Examples of social inequality in society. Social inequality in society can lead to disaster. Possession of material values, property

Even a cursory glance at the people around us gives grounds to talk about their dissimilarity. People are different by gender, age, temperament, height, hair color, intelligence and many other characteristics. Nature has endowed one with musical abilities, another with strength, a third with beauty, and for someone she has prepared the fate of a weak invalid. Differences between people, due to their physiological and mental characteristics, are called natural.

All societies famous stories, were organized in such a way that some social groups always had a privileged position over others, which was expressed in an 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 may be, 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 relations between individuals. The strong force the weak, the cunning triumphs over the simpletons. Inequality arising from natural differences is the first form of inequality, in one form or another, manifested in some species of animals. However, in human society, the main thing is 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 the poor and the rich, the educated and the uneducated, the entrepreneurial and the unacceptable, the powerless and the powerless. In this regard, the problem of origin social inequality, attitudes towards it and ways to eliminate it have always aroused increased interest among researchers, politicians and society, which consider social inequality as an injustice.

In the absence of social inequality, individuals would lose the incentive to engage in complex and labor-intensive, dangerous or uninteresting activities, to improve their qualifications. With the help of inequality in income and prestige, society encourages individuals to engage in necessary, but difficult and unpleasant professions, encourages more educated and talented, etc.

Social inequality- a form of differentiation in which individual individuals, social groups, strata, classes are at different levels of the vertical social hierarchy and have unequal life chances and opportunities to satisfy needs.

In the very general view inequality means that people live in conditions in which they have unequal access to limited resources of material and spiritual consumption.

Social inequality is perceived and experienced by many people (primarily the unemployed, economic migrants, those who find themselves at or below 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 the standard of living by introducing various forms of compensation in the event of price increases and carrying out indexation;

2. providing assistance to the poorest families;

3. issue of assistance in case of unemployment;

4. ensuring social insurance policy, setting the minimum wage for workers;

5.development of education, health protection, environment mainly at the expense of the state;

6. pursuing an active policy aimed at ensuring qualifications.

Social called those differences, which generated by social factors: way of life (urban and rural population), division of labor (workers of mental and manual labor), social roles(father, doctor, politician), etc., which leads to differences in the degree of ownership of property, income, power, achievement of social status, prestige, education.

Different levels social development are basis for social inequality, the emergence of the rich and the poor, the stratification of society, its stratification (stratum - a stratum that includes people with the same income, power, education, prestige).

Income- the amount of money receipts received by an individual per unit of time. It may be labor, or it may be the ownership of property that "works".

Education- a set of knowledge gained in educational institutions... His level is measured by the number of years of study. Let's say incomplete high school- 9 years. The professor has over 20 years of education behind him.

Text from the exam

(1) Deadly boredom was written on the well-fed, sleek physiognomy of the merciful sovereign. (2) He had just come out of the embrace of afternoon Morpheus and did not know what to do. (3) I didn’t want to think or yawn ... (4) I was tired of reading since time immemorial, it’s too early to go to the theater, too lazy to go for a drive ... (5) What to do? (6) How to have fun?

- (7) Some young lady came! - reported Egor.

- (8) Asks you!

- (9) Young lady? Um ... (10) Who is this?

(11) A pretty brunette quietly entered the office, dressed simply ... even very simply. (12) She entered and bowed.
“(13) Sorry,” she began in a trembling treble.
- (14) I, you know ... (15) I was told that you ... you can be found only at six o'clock ...

(16) I ... I ... the daughter of the court councilor Paltsev ...

- (17) Very nice! (18) How can I be useful? (19) Sit down, don't hesitate!

- (20) I came to you with a request ... - the young lady continued, awkwardly sitting down and fiddling with her buttons with trembling hands. - (21) I came ... to ask you for a ticket for free travel to your homeland. (22) You, I heard, give ... (23) I want to go, but I have ... I am not rich ... (24) I am from St. Petersburg to Kursk ...

- Hm ... (25) So, sir ... (26) Why do you need to go to Kursk? (27) Is there anything you don't like here?

- (28) No, I like it here. (29) I am to my parents. (30) It has been a long time since they had ... (31) Mom, they write, is sick ...
- Hm ... (32) Do you serve or study here?

(33) And the young lady told where and with whom she served, how much she received her salary, how much work there was ...

- (34) They served ... (35) Yes, sir, you can't say that your salary was great ...

(36) It would be inhumane not to give you a free ticket ... Hm ... (37) Well, I suppose there is a cupid in Kursk, eh? (38) Amurashka ... (39) Groom? (40) Blushed? (41) Well, well! (42) It's a good thing. (43) Drive yourself. (44) It's time for you to get married ... (45) And who is he?

- (46) In officials.

- (47) It's a good thing. (48) Go to Kursk ... (49) They say that already a hundred miles from Kursk it smells of cabbage soup and cockroaches crawl ... (50) Probably boredom in this Kursk? (51) Throw off your hat! (52) Egor, give us some tea!

(53) The young lady, who did not expect such an affectionate reception, beamed and described to the gracious sovereign all the Kursk entertainments ... (54) She said that she had a brother-official, cousins-grammar school ... (55) Yegor served tea.

(56) The young lady timidly reached for a glass and, being afraid to chomp, began to silently swallow ...

(57) The dear sir looked at her and grinned ... (58) He no longer felt bored ... - (59) Is your groom good-looking? - he asked. - (60) How did you get along with him?

