Grabb, Reitz and Hwang (2017) define social inequality as a situation in which there exists uneven rewards and opportunities for various members of the society in reference to their statuses and positions. Social prejudices often result from unjust government regulations which seem to favour a section of the society yet neglect the other. The concept of social biasness can be broken down into two major groups: direct and the indirect. Direct social inequality is a state in which a groups of people are deliberately mistreated by the community or the government. In such instances, opportunities and resources are purposefully taken away from particular members of the society but not others. Contrarily, indirect social inequality happens when an action or government policy does not purposefully promote unfair mistreatment of people, even so, still results into social inequality (Grabb, Reitz and Hwang, 2017). This paper explores five aspects of social inequality and their impact on the relationships among people living in Australia.
Income Gap
According to Dabla, Kochhar, Suphaphiphat, Ricka and Tsounta (2015), income gap is an uneven distribution of income among members of a population. The ever rising wage inequality is an Australian reality and a great threat to the work culture. Income inequality is at its peak with majority of Australians experiencing massive decline in terms of job security and the living standards. As a result, the southern nation is on the verge of adopting an ‘American’ type of society characterized by high wage inequality, long working hours in dead-end jobs and zero job securities (Preston, 2018). For the past two decades, the Australian society has slowly been separating. The harsh economic conditions depicted in the great disparities of the Australian household inequalities breed broad range of social problems. Preston (2018) observes that, income gap has risen to its worst since mid-1990s. The highest household quintile has increased by more than 40% whereas the lowest quintiles has only managed 25%.
Preston (2018) highlights income stagnation, decline in ownership of homes, increasing mortgage debts and late retirement ages as critical issues which signal wide wage gap in Australia. As a result, there is a wide economic disparity among those with homes and those without. Just as the American Nobel Prize Winner, Joseph Stiglitz metaphorically describes the current global income gap, it is undoubtedly ‘stark picture of a world gone wrong’. Demise of labour unions, and insufficient wealth creating opportunities by low income earners in Australia, make the wealthy richer while the rest languish in poverty. Therefore, behaviour change is necessary if the income gap is to be sealed (Blurring the boundaries between economics and financial injustice”, 2018). People should generate wealth from actual economic activities than take from others.
Gender Disparity
According to Fitzsimmons, Callan and Paulsen (2014), gender biasness is another area of social inequality in Australia. Women in this country experience low financial security compared to their male counterparts. Unfortunately, there are no workable strategies by the central government on how to improve the ever deteriorating situation. Budget allocation for women is a clear indicator of overrepresentation of females at the lower income levels. For instance, women’s earnings at graduation is 9.4% less than the males’ and a third less than their male counterparts’ considering their savings at retirement. The most heartbreaking part is that they handle 76% of work within the $345 billion unpaid-job economy. Averagely, women’s earning is $26,853 less than the males’. Even with the formation of the coalition government, gender disparity has steadily widened. According to the Global Gap Report, Australia moved from the 15th slot in 2006 to the 35th in 2017 in the global index which measures gender inequality (Fitzsimmons, Callan and Paulsen, 2014). Even though the nation scores highly in the education sector, there is need for more progress in politics and economy. For instance, the gender disparity dominates the Australian workforce.
Fitzsimmons, Callan and Paulsen (2014) observe that women majorly occupy the jobs which are historically undervalued in the nation. The community services like child care and the health sectors employ more women than men. As a result, they are overrepresented as part-time employees in low-paid industries but underrepresented in the leadership positions both in the private and public sectors. Averagely, Australian women require extra 56 working days to receive the same earning their male counterparts get. Moreover, one in every group of three women has experienced sexual harassment and physical abuse during their lifetime yet only a few cases are reported. In 2015-2016, the Australian government spent close to $22 billion in the cases of violence against women and their children. Besides, the overwhelming belief in Australia that men should be involved in parenting like women is thwarted by many issues (Fitzsimmons, Callan and Paulsen, 2014). Despite significant number of fathers, particularly the majority young fathers, trying to access better workplace and schedule flexibility, majority of them than women are denied such requests.
Racial Biasness
Forest, Lean and Dunn (2016) state that race discrimination, racist violence and racism remain the most significant problems in Australia. The country’s laws do not overtly advocate for racism, even so, the structural and institutional forms of racist thoughts and acts continue to impact Immigrant, refugee communities and the indigenous people. It is because of the systemic racism that the Australian government signed a treaty of Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination in the year 1975 (Forest, Lean and Dunn, 2016). Since then, the nation has made significant progress in a bid to end racism, even so, a lot still needs to be done to limit the various forms of this unfair treatment. In schools, it is noted that students from non-English speaking countries are most likely to face discrimination compared to those from English speaking nations. Racist acts are more prevalent in primary than high schools. Tully (2015) points out cases about learners who lash at one another or simply withdraw whenever treated unfairly by colleagues from other races. Racist classrooms and indeed a great challenge to Australian school going children. He affirms that majority of them are unable to attain their full potential so that to exercise their rights as Australians because of the everyday messages indicating their unworthiness.
