Concept of Equality Essay Example

The concept of equality allows people to treat one another without any discrimination. All ethnic groups and genders are treated fairly regardless of their superiority or numbers. Some of the factors that are considered in the concept of equality include race and gender (Ruiz and Rubio-Marin 2008, p. 289). Equality between genders continues to be a debatable topic since some people feel that one gender, precisely that of women are treated less favourably in most occasions. Most of the members involved in governments of different states are men, and the number of women is limited (Ruiz and Rubio-Marin 2008, p. 293). Most countries around the world are led by men since they are the head of governments and cultures across the globe. Though this aspect is changing, the concept of gender equality continues to be a concerning issue in different nations (Ruiz and Rubio-Marin 2008, p. 310). Equality is, therefore, an issue that continues to raise debates in different countries due to the oppression and discrimination that the female gender faces in nations such as the United Kingdom; lack of equality has resulted in the formation of groups such as suffragette movement in the U.K. to address the rights of women that tend to be ignored in different fields such as politics.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

The concept of equality has contributed to the gap that exists between the rich and the poor. This state of life has resulted in an adverse effect on the health of the poor since due to their inability to access quality medical services. Social cohesion is a factor that can be used to get rid of the gap that exists between the rich and the poor. Through this factor, members of the society can be able to work together and become successful as a group. Inequality has resulted in activities which tend to affect the development of a community such as discrimination in the allocation of resources. Research shows that most of the wealthy individuals do not have the interest of working together with the poor. These individuals do not believe in the strength of social cohesion. Through this process, some societies such as those in the United Kingdom have managed to minimize the issue of inequality, and most of them have become successful in the process.

Social structure is related to social cohesion in that both are concerned with equality and well-being of the society. While social cohesion allows people in the community to work together despite their ranks in financial terms, social structure is used to define the arrangement of the individual in the society and how they interact with one another (Verloo 2005, p. 354). Ranks are common in communities, and members in such classes tend to be interested in the relationship between one another. Higher social ranks are characterized by individuals who are wealthy while the lower social structure is comprised of those individuals who have a low income (Labonte 1999, p. 432). Lack of equality in the distribution of resource is responsible for the formation of such ranks in the society, and this affects the interaction between the two group of individuals. Social structure is sometimes associated with social change (Verloo 2005, p. 363). The development of society relies on the interaction between its members and their ability to work together (Higgins 2003, p. 1629). Gender inequality tends to affect the development of the society due to lack of involvement of one gender in the decision-making process.

The practice of equality means that members of a group such as a society or nation are treated equally without discrimination. Discrimination is the act where one gender, ethnic group, members of a society or cultures are mistreated due to the perception that they are inferior (Mayr 2002, p. 92). This consideration leads to a situation where cases of mistreatment are evident. Such mistreatment ends up affecting the victims either emotionally or mentally. The perfect example of discrimination cases is where Black Americans are mistreated in learning institutions or medical organizations due to their race (Mayr 2002, p. 89). Discrimination is an act that ends up hurting the feelings of the victim due to the unfair treatment. The concept of equality dictates that all members should be treated equally despite their race or cultures since all human beings are equal. Discrimination is a term that is sometimes confused with oppression (Deutsch 1975, p. 145). Though the two are concerned with the concept of equality, their meaning tends to differ.Unlike discrimination, oppression is associated with harmful acts. Oppression is an extreme act compared to discrimination since it involves harsh treatment. This means that the act is used to gain power in a society. Oppression is used by the wealthy groups in the community since they have the means such as power and capital to oppress the weak. Unlike discrimination, oppression takes a more extended period and its generally characterized by lack of equality (Flanagan 1989, p. 257).

According to Boot and Bennett (2002), gender and sexism continue to be an essential topic in different parts of the world such as the United Kingdom (425). Various groups have been introduced to address the oppression of women and lack of equality in various sectors such as working environments and governments. The Suffragette movement in the United Kingdom is a perfect example of such a group, and its principal aim is to address the discrimination that some women face in the modern society (Boot and Bennett 2002, p. 439). Based on the arguments of this movement, women should be treated equally to men, especially during elections. Women should be involved in the government of a country since they have the right to lead. Boot and Bennett (2002) suggest that this right should not belong to men only and the number of men in legislation should match that of women (442).