(61) The young lady embarrassedly answered both questions. (62) She trustingly moved up to the merciful sir and, smiling, told how here, in St. Petersburg, suitors wooed her and how she refused them ... (63) She ended up taking a letter from her parents out of her pocket and reading it to the merciful sir. (64) Eight o'clock struck.
- (65) And your father has a good handwriting ... (66) With what squiggles he writes! (67) Hehe ...
:
(68) But, however, I have to go ... (69) The theater has already begun ... (70) Farewell, Marya Efimovna!
- (71) So can I hope? - asked the young lady, getting up.
- (72) For what?
- (73) That you give me a free ticket ...

- (74) Ticket? .. (75) Hm ... (76) I have no tickets! (77) You must have been mistaken, madam ...

(78) He-he-he ... (79) You are in the wrong place, on the wrong entrance ... there really is some railroad worker living next to me, and I serve in the bank, sir! (80) Egor, lead me to lay it down! (81) Goodbye, Marya Semyonovna! (82) Very happy ... very happy ...

(83) The young lady got dressed and went out ... (84) At another entrance she was told that he left at half past seven for Moscow.

(According to A.P. Chekhov)

Introduction

In life, we are often faced with injustice, with a disdainful attitude of people who have any kind of power over others. People who are financially secure do not understand the poor, do not consider it necessary to take their opinion into account, they simply do not perceive them as equals. Simple, "small" people become the subject of ridicule and insults from those in power.

A comment

The presented text raises the topic of the relationship between people of different classes - a poor young girl asking for money, and a bored "merciful sovereign" who does not know what to do with himself in the coming day.

The girl urgently needs to go home, and when she heard somewhere that the master was giving out free tickets to all those in need, she came to him for help. He elicits all the details of her personal life, the reasons why she is in such a hurry to Kursk. The "young lady", in her naivety, shares her hopes and dreams, rejoicing in such a warm welcome. However, in the end it turns out that she made a mistake in the entrance, and the "dear sir" just talked to her out of boredom.

Instead of somehow helping the interlocutor, he leaves. She acted as a kind of toy for a bank employee, and he is not at all worried about her future fate.

Soon the girl learns that the railway worker from the next entrance is no longer at home. So she remains at a broken trough.

Theme, problem, idea

In Russian literature, the theme of the little man has become a classic. Writers-satirists have pondered a lot about this, exposing the imperfections of the social structure of our Motherland. A.P. was no exception. Chekhov, who thought a lot about the social order, looked closely at many typical images of his time - officials of various ranks, landowners, peasants, poor people, beggars.

The text poses the problem of social inequality, in other words, the problem of the little man.

Author's position

Chekhov clearly has a negative attitude towards the "merciful sir". This can be seen already from the first phrase of the text, which tells about the "well-fed, sleek physiognomy." The girl, on the other hand, evokes sympathy from the author. Her descriptions are pleasant, without caricature: "a pretty brunette", "fiddling with her buttons with trembling hands." We can say that Chekhov is on the side of the "little people" who are afraid of everything in life, and condemns the inhumanity of the highest circles.

Your position

I really want to agree with the author, because, knowing all the life difficulties of a young brunette, a bank employee could at least give her money, if it didn't work out with the ticket. The trouble is that rich people are looking for benefits in everything only for themselves, and the environment does not bother them. They seem to be dead internally. In my opinion, Chekhov, raising this problem, wants to stir up society, to force people of high rank to look at themselves from the outside.

Arguments and examples

The literature has repeatedly raised the topic of social inequality, the relationship of the poor with the rich, people with no rights with people of high status.

F.M. Dostoevsky in the novel "Crime and Punishment" presents a gallery of people who are below the edge of poverty. The main plot action is tied precisely in the clash of a poor student and an old woman-pawnbroker, profiting from the misfortunes of other poor people.

Poverty brings Raskolnikov to thoughts of murder. By this action, he seems to be trying to prove to himself that he is not a simple " small man", Who is not capable of influencing anything, and" having the right "- deciding the fate of people.

I think that such a terrible act of Raskolnikov was caused initially by his desire to save the people around him from social injustice in the person of the money-lender grandmother.

There are many examples in real life... According to statistics, more than half of the population of Russia exists in very difficult living conditions, often without work, without money and, in fact, without rights. Remember how many homeless people froze on the street last winter, how many sick grandparents live in landfills. The worst thing is that it is very difficult for them to get out of poverty, because the rest do not respect them, they consider them people without a future.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, as long as people in society are divided into poor and rich, as long as social inequality flourishes, in our society there will be a place for callousness, immorality, and indifference. However, I would like to believe that people will become kinder and more tolerant to each other, because we are all equal before God!

It is quite obvious that the structure of any society is not homogeneous, since it is always subdivided into various groups by nationality, class, gender, demographic and other characteristics. It is this type of heterogeneity that gives rise to such injustices in the social order as latent violence and infringement of human dignity.

Of course, in the modern world, the forms of influence of some groups of people over others are no longer so strongly expressed, which was in the order of things in epic times. This is because the social hierarchy in a democratic society is subordinated, first of all, to the principles of "European humanism", which exclude any form of aggressive coercion outside the legal field.

