlining in the economic sphere, those who have capital produce resources, unlike those who have no capital and are only able to feed themselves and their families.
Examples of Social Inequality in History
Examples of social inequality or stratification systems:
- Slavery - The extreme degree of enslavement, the original form of social inequality known since antiquity.
- Castes. A form of stratification socially formed from ancient times, when social inequality was determined by caste affiliation, a child born from birth itself belonged to a particular caste. In India, it was believed that the birth of a person in a particular caste depends on his actions in a past life. Only 4 castes: the highest - the brahmanas, the ksatriyas - warriors, the Vaishis - merchants, merchants, sudras - peasants (lower caste).
- Estates. The upper classes - the nobility and the clergy had the legal right to transfer property by inheritance. Unprivileged estate - artisans, peasants.
Modern forms of social inequality
Social inequality in modern society is an inalienable property, therefore, the social theory of functionalism considers stratification in a positive way. The American sociologist B. Barber divided the modern types of social stratification, based on 6 criteria:
- Kudos to the profession.
- The presence of power.
- Wealth and income.
- Religious affiliation.
- The presence of education, knowledge.
- Belonging to a particular ethnic group, nation.
Social Inequality in the World
The problem of social inequality is that racism, xenophobia, and discrimination are generated. The most significant criterion for social inequality throughout the world is a different income of the population. The factors affecting stratification in society throughout the world remain the same as many years ago:
- way of life - urban or rural, a well-known fact that in villages the payment for labor is less than in the city, and the conditions are often worse, and there are more jobs;
- social roles (mother, father, teacher, official) - determine status, prestige, presence of power, property;
- division of labor - physical and intellectual labor are paid differently.
The main reason for the unequal position of people in society, some representatives of sociological thought, consider the social division of labor. However, scientists explain in different ways the consequences arising from this and, especially, the reasons for the reproduction of inequality
Herbert Spencer believes conquest is a source of inequality. Thus, the ruling class - the victors, and the lower class - the vanquished. Prisoners of war become slaves, free farmers - serfs. On the other hand, frequent or constant wars lead to the deliberate dominance of those who function in the state and military spheres. Thus, the law of natural selection operates: the stronger ones dominate and occupy a privileged position, while the weak ones obey them and are at the lower levels of the social ladder.
The development of the sociology of inequality, the idea of \u200b\u200bevolution and the law of natural selection have had a significant impact. One of the directions of evolutionism is social Darwinism. Common to all representatives of this direction, was the recognition that the struggle between human societies is the same as that between biological organisms.
Karl Marx believed that initially the division of labor does not lead to the subordination of some people by others, and, as a factor in the mastery of natural resources, causes professional specialization. But the complexity of the production process contributes to the division of labor into physical and mental. This division historically preceded the formation of private property and classes. With their appearance, certain areas, types and functions of activity are assigned to the corresponding classes. Since that time, each class has been engaged in the occupation intended for it, owns or does not own property, and is on different steps of the ladder of public positions. The causes of inequality lie in the production system, in a different attitude to the means of production, which allows those who own property not only to exploit those who do not have it, but also to dominate them. To eliminate inequality, the expropriation of private property and its nationalization are necessary.
In contrast to Marx, Weber, in addition to the economic aspect of stratification, took into account such aspects as power and prestige. Weber viewed property, power, and prestige as three separate, interacting factors that underlie hierarchies in any society. Differences in ownership generate economic classes; differences related to power give rise to political parties, and prestigious differences give rise to status groups or strata. From here he formulated his idea of \u200b\u200b“three autonomous dimensions of stratification”. He emphasized that “classes”, “status groups” and “parties” are phenomena related to the distribution of power within a community.
The main contradiction of Weber with Marx is that according to Weber the class cannot be the subject of action, since it is not a community. In contrast, Marx Weber associated the concept of class only with capitalist society, where the market is the most important regulator of relations. Through it, people satisfy their needs for material goods and services.
However, people occupy different positions in the market or are in different “class situations”. Here everyone sells and buys. Some sell goods, services; others are labor. The difference here is that some people own property, while others do not. Weber does not have a clear class structure of capitalist society, therefore, different interpreters of his work give dissimilar lists of classes.
Given his methodological principles and summarizing his historical, economic and sociological work, we can reconstruct the Weberian typology of classes under capitalism as follows:
1. The working class, deprived of property. He offers in the market
its services and is differentiated by skill level.
2. The petty bourgeoisie is a class of petty businessmen and merchants.
3. Deprived of property “white-collar workers”: technical experts and intelligentsia.
4. Administrators and managers.
5. Owners who also strive through education for the benefits that intellectuals possess.
5.1 Owner class, i.e. those who receive rents from owning land,
mines etc.
5.2 “Commercial class”, i.e. businessmen.
Inequality criteria
Max Weber identified three criteria for inequality:
Wealth.
The level of education.
The degree of religious or ritual purity in the caste system in India.
Ranking by related and ethnic groups.
Using the first criterion, you can measure the degree of inequality by the difference in income. Using the second criterion - the difference in respect and respect. Using the third criterion - by the number of subordinates. Sometimes there is a contradiction between the criteria, for example, a professor and a priest today have a low income, but enjoy great prestige. The leader of the mafia is rich, but his prestige in society is minimal. Wealthy people, according to statistics, live longer and get sick less. A person’s career is influenced by wealth, race, education, occupation of parents and personal ability to lead people. Higher education makes it easier to advance through the ranks in large companies than in small ones.