Different members of the society can decide to come together and formally agree on the various terms of equality. In the United Kingdom, equality of women has always been a significant concern (Boot and Bennett 2002, p. 443). The legislation of the nation continues to stress on the fact that women should be treated equally to men despite their conditions such as pregnancy. Though some people tend to argue that a pregnant woman cannot perform effectively compared to a man, comparisons of such a woman to a seriously ill man is always used by the legislation of the United Kingdom to prove that there should always be equality (Verloo 2005, p. 347). An ill man is similar to a pregnant woman in that his effectiveness is reduced due to is his condition. Since both conditions have a possibility of occurring, there should be no reason why women should be discriminated. The legislation of the United Kingdom has ensured that cases of inequality are not present in its various sectors (Boot and Bennett 2002, p. 445).

Opportunities should be presented equally to all groups especially when gender is considered (Taylor 1979, p. 1413). Both men and women should be offered with an equal number of opportunities since both have the same capability of utilizing such opportunities (Colemn 1968, p. 13). Equality of opportunity dictates that in a society, there should be no inferior groups. Likewise, there should be no groups that are considered to be superior during activities such as allocation of resources and provision of opportunities. Positions in leadership should be distributed equally to promote the concept of equality (Colemn 1968, p. 15). The social hierarchy should be used to demonstrate that equality of opportunity through the provision of opportunities fairly without discrimination of inferior groups.

Equality of outcome is mainly concerned with the outcomes of a political event. Such outcomes should promote the concept of equality in that the results should not be tampered with (Maynard and Purvis 2013). As a result, an event that results in the presentation of outcomes should promote equality since people are involved in expressing their feelings. In a political event, people are required to vote, and the outcome is based on the vote of the majority (Cockburn 1991). Sometimes, the concept of equality is not practised in such an event, and this results in events such as post-election violence. The government of a nation should, therefore, ensure that equality of outcome is practised in all events since this promotes the peace of the country (Maynard and Purvis 2013). The ideas of the majority can only be represented effectively if a nation practices the equality of outcome.

From the discussion in this paper, it can be argued that the concept of equality is responsible for the development of a nation. For the economy of a country to develop positively, all members of the society should be involved (Cockburn 1991). This includes both men and women. Gender inequality is a weakness that can affect the ability of a nation to develop in the future. Discrimination of different groups in the society such as ethnic minorities and inferior cultures can affect the ability of people to work together in such a nation (Cockburn 1991). Social cohesion and structure are two essential factors that can be used to reduce the gap that exists between the wealthy and those who have a low income in the society (Banks 2007). To understand the concept of equality, one should be able to differentiate terms such as discrimination and oppression. Such terms can be confused since they appear to have the same meaning (Mitchell 1975).

Different aspects of the concept of equality have been discussed in this case. From these aspects, it can be concluded that this concept is concerned with fair treatment of different groups in the society (Ryan and Wetterberg 2009). Equality is an essential factor for the development of society since it results in social cohesion. This guarantees them better living standards due to the results of the combined efforts (Banks 2007). Rather than the ranks that are experienced in the society as a result of inequality, practising social cohesion can contribute to togetherness and the gap between the rich and the poor can be significantly reduced (Cockburn 1991). Discrimination of the female gender can also be significantly reduced in some societies.

References

Banks, J.A., 2007. Diversity and citizenship education: Global perspectives. Jossey-Bass, An Imprint of Wiley. 10475 Crosspoint Blvd, Indianapolis, IN 46256.

Booth, C. and Bennett, C., 2002. Gender mainstreaming in the European Union: towards a new conception and practice of equal opportunities? European Journal of Women's Studies, 9(4), pp.430-446.

Cockburn, C., 1991. In the way of women: Men's resistance to sex equality in organizations (Vol. 18). Cornell University Press.

Coleman, J., 1968. The concept of equality of educational opportunity. Harvard Educational Review, 38(1), pp.7-22.

Deutsch, M., 1975. Equity, equality, and need: What determines which value will be used as the basis of distributive justice? Journal of Social Issues, 31(3), pp.137-149.

Flanagan, J.G., 1989. Hierarchy in simple" egalitarian" societies. Annual Review of Anthropology, 18(1), pp.245-266.

Higgins, T.E., 2003. Why Feminists Can't (or Shouldn't) Be Liberals. Fordham L. Rev., 72, p.1629.

Labonte, R., 1999. Social capital and community development: practitioner emptor. Australian and New Zealand journal of public health, 23(4), pp.430-433.

Maynard, M. and Purvis, J. eds., 2013. Researching women's lives from a feminist perspective. Routledge.

Mayr, E., 2002. The biology of race and the concept of equality. Daedalus, 131(1), pp.89-94.

Mitchell, J., 1975. Women and Equality: The Sixteenth TB Davie Memorial Lecture Delivered in the University of Cape Town on 26 March 1975 (Vol. 16). Univ.

Ravn, A.B. and Wetterberg, C.C. eds., 2009. Gender eq...