General concept of social inequality

Throughout the history of the existence of mankind, a variety of models of state, political and economic structure have been tested, in which it could not achieve that "golden balance" of the social structure, when all individuals could be endowed with the same living conditions offered by society. And it is precisely the concept of "social inequality" that defines different level accessibility of various social groups to resources such as power, fame and finance.

It turns out that social stratification (a system of criteria for stratifying society into various social groups) is objectively embedded in any model of human society, since only under the condition class differences society is sufficiently motivated for its progressive development. Indeed, even with the primitive structure of a primitive society, when the leaders ruled over clans or tribes, there was a clear hierarchy, implying the existence of power and subordinate structures.

With the development of society, the very hierarchy of the social structure became more complicated. Humanity not only developed economically and sought continuous improvement of political forms of interaction, trying a variety of government levers of government, but has always been preoccupied with achieving an optimal balance between all social groups of the population. It is precisely the balanced interaction between all strata of society that leads to the most effective development and comfortable conditions for interaction between them.

By the way, the historical experience of our country can also be considered an objective contribution to the global collection of knowledge on this issue. After all, a communist society as an ideal form of social justice could not be created. And at that stage of its construction, when developed socialism was to become a harbinger of the crown of social justice, society was stratified not only into the classes of workers and peasants proclaimed by the state (the intelligentsia was considered a stratum and a temporary phenomenon, and the partocracy was not classified into a separate group, associating itself with the official classes), but also for those social structures who rule the people in all spheres of life.

It turns out that social inequality is an objectively conditioned instrument of any social structure, since it is this inequality that creates the necessary motivating structures for the normal development of mankind.

Causes of social inequality

Despite the many options for assessing social inequality from the legislators of the scientific community on this issue, including Herbert Spencer, Ludwig Gumplowicz, William Sumner, Karl Marx and others, there are only two basic reasons for its occurrence.

The first of them is the uneven distribution of the material resources that society has at its disposal. It is the difference in the assessment of the contribution of each to the common piggy bank of human values ​​that is the fundamental reason for the generation of inequality. Naturally, each individual makes his own unique contribution to the development of society, which depends on his individual level of capabilities and the willingness of society to accept this work from him.

The second factor in the emergence of social inequality is the principle of inheritance of the rights to possess various values ​​and privileges, which provide additional opportunities for the distribution of various kinds of resources (power, prestige and money). A modern person in our country more than once encounters, for example, the problem of employment, when, all other things being equal, it is protectionism that becomes a decisive factor for taking up a position of interest or implementing a professional project.

The last reason for social inequality is based both on the unequal availability of a decent education for various social groups of the population, and on various professional startups with the same level of training. Here subjective and objective criteria can be distinguished, which are expressed in the possession of the levels of material wealth, education, income, position held and other resources. Despite the rather stable part modern society called "middle class", the difference between other social groups Russian society can truly be considered "rabid". After all, the abyss between oligarchs and homeless people cannot be considered justified only because some are involved in managing the domestic economy, while others have even lost the meaning of their existence.

And even the middle class from Russia at the present time cannot be considered that part of modern society where social justice has triumphed, because today this class is only at the stage of formation. Moreover, the difference between conventionally its "elite" and "bottom" is already becoming striking, which eloquently testifies to the relevance of this topic.

The bureaucrats' apparatus deserves separate words, which by definition of the order of things has an increased resource in the distribution of various benefits and privileges. Indeed, in connection with their positions, these civil servants exercise appropriate control and supervision, which accordingly leads to their status.

In addition, it is important to remember the very human nature, which has always been focused on climbing the social ladder, guided exclusively by the personal motive of achieving the most advantageous position in society.

Classification of types of social inequality

When considering the topic of social inequality, it is important to operate with such a concept as "social deprivation" (a decrease in the individual's ability to communicate within society in the functional and cultural aspects).

In this context, four categories of deprivation should be distinguished: economic, social, ethical and mental.

Economic deprivation results from the uneven distribution of society's material resources. In this issue, two factors should be distinguished: objective and subjective. It is precisely because of the presence of subjective deprivation that a situation sometimes arises when a completely sufficient person tends to feel that his abilities are underestimated. This situation is today quite fertile ground for the creation, for example, of new religious movements.

Social deprivation uses resources such as power, prestige and money as a motivation for social development. This happens in order to distinguish certain groups of people from the general mass.

Ethical deprivation often arises between society and intellectuals due to a value conflict of interests. This disagreement arises from the fact that the moral ideals of individuals and groups are at odds with generally accepted norms.

Mental deprivation is similar to ethical deprivation. However, the disagreement between an individual or a group of people and society concerns exclusively such values ​​as the meaning of life, faith in God, the search for new life priorities... It should be understood that often mental deprivation arises from economic or social deprivation and is aimed at leveling objective forms of deprivation.

Adapting to social inequality

Despite the dissatisfaction of many members of society with social inequality, one should nevertheless take into account the universal nature of this tool for motivating the development of society throughout its existence.

Since social stratification is objectively determined by economic, political and state norms of the development of society, then it should be perceived exclusively as inevitable costs of historical development. Of course, unequal access to material and spiritual values ​​of public consumption causes a lot of indignation among the “disadvantaged” group of people.

However, it should always be remembered that today the socio-economic heterogeneity of labor and the inheritance of preferential positions in social stratification are objectively determined by the historical facts of the development of society. So the only way to achieve social justice should be considered the free and feasible contribution of everyone to its development. In addition, modern society is developing quite seriously in the field of fixing and expanding the rights and privileges of the poorly protected strata of society. So the positive dynamics in this aspect of the life of society is evident.