Social inequality - a form of differentiation in which individual individuals, social groups, layers, classes are at different levels of the vertical social hierarchy and have unequal life chances and opportunities to satisfy needs.
In the most general form, inequality means that people live in conditions in which they have unequal access to the limited resources of material and spiritual consumption.
Fulfilling qualitatively unequal working conditions, satisfying social needs to varying degrees, people sometimes find themselves engaged in economically heterogeneous work, because such types of labor have different estimates of their social utility.
The main mechanisms of social inequality are relations of ownership, power (domination and subordination), social (i.e. socially fixed and hierarchized) division of labor, as well as uncontrolled, spontaneous social differentiation. These mechanisms are mainly associated with the characteristics of a market economy, with inevitable competition (including in the labor market) and unemployment. Social inequality is perceived and experienced by many people (primarily unemployed, economic migrants, those who are at or near the poverty line) as a manifestation of injustice. Social inequality, property stratification of society, as a rule, lead to an increase in social tension, especially in the transition period. That is what is currently characteristic of Russia.
The main principles of social policy are:
the establishment of socialist power with the subsequent transition to communism and the withering away of the state;
protection of living standards through the introduction of various forms of compensation with rising prices and indexation;
providing assistance to the poorest families;
issuance of unemployment assistance;
ensuring a social insurance policy, setting a minimum wage for employees;
development of education, protection of health and the environment, mainly at the expense of the state;
pursuing an active policy aimed at providing qualifications.
Greetings to all! This article is devoted to the most acute topic - social inequality in modern Russia. How many of us did not think why some people are rich and others are poor; why do some people go from water to compote, while others go to Bentley and they don’t care? I am sure that this topic excited you, dear reader! No matter how old you are. There is always a peer who is happier, happier, richer, better dressed .... etc. What is the reason? What is the scale of social inequality in modern Russia? Read on and find out.
The concept of social inequality
Social inequality is the unequal access of people to social, economic and other benefits. By good we mean that (things, services, etc.) that a person considers useful for himself (a purely economic definition). You must understand that this concept is closely related to the term that we wrote about earlier.
Society is designed so that people have unequal access to goods. The reasons for this state of things are diverse. One of them is the limited resources for the production of goods. There are over 6 billion people on Earth today, and everyone wants to eat deliciously and sleep sweetly. And food, land, in the end, is extremely becoming less and less.
It is clear that the geographical factor also plays a role. In Russia, with all its territory, only 140 million people live, and the population is rapidly declining. But for example, in Japan - 120 million - this is on four islands. With wild limited resources, the Japanese live well: they are building artificial land. China, with a population of over a billion people, also lives well in principle. Such examples seem to refute the thesis that the more people there are, the less benefits and inequality should be greater.
In fact, it is influenced by many other factors: the culture of a given society, work ethics, social responsibility of the state, the development of industry, the development of monetary relations and financial institutions, etc.
In addition, natural inequality strongly affects social inequality. For example, a man was born without legs. Or lost his legs and arms. For example, like this individual:
Of course, he lives abroad - and, in principle, I think he lives well. But in Russia, he would, I think, not have survived. With us, people with arms and legs are starving to death, and no one needs social services at all. So the social responsibility of the state is extremely important in smoothing inequality.
Very often in my classes I heard from people that if they get sick more or less seriously, then the company in which they work offers them to quit. And they can’t do anything. They don’t even know how to protect their rights. And if they knew, then these companies would have “hit” a decent amount and the next time they would have thought a hundred times whether it is worth doing this to their employees. That is, legal illiteracy of the population can be a factor of social inequality.
It is important to understand that when studying this phenomenon, sociologists use the so-called multidimensional models: they evaluate people according to several criteria. These include: income, education, power, prestige, etc.
Thus, this concept covers many different aspects. And if you are writing an essay on social studies on this topic, then reveal these aspects!
Social Inequality in Russia
Our country is one of those in which social inequalities are manifested to the highest degree. A very big difference between rich and poor. For example, when I was still a volunteer, a volunteer from Germany came to us in Perm. Who does not know, in Germany, instead of serving in the army, you can volunteer a year in any country. So, they attached him to live in a family for a year. A day later, the German volunteer left there. Because, according to him, even by the standards of Germany, it’s a chic life: a chic apartment, etc. He cannot live in such chic conditions when he sees homeless and beggars asking for alms on the streets of the city.
Plus, in our country, social inequality is manifested in an extremely large form in relation to different professions. School teacher - God willingly receives 25,000 rubles for one and a half bids, and some painter can receive all 60,000 rubles, the crane operator’s salary starts at 80,000 rubles, and the gas welder starts at 50,000 rubles.
The reason for this social inequality, most scientists see, is that in our country there is a transformation of the social system. She broke down in 1991, overnight, together with the state. A new one is not built. Therefore, we are dealing with such social inequality.
Other examples of social inequality you can find and. And for now, that's all - until new publications! Do not forget to like!
Sincerely, Andrey Puchkov