According to Levy, Lytle, Shin and Hughes (2015), racism in the Australian learning institutions is experienced directly as manifested in insults and harassment. It is also manifested indirectly through discriminatory acts and attitudes evidenced in forms of cultural biased practices, prejudiced attitudes and unrecognition of cultural diversity. Reports indicate that acts of racism in most Australian schools are never acknowledged, therefore go unaddressed by teachers and the schools’ administration. Indeed it is hard for people who themselves have no experience of racism to recognize the abhorrent act or even condemn it because of their inability to see its potential to damage (Tully, 2015). Since most racist actions and attitudes are left unchecked especially in ‘correctional institutions’ like schools, an unconducive climate has developed. Racism has entrenched and seems normal to majority of people living in Australia.
Social Classes
Grusky (2018) observes that Australians talk less often about social classes compared to their counterparts like America, France and Britain. It is because they believe their country’s level of income gap is not as wide as that of Americans. Howbeit, latest polls indicate that, Australians are slowly moving from this traditional ideology. Today, people are surprisingly showing the will to identify themselves as members of particular social classes. According to a poll conducted by Australian National University (ANU) in October 2015, 52% of the respondents stated that they belonged to the middle class whereas 40% perceived themselves as the working class. At the same time, 6% of the participants provided no response while 2% admitted to belong to the upper class. Thus, age has become a great determinant in the social class relationship. Those between the ages of 18-24 who constitute the youngest generation in this category together with those over the age of 55 disproportionately consider themselves, members of the middle rather than working class (Grusky, 2018). Such self-reported questions are vital in analysing the impact of social classes in Australia. It gives the varying attitudes of people from various classes. For instance, most members of the working class are unhesitant to show their dissatisfaction with the status quo.
Grusky (2018) states that class difference matter greatly in matters of income inequality. Members of the middle and upper class are less likely to recognize the importance of government’s role in sealing the gap between the rich and poor. Social classes are also indicators of people’s successful political careers. Attitude in class differences is evident in the kind of political disengagement noted amongst Australians. According to the data provided by ANU poll, there is immense political disinterest amongst the working class. However, those from the middle and upper class have more insight in the political affairs of the country and believe it is their constitutional right to participate (Tully, 2015). As opposed to most societies, Australians perceive class differences from individuals’ occupation point of view rather than family or parents’ names and titles as evident in most western countries.
Ethnic Prejudice
Levy, Lytle, Shin and Hughes (2015) state that Australians face a complex task of constructing a society free from ethnic biasness. Ethnic prejudice is a horror many Australians have accepted as their everyday way of life. Harassment on public transport, losing in job interviews because of one’s sir name and even missing rental housing because of people’s names and skin pigmentation clearly prove how entrenched ethnicity is in Australia. Economic uncertainty has been pointed out as a major reason for the deep rooted ethnicity. Vilification against native Australians is still prevalent four decades after the landmark legislation which outlawed the various forms of discrimination against people (Levy, Lytle, Shin and Hughes, 2015). Aboriginals face institutional discrimination at their work places, with some being compelled to change their work stations more often than expected. Acts of discrimination are common in the transport sector. There are times when people have literally walked out of public service cars because of the presence of an Aboriginal. There are other instances in which, these natives are verbally abused in public. Unfortunately, at places of work, members of this community have no other option but to face the reality of their situation. There are employers who are audacious enough to admit this kind of mistreatment. Majority of people believe that the native origin of these people is a stumbling to their success (Grabb, Reitz and Hwang, 2017). Actually, members of this community feel unprotected by the legislation against cultural discrimination.
Grabb, Reitz and Hwang, (2017) assert that people hold endless stereotypes against Aboriginals. There are those who believe that members of this community are generally lazy and backward. Interestingly, many of those who strongly hold unto these misconceptions have never neither met nor even interacted with the Aboriginals. However, it saddens to accept that negative stereotypes are the most difficult to reverse depending on the social background of the stereotype holder. The previous governments are to blame for the spread of such cruelty against members of the Aboriginal community (Levy, Lytle, Shin and Hughes, 2015). Most of the public facilities and services are located in towns but not in the interior regions of the country inhabited by the native Australians. Consequentially, most Aboriginals are unable to access even the most basic public services like education and healthcare. Therefore, the small family populations of Aboriginals have limited chances of sustaining income generating activities (Grabb, Reitz and Hwang, (2017). Since only a few have formal education and can communicate in English, members of this community have minimal chances of surviving in the real world.
Conclusion
Social inequality is a must in every society, although excessive unevenness amongst people is harmful. Whenever, there is a wide rift between the wealthiest and low income earners, there is bound to be a struggle between the groups. Those occupying the lowest positions in the stratum engage in a fierce struggle with those at the top in a bid to reach the socially acceptable standards of living. Such contests are the genesis of numerous social injustices which humans have to endure during their lifetime. Australia, a country characterized by mixed races and ethnicities is a perfect example of societies where social inequalities are more prevalent. People who live in this country face various aspects of social inequalities like income gap, gender inequality, education, social class and ethnic biasness.
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