In this statement, I. Sherr raises the problem of the naturalness of social inequality. In other words, the author considers the state of society to be absolutely organic, in which some individuals have wider access to benefits than the rest of society.

I fully share this thesis. Indeed, society consists of many social strata distinguished in the process of social stratification.

There are many criteria for dividing society into layers, but it is necessary to remember, first of all, about four main ones - these are income, power, education and prestige.

In addition, there are historical types of stratification, many of which have perpetuated social inequality for centuries. There are mainly four of them. The first type - the slave system - is characterized by the fact that a certain part of society (slaves) was the "thing" of other people. The second type - the caste system - was based on religious principles and traditions and consolidated hereditary belonging to the caste without any opportunity to take advantage of the social lift (to curry favor in the war, to marry a representative of a higher caste). The next type - the estate system - had the apparatus of coercion of state power as a support, securing legal status of this or that class in official documents. This type allowed in exceptional cases to "increase" the privilege of his status.

Fortunately, social progress has led us to an open system of stratification - class. In this system, individuals were able to freely move to another social stratum. The basis for the division between classes is the form and size of a person's income. Therefore, the class of proletarians (hired workers receiving wages) and the bourgeoisie (the class of entrepreneurs who profit from the exploitation of hired labor) are distinguished. As we can see, even in open stratification systems, social inequality is observed: individuals who put a lot of effort in working with social lifts (education, career, service) are higher on the social ladder than less active members of society. It should be mentioned that the intensity and speed social mobility with modern societies is much higher than in the above-described historical types.

Examples of social inequality can easily be found in classical literature. For example, in the novel by Jack London "Martin Eden" the main character makes a long way up the social ladder from a poor sailor to a rich writer, along the way helping his poor friends to increase their income. Having received a "ticket to high society", the hero understands that rich people are not always complacent and people who are poor in wealth were much kinder to him. This is also a kind of "moral stratification", but it is already outside the scope of the course of social studies.

Sometimes social inequality reaches levels that threaten society. The newspaper "Russian Reporter" recently published an analytical article about the country of Zimbabwe, showing depressing economic indicators... It is worth noting that this country has withdrawn its national currency from circulation. The high level of corruption and crime allows officials and some businessmen to receive fabulous income, while more than half of the people are officially unemployed. This example shows us that even the natural state of society, manifested in inequality, needs control so that society does not turn into chaos.

Thus, the problem of the naturalness of social inequality is relevant to this day, having scientific and factual justification. And I hope that society will be “unequal” where it is needed!

Updated: 2017-07-10

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12. Stratification of society

Inequality between people exists in any society. This is quite natural, considering that all people have differences, and making them equal is just as impossible as it is impossible to make everyone the same externally and internally. Even with the same income, some live frugally, while others experience a constant lack of funds. Absolute equality is a dream that allows one to hope that someday a society of complete social justice will be built.

People have made more than one attempt to build a socially just society. Almost constantly, with varying intensity, there is a struggle between the rich and the poor. The strata with low and middle incomes do not want to put up with the fact that a significant part of public wealth belongs to a narrow circle of people, therefore they are trying to eliminate the existing injustice.

The greed of the rich, their unwillingness to share funds with the rest of society - this is one of the reasons leading to unrestrained stratification. Bloody revolutions, changes in political regimes are the consequences of the indifferent attitude of the "elite" to ordinary people, to those who actually create all material wealth, receiving little in return.

At the moment, it has not been possible to achieve social justice in society. Not a single revolution was able to eliminate inequality, and after any of them, stratification arose again, the spiral of the class hierarchy began to spiral along a new one, accumulating energy for the next social upheavals.

Significant inequality polarizes society, perpetuates social injustice, making some masters of life and eternal executors (slaves) of others. Inequality is accompanied by poverty, which creates a fertile ground for the marginalization of the population, inciting people to join criminal communities, extremist and terrorist organizations. It is because of poverty that people often fall under bad influence, follow where they promise quick earnings and a good life.

It seems that the easiest way to eliminate inequality is to take and evenly share all the public wealth. But how then to evaluate the work of a slacker and a hardworking person, how to encourage the best? There is no need to look for simple solutions to this question. Achieving equality among people is not easy, if only because there are too many reasons for the stratification among people. The civilized approach is not about trying to completely eradicate the causes of inequality, but about preventing it from becoming overwhelming and depressing.

The emergence of inequality in society can be explained by:

• natural differences between people;
• social and social factors;
• features of the social and state structure.

1. Natural differences between people (differences due to the natural data of a person)

All people differ in their possession:

• mental abilities, talents;
• entrepreneurial ability;
• knowledge and experience;
• moral, value guidelines;
• physical, external data.

Mental capacity help a person in any activity. They allow you to acquire knowledge, help to solve problems, find non-standard solutions, make discoveries, develop the correct strategy of behavior. All this contributes to the material well-being of a person and the emergence of inequality.

Talented people have unequal opportunities compared to others. If their unique natural talents are claimed by society, and not wasted, then they achieve success and recognition.

Entrepreneurial ability include a set of qualities, skills that allow a person to find opportunities for making a profit when engaging in any kind of activity, make reasonable consistent decisions, create and apply innovations, take an acceptable, justified risk. Entrepreneurial ability is to some extent related to mental ability, but there are still some differences. These additionally include the ability to communicate, build connections, establish contacts with people and maintain relationships with them. There is also an entrepreneurial flair that allows a person to intuitively make the right decisions.

