Over the last 20 years, the rate of social inequality in the U.S. has substantially increased. The top ten percent of Americans owned around 70% of the wealth in the U.S (Saez and Zucman 4). A wide range of social, economic, and health challenges accrue inequality in the US including crime, homelessness, environmental degradation, poor education, and diseases, yet the federal government does little to address inequality. The long-term social and economic development threat posed by social inequality convinced me to delve into the topic.
Notably, social inequality has manifested in the U.S. society to reflect racial disparity leading to systematic separation of people. Being white in American society is a social and economic advantage compared to being black, Hispanic, Asian or Native American (Kochhar and Cilluffo 3). However, social inequality is not wholly contributed by systemic racism but also by levels of education and skills, income levels, urbanization, and distribution of wealth. Therefore, social stratification is extant across all racial and ethnic groups. The study by Kochhar and Cilluffo (1) highlighted the increase of social inequality among the Asians in the U.S. between 1970 and 2016 at 77% compared to whites, Hispanics, and blacks at 24%, 15%, and 7%, respectively. Although social inequality is largely contributed by racial discrimination, the federal government should embark on an extensive approach to tackling the issue.
Social inequality is a critical aspect in the U.S. since it is intertwined with economic, cultural, and political issues. The diverse inherent links to social identities influenced by social stratification have cultural effects. The government ought to respond to the increasing threats and effects of social stratification extensively through economic inclusion, enhancing social services, and creating decent jobs with a special focus on systemic racial inequality. Reducing inequality is an important step to improving the standard of living for the disadvantaged and tackling major social and national challenges.
Works Cited
Kochhar, Rakesh, and Anthony Cilluffo. “Income inequality in the U.S. is rising most rapidly among Asians.” Pew Research Center (2018): 1-62. Web.
Saez, Emmanuel, and Gabriel Zucman. “Progressive wealth taxation.” Brookings Papers on Economic Activity 2019.2 (2019): 437-533. Web.