Introduction
Although it is a significant problem frequently ignored, inequality has been rising for years. Countries all over the world have developed initiatives and programs targeted at lowering the number of people living in extreme poverty as a result of the issue of social inequality. Still, economic inequities widen as the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
The United States is regarded as the most affluent industrial nation, with the wealthiest 1 percent of citizens enjoying higher shares of wealth and income than those in any other nation. Inequalities on a large scale affect the community. Extreme poverty, unemployment, hazardous jobs, hunger and infant mortality, racial and cultural prejudice, and limited access to education are a few social disparities in the community (Gimpelson & Treisman, 2018).
Lack of access to education is the problem I want to solve since it should be a top concern. This is a priority since a lack of education leads to a life of drugs, crime, and incarceration. I agree that every child and adult should have the right to an education.
Discussion
The pandemic’s impacts have made social isolation worse. Two-thirds of the 18 countries with data for 2020 showed a rise in the rate of relatively low income (Dorling, 2019). According to Doring, between-country inequality increased by 1.2% between 2017 and 2021, the first growth of this kind in a generation (2019). Before the pandemic, inequality was projected to have decreased by 2.6% (Dorling, 2019). Emerging markets and developing countries will have had an average increase in intra-country income disparity of roughly 1%, reversing the pattern of these countries’ continuous drop since the turn of the millennium (Dorling, 2019).
On average, one in five persons has been the victim of discrimination based on one or more of the categories for which it is illegal under international human rights legislation, including race, sex, religion, and sexual orientation (Gimpelson & Treisman, 2018). Women are more than twice as likely as men to encounter sex-based discrimination in some nations. Discrimination affects one in three people with disabilities. Rising inequality is being pushed by a decrease in the labor share of income from 2014 to 2019 – from 54.1% to 52.6% (Dorling, 2019). The number of persons compelled to leave their countries reached a record high of 24.5 million by mid-2021 (Chancel et al., 2022). In the world, 311 refugees live outside their nation of origin for every 100,000 people, an increase of 44% from 216 per 100,000 in 2015 (Chancel et al., 2022).
Globally, disparities in opportunity, income, sex, age, handicap, sexual orientation, race, class, and ethnicity continue to exist. Long-term social and economic development is at risk, poverty reduction is harmed, and people’s feeling of fulfillment and self-worth is destroyed by inequality. Crime, sickness, and environmental destruction can all result from this. If people are denied the chance for a better life, we cannot accomplish sustainable development and improve the planet for everyone. Furthermore, despite some encouraging stories, inequality is rising for more than 70% of the world’s population, escalating the dangers of division and impeding economic and social progress (Chancel et al., 2022). The most vulnerable individuals are also the ones that COVID-19 most negatively impacts, and these same groups are frequently the targets of increased prejudice.
Every day, women and children without access to healthcare pass away from diseases like measles and tuberculosis that may be prevented, or they give birth and die. Every nation in the globe is affected by the lack of opportunity and discrimination experienced by older people, migrants, and refugees. One out of every five people reported experiencing discrimination on at least one basis forbidden by international human rights legislation. 3 out of 10 disabled people said they had personally encountered discrimination, with more significant percentages among disabled women (Chancel et al., 2022).
This discrimination included that based on a person’s religion, ethnicity, or gender. This statistic highlights the urgent need for policies to address various intersecting forms of discrimination. In the modern world, everyone is connected. Poverty, climate change, migration, and economic crises are all global issues that affect only one nation or region. Communities in even the wealthiest nations nevertheless endure extreme poverty. Even the oldest democracies struggle with religious intolerance, homophobia, and transphobia. We are all impacted by global inequality, regardless of who we are or where we come from.
Conclusion
To ensure that everyone lives with dignity, equality can and should be attained. The interests of underserved and underprivileged populations must be considered in all political, economic, and social measures. Transformative transformation is required to reduce inequality. Increased efforts are needed to end extreme poverty and hunger and increase spending on social safety, health care, education, and decent employment, especially for young people, immigrants, refugees, and other vulnerable populations.
It is crucial to encourage inclusive social and economic prosperity within nations. If we do away with discriminatory laws, rules, and practices, we may ensure equal opportunity and lessen wealth disparities. To make decisions on global issues more influential, trustworthy, and responsible, we must ensure that emerging nations are adequately represented among nations. For the millions of people who have fled their homes in search of better lives due to war, discrimination, poverty, a lack of opportunity, and other migration-related factors, governments and other stakeholders can support safe, regular, and dependable migration. This can be done, among other things, through carefully planned and managed policies.
References
Chancel, L., Piketty, T., Saez, E., & Zucman, G. (Eds.). (2022). World inequality report 2022. Harvard University Press.
Dorling, D. (2019). Inequality and the 1%. Verso Books.
Gimpelson, V., & Treisman, D. (2018). Misperceiving inequality. Economics & Politics, 30(1), 27-54. Web.