Knowledge and experience important in any business. An experienced person has undeniable advantages over a person who for the first time decides on a new business for himself. Without experience and knowledge, it is easy to make mistakes. It takes time to gain experience, and during this period a person often acts recklessly, acting "at random." However, it is much more rational to study the knowledge gained by other people. This will avoid many wrong actions.

In the modern world, moral attitudes do not help, but, on the contrary, interfere with earning big money. Positive moral qualities do not allow using dishonest methods for enrichment. Those who use such techniques usually win. However, in order to create an equal competitive environment, where everyone achieves success with their skills and abilities, and not by cunning and deception, compliance moral rules- a necessary condition.

External data play a significant role in life. It is easier for a beautiful person to achieve better success with the opposite sex, it is easier to successfully marry, get married, and also get a job where external data matters.

Physical data allow a person to feel good, work without significant stress. Lack of physical data can become a limitation to work in some areas. It can be hard for a person with poor health or a disabled person to work, even in the lightest job.

Alas, in modern society there are frequent cases showing that the advantages described above do not work. So, in collectives situations arise when, in the general mass of employees, the most intelligent, talented person is "overwritten", they do not give him the opportunity to reveal himself, to show himself to the fullest. Often, management fears smart, responsible employees, assuming they can take their place.

2. Inequality due to social and social factors:

• having unequal opportunities at birth;
• different levels of education;
• gender inequality;
• age inequality;
• inequality in nationality, race;
• inequality in place of residence;
• inequality due to family composition;
• possession of a profitable profession, position;
• a successful combination of circumstances contributing to the enrichment of a person.

Having unequal opportunities at birth

A child born into a family of wealthy parents has more opportunities. His parents can afford to hire tutors for individual lessons, pay for classes in circles, sports clubs, take care of the child's leisure time. Financial resources are a guarantee of good education and full-fledged development. Of course, all this is true if parents really care about their children and their future, and not concerned with demonstrating their own superiority, turning the child into a mandatory attribute of expressing personal success.

Material opportunities dictate the way of life, create the illusion that if you just wish, everything will be fulfilled. In wealthy families, the problem associated with a lack of love and attention is very common. People busy with work, satisfaction of personal ambitions, deprive children of the most necessary things - communication in the family. A child locked in a "golden cage" narrows his social circle, he becomes a stranger to his peers from less wealthy families.

In low-income families, children, at times, are deprived of the most necessary things: good nutrition, high-quality clothing, and normal living conditions. But it happens that difficulties do not always act negatively, sometimes, they temper, teach to fight, to defend their own position. As a result, a person adapts better to life conditions, gets used to achieve everything on his own, not relying on anyone.

Dividing people into classes based on their origins is wrong. A person from a poor family, educated, industrious and passed several stages of social hierarchy, can be much better than a person who has wealth from birth, devoid of understanding how difficult it is to achieve a high social position.

Different levels of education

Lack of education in modern society is seen as a serious disadvantage that creates obstacles to employment. Even for unskilled positions, the employer prefers to hire a person with education, because it enhances work discipline and cultural level. People without education are more likely to work in less profitable sectors of the economy and are almost always in lower positions, which leads to low incomes.

Continuing penetration into all spheres of life of informatics, electronics, technology makes new demands on modern workers, increases the demand for qualified, educated specialists. Now a person is required high level knowledge, the ability to learn quickly, assimilate new information, etc.

Gender inequality

Biological differences between men and women create an insurmountable barrier to eliminating gender inequality. To completely overcome differences, a woman, for example, will have to become as strong as a man, and a man will have to learn to bear children. The differences between the sexes are manifested in thinking, temperament, perception, psyche, etc.

A woman will not be able to work in many male professions, especially where physical strength is required, and a man - in female ones. The division of professions by gender is quite natural. So, it is rare to find a woman seeking to work as a loader, bricklayer, security guard or driver. It is also difficult to find a male educator, nanny, nurse, seamstress, etc.

Society values ​​women's and men's labor differently. For some reason, it is women's professions that are usually low-paid; even for the same job as a man, a woman often receives a lower salary. Perhaps this is because a woman's low wages are not seen as serious problem, since it is assumed that most of them should be supported by the funds of the spouse. But this deprives women of independence and does not take into account the fact that, in fact, most of them do not receive any support from men.

The birth of a child by a woman is a barrier to career development. A woman for some period falls out of labor activity taking on a significant amount of unpaid, invaluable homework. Burdened with children, she is simply forced to devote a significant part of her time to the house.

The structure of modern society is still very patriarchal: as a rule, men are engaged in highly paid and prestigious jobs. In countries with low living standards, low literacy and education, the most important source of employment for women remains Agriculture or other jobs with a predominance of physical labor. In developed countries, women have the opportunity to study and work. They are more involved in healthcare, education, and other areas related to intellectual activity.

The double standard for women is determined by traditions, customs, family values, existing ethics and morality. Gender inequality damages the whole of society and negatively affects economic development. Countries where women enjoy equal rights are more developed and wealthy.

Age-related inequalities

At every age, a person has different learning abilities, different creative and physical activity. It is not necessary to expect from an elderly person that he will be the same as a young one. Due to physiological changes with age, it becomes harder to assimilate and memorize information, and it becomes harder to work. This is largely due to the negative attitude of employers towards people of pre-retirement age.

Young people also have problems with finding a job. It is difficult for a young person, a recent graduate of an educational institution, to find a job due to a lack of experience. It turns out vicious circle when there is no experience and nowhere to acquire it. Some employers discriminate against young people, pay lower wages compared to older employees, believing that first you need to earn equal treatment. If society is aimed at the future, at development, then young people should integrate as quickly as possible into adult working life for equal rights... A person at a young age wants to earn money, live well, start a family, this requires significant funds.

Inequality by nationality, race

Apparently, it has not yet been completely possible to eliminate the remnants of the slave system, if people of a different nationality, races find themselves limited in choosing a job and are forced to go to low-paid, hard work, change their place of residence, the country in search of better life... Integration into normal life in another country may take more than one decade, and all this time there will be obstacles for equal membership in society, especially if there are external differences, poor knowledge of local traditions and language.

But not only newcomers face difficulties. Modern migration flows are gaining such strength that in an unequal position, a minority may be the population historically living in a given territory. National diasporas and clans defend their interests, ignoring the laws adopted in society, create the necessary environment for themselves, openly displacing the indigenous population from some spheres of activity.

An employer who hires a migrant willing to work for "pennies" harms, first of all, his fellow citizens, depriving them of employment opportunities. The excess number of migrants leads to a drop in wages in some sectors of the economy. When cheap labor is available, there is no need to improve production processes and increase labor productivity.

Inequality in the place of residence

Discrimination at the place of residence is associated with unequal access to educational, medical and other services, with the inability to find a job in the specialty. This is clearly seen in cities where there is only one city-forming enterprise, or in countryside where the range of occupations is limited to agriculture.

An obstacle to moving a person to more prosperous regions can be a lack of funds, lack of housing, unwillingness to part with loved ones. If a person decides to change his country of residence, then additional difficulties will arise in obtaining citizenship.

An ordinary person is not to blame that he was born, raised and lives in a depressed region or country, that his social status is predetermined by unequal territorial opportunities.

The state itself differentiates the regions, establishing the differences between them. People for equal work, depending on the region, receive different wages. Such differences can be justified only if there is an urgent need to attract missing specialists, or as compensation for difficult climatic conditions. In all other cases, discrimination against people based on their place of residence cannot be justified in any way.

Possession of a profitable profession, position

Usually young people want to learn and get one of the prestigious professions in order to be in demand, highly paid specialists in the future. But this is not always possible to achieve for various reasons, one of them is unequal access to educational services. A person who is naturally capable can study in school with "weak" teachers. As a result, his abilities will remain undiscovered by anyone.

The large difference in wages for individual professions generates social inequality. The overestimation of some of them leads to a significant difference in wages tens of times, in relation to the average earnings of all other workers. The criteria for such differentiation are unclear. Indeed, with the appropriate organization of training, it is possible to fill the deficit of any specialists within several years, or even months. Only a person with unique abilities and talents really deserves a high assessment of society, including in material terms. However, such people are relatively few.

The highest salaries are for managers today. A manager, even a middle manager, can receive a salary equal to that of a small team. Is his contribution to the work so significant? Most probably not. It is just that a system has developed in which the appropriation of the results of social labor has become quite legal and commonplace, which manifests itself in the form of overstated payments to the administrative apparatus. This state of affairs cannot be called otherwise than legalized theft. A life-saving physician or a scientist doing important research receives a paltry monetary reward compared to directors large companies whose salaries can support entire organizations. The benefits of management's activities are incomparable with their income, and it should be taken into account that the appointment to management positions does not always take place in an honest, open way.

Inequality due to family composition

Take a family of two for example. They are successful, they make good money together. They can be easily attributed to the notorious middle class. At some point, they decide to give birth to a child. After a certain period of time, the woman goes on maternity leave, family income decreases. With the advent of a child, costs increase, which further reduces the standard of living of the family. As a result, the middle-class family will move closer to the less well-off segments of the population. But what if there are already several children in the family?

To ensure the average per capita income of the middle class for a family of four or five people, the head of the family will have to work hard, losing health, sacrificing personal time and life. The situation is even worse when a woman is a single mother without support. Her social position is very precarious and almost always borders on poverty.

Successful coincidence of circumstances contributing to the enrichment of a person

Rarely, who wins the lottery, but still it happens. A person can become a millionaire in an instant. Chance plays a big role in our life. Even many scientific discoveries were made completely by accident.

Some people are always in search of their soul mate and cannot find it in any way, they change their place of work all their lives in search of more earnings and cannot earn anything. In contrast, others immediately settle on a good place, earn decent money, get married and live with one person all their lives. A good combination of circumstances and chance play a significant role here. Winning the lottery, inheriting, unexpected business success - all these events are of a random nature and have a noticeable impact on a person's life.

An active life position will help to increase the likelihood of a successful combination of circumstances, because, as you know, water does not flow under a lying stone.

3. Inequality generated by the characteristics of the social and state structure

The inequality associated with the existence of the state is expressed:

• the need to maintain a hierarchy;
• in the possession of material values, property;
• in belonging to a certain group of persons, party, diaspora, sect, etc. ;

Hierarchy in the state

In any control system there is a certain hierarchy, there are control centers and transmission links through which the management of a separate object or objects is carried out. When the hierarchy is eliminated, the system will be destroyed as a single integral structure.

In the state, the hierarchy is expressed in the form of the presence of branches of power and structures that perform the functions of management, execution and control in society. Power by its very existence creates inequality between those who have it and those who do not have it. It is not possible to eliminate such inequality, otherwise, the state itself will have to be destroyed.

The need to maintain governance in society gives rise to the division of people into classes:

• managers, directly to whom the power belongs;
• people close to power, i.e. officials called upon to control and execute the will of the authorities;
• people defending the authorities: the police, other power structures;
• people who occupy a privileged position in society, thanks to their position, wealth;
• ordinary people: workers, employees, the intelligentsia, performing the main work of maintaining and servicing the entire state system.

People invested with state power have special powers through which they can influence any organization, which puts them in the hierarchy above any head of a commercial company. Realizing this, big business tries to bring the people it needs to the power structures, organizes the defense of its interests. The merging of business and government is a problem of modern society, leading to the fact that a relatively small stratum of the richest people begins to possess full power, acting in purely personal interests, not paying attention to the opinion of the majority, putting property interests above state interests.

Possession of material values, property

The possession of the means of production, financial assets, and other types of property is one of the sources of social inequality between people. Property can be obtained by inheritance, donation, acquired with personal or borrowed funds, seized by force or through financial fraud.

Property, if properly managed, is capable of generating profit for its owners. The money that is in circulation creates new money and makes the one who possesses it even richer, increasing social stratification.

Under the capitalist system, capital tends to concentrate in a relatively small stratum of society - the financial elite. The concentration of significant resources in one hand creates an obstacle to the realization of the abilities of other people. Most of the society is forced to be hired to work for previously successful people. Simple people are partially deprived of opportunities to realize their professional preferences, because for the organization own business they may not have enough funds, and it is very difficult to break into the already occupied market niches. And yet, sometimes, an ordinary person manages to start his own business and develop it successfully.

In any field of activity, several factors help success, among which the personal qualities of a person and a successful combination of external circumstances are especially significant. Having accumulated some funds, the owner of his own business seeks to expand it in order to feel more confident. Having reached a certain level in business, he joins a special privileged part of society. People with financial means, have significant opportunities, carry out management functions... They can set up businesses, hire workers, set wages. The owners of large commercial companies have a significant impact on the economy, on the lives of ordinary people.

The class of owners is trying to fix its exclusive position in society, creating special living conditions for itself. Accumulated wealth is passed from generation to generation, creating inequality regardless of human ability.

Belonging to a certain group of persons

A group of people united by some common interests is able to accumulate forces and means to maintain their existence. A person's adherence to a group promises him certain benefits. In case of life problems, there will be someone to turn to for help. The simplest and most famous example of a group of people is the family. It is in her, most often, that a person finds spiritual and material support.

Belonging to a political party, a religious sect, or even a criminal structure are all examples of groups that people usually belong to. They help their members advance in career ladder, assist in business. This is done with the expectation that, in the future, from a successful person it will be possible to receive some dividends for the rest of the group.

Ways to tackle inequality

1. It is impossible to eliminate the causes of inequality due to internal and external differences between people. It is unfair to reduce everything to a simple "leveling", not paying attention to personal achievements and results. People who work better should earn more, this is quite logical. But it should be understood, no matter how unique talents a person has, he is in demand only because he lives in society. Without society, none of us could prove ourselves, realize our abilities.

What would a person with his talents do if he suddenly found himself alone in a deep forest or on a desert island? Surely I would be in a constant struggle for my existence, trying to survive elementary. The usual comfort will disappear from his life, there will be no things that people use every day without thinking too much. Any disease will become extremely dangerous when there are no doctors and medicines nearby. In such a situation, the maximum that a person can achieve is to build modest housing and create tools similar to those used in the Stone Age. No matter how hard he tries, he alone cannot do what people want, living in society.

The above example shows the existence of a person's dependence on society and suggests that the merits of individuals should not be overestimated. Everything that modern civilization has achieved is a product co-creation many people, over several generations, and even very capable people should not be allowed to live in luxury, since they would not be able to prove themselves outside of society.

Money has never played a decisive role in the development of society. Many scientists and researchers were driven forward, first of all, by curiosity and a desire to understand the truth, and not by the desire to get profit. Not money and the size of a salary are incentives to study, to get something new, but a person's natural interest in everything unknown, a desire to learn, to understand the world around him.

2. In a civilized society, there must be a system that ensures the control of people's incomes and expenses. This must be done so that there is an understanding of the origin of the funds, the confidence that they are not obtained in any dishonest way. The excess of expenses over income indicates the receipt of money from unaccounted sources, and their origin should be explained. In principle, total control is not needed, it is quite enough to check for what funds large purchases are made, especially luxury items.

Control over income will allow avoiding the existence of a shadow, unofficial labor market in the state, in which the relationship between employer and employee is not regulated by law, and, where it is impossible to determine a person's employment, his income. Such a phenomenon as a salary "in an envelope" is an example of an unfair distribution of money and deception of the state. Additionally, monitoring will help to identify leaders who use their official position for personal gain.

The desire of a person to make money is beneficial to society, since it constantly needs active people interested in their own well-being. Monetary reward helps to further motivate a person to achieve high performance at work. When money is earned by honest labor, and not acquired by deception, then it is beneficial to the person and society.

3. The state is obliged to smooth out the difference in income between the lowest paid and the highest paid strata of the population. It is unacceptable when some make ends meet, while others do not know where else to spend their money. In no case should the difference in income reach a significant size, otherwise, it negatively affects the entire society. When a significant difference between the incomes of citizens is reached, the problem of inequality arises. The state is obliged to provide support to the socially unprotected layers of the population, people with low incomes, and, even better, so that it acts proactively and does not allow the emergence of a category of needy citizens.

Today money began to define the face of power. The richest are people who are in power, close to her or serving her interests. Social justice will not be achieved in the state until it ceases to act in accordance with the will of people with big money, until it begins to make and implement decisions that are beneficial to the whole society.

4. Equal access to educational services regardless of social origin, place of residence, etc., will enable a person to reveal his abilities. Lack of equal access actually means the perpetuation of economic, social and cultural inequalities.

A prerequisite for maintaining equality in education is the availability of free education at all its levels, the creation of a sufficient number of places in educational institutions so that everyone who wants to study could realize their preferences. The only obstacle to getting an education can be an incorrect assessment of one's own capabilities by a person himself, his lack of sufficient physical and mental data necessary for training in the chosen profession. However, in a high-quality education system, abilities are identified, and training in accordance with them is recommended.

The state that invests in education invests in human capital, makes society more cultured and developed.

5. It is very difficult to eliminate social inequality as long as the society maintains laws that allow inheriting material values ​​without any restrictions. Due to inheritance, a person from a wealthy family will have clear advantages from birth.

To eliminate this cause of inequality, it is necessary to work out measures that limit the size of the inherited property and Money... The motive for the accumulation of wealth for children and grandchildren, as an incentive to increase savings, must gradually be destroyed. Such measures will ensure social justice and an equal start for young people, regardless of who their parents were.

6. The structure of the economic structure in any country is heterogeneous. There are highly profitable industries related to mining, trade, IT, etc., and there are industries that, by definition, can never be profitable (education, medicine, science). Without redistribution in the state financial resources organizations performing social functions cannot exist. The work of a teacher or doctor is no less important than the work of an oilman, gasman or programmer. To avoid injustice, the state should monitor the size of wages in different sectors of the economy and equalize it as much as possible.

7. Fair pay means people get equal pay for the same job. This is possible if the organization has adopted a transparent, open system reflecting the income of each employee. However, today it is not customary to declare one's own income, which is explained by the existing unfairness in the distribution of funds. If everything were without deception, then there would be nothing to hide. Today, quite often people, working in the same team, performing the same work, receive different salaries.

Employers help maintain inequality by creating an atmosphere of secrecy. The real purpose of this behavior is to save on employees, to maximize the benefits for yourself. They take into account the psychology of people, realizing that someone may agree to work for less money.

The civilized approach is that all people working in the same team know the income of their colleagues. Then it will become clear how fair the wages are made, and whether it corresponds to the real return from each specific person.

Of course, the work of people who make a greater contribution to the common cause should be evaluated higher, but this difference should not differ significantly. It should be borne in mind that the result of work in a team has a social nature.

To prevent stratification of people, it is necessary to ensure a fair distribution of the profits received in the organization, and to eliminate the significant differences in income between managers and employees.

8. If uncontrolled migration processes take place in any country, it means that there are internal sources of instability in it, contributing to the uncontrolled movement of people. Usually people do not leave their homeland because of a good life. For most of them, migration is a forced necessity, an attempt to escape from wars, violence, hunger, poverty, etc.

Countries receiving migrants are responsible for integrating migrants into society. The provision of housing, language training, professions are costly activities. Funds for all this are taken from the budget, which means they are taken from local residents. The manifestation of humanism is certainly a good thing, but not a single economically developed country will be able to accept everyone who wants to come to it, to shelter disadvantaged people from all over the world. Mass migration is a negative phenomenon, and one should fight not with the consequences, but with its causes.

To reduce migration flows, it is required to prevent military conflicts, overcome backwardness in the cultural and educational spheres, and eliminate economic inequality between countries.

9. In any organization there are always people who perform managerial functions. They occupy a special position in society, because of this inequality arises. To eliminate it, there is one universal recipe, you need to provide a periodic change of leaders.

The principle of leadership turnover may well be applied on a national scale. The changeability of the management staff creates conditions for ensuring social mobility and implies the movement of people from one social group to another.

At work, bosses must periodically replace each other, in the state - politicians, and all this must be taken as a mandatory rule in order to maintain public justice. To prevent incapable or selfish people from falling into leadership positions, it is necessary to conduct a careful selection, first of all, according to the moral and mental qualities of a person.

10. It is very difficult to eliminate inequality completely. Therefore, people need to educate an adequate perception of it. Condemn extreme manifestations of inequality, flaunting wealth, luxury. You should not measure a person's success solely by the possession of material values ​​and wealth. The real wealth of a person is his intellect and moral qualities... People should be aware of the exceptional value of human life, and that nothing can compare with it in value.

Diary

Capital deception

Money in the morning, chairs in the evening. This option still seems acceptable, compared to what modern officials offer us: money - today, and service - in a few years. Doesn't this sound like a fraudulent scheme?

About housing and communal services

In Russia, it has already become commonplace to raise tariffs for housing and communal services annually. The need for this is due to the fact that service companies and resource suppliers need to compensate for losses from inflation.