Essay Sample on The Problem of Social Inequality

Introduction

Social inequality is a common problem not only in Australia but also across the world. It can be defined as the difference between groups of people who are hierarchical in nature. The modern society has experienced hierarchical distribution of social resources. The concept of social inequality can also be described as the system of stratification, and it is transmitted from one generation to another. The distribution of economic resources has formed a major basis for social inequality. The gap between the rich and the poor continues to increase just like some scientists have argued that the rich continue to get richer while the poor continue to become poorer. Sociologists have argued that the minority in the society owns the highest portion of the country's wealth. Just like other wicked problems, inequality is unique in nature, and it has called for unique ways in obtaining possible solutions. Various attempts have been taken to establish social equality, but most of them have turned out to be ineffective. The government of Australia has taken various initiatives to solve the wicked problem of inequality by supporting the disadvantaged social group. Habibis, Daphne, and Walter (2015, p. 3) argue that social inequality results in poverty and hence, it is an issue that requires public concern.

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The Attempts Put in Place to Address the Problem

Social inequality in Australia is one of the major wicked problems that have attracted the interest of many stakeholders concerned (Kolko, 2012). Sociologists have argued that as much as various efforts have been undertaken to address the issue of inequality and poverty. For instance, the report by the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) states that taxation is among the key strategies used by the government to control the problem of poverty resulting from social inequality. The tax revenue collected is used to finance some of the social amenities that are intended at improving the lives of the disadvantaged groups in the society. The tax system in Australia is applied on a graduated scale to ensure that those with higher salary levels are taxed more than those with higher salaries. Taxation is one of the conventional tools used in different countries to provide the equitable distribution of wealth within the economy (Tapper and Fenna 2018, p. 69). However, the mechanism has not yet resolved the problem as the gap between the rich, and the poor has continued to increase. The poor have not to access the quality health care, and most of them are homeless as they cannot afford high rates of rents in the country. The level of corruption and tax evasion has reduced the effectiveness of taxation in mitigating the problem of social inequality and poverty.

Economists argue that the application of the Marxist theory has also been used as the efforts of reducing the impact of social inequality. By solicitation of the theory, the development of communism has been one of the measures used to establish equal class consciousness. It defined how people should act in a social setup which emerges from social movements. Traditionally, political parties were used to create stratified divisions in society. For example, ACOSS argued that the former Labor Party comprised of middle and upper classes that formed Libels in Australia. This accelerated exploitation of the poor where the rich maximized their wealth by manipulating the less fortunate.

The establishment of communism strategy to replace capitalist has not been fully accepted in the Australia which makes the strategy less effective in addressing the problem of social inequality and poverty in Australia (Wilkins 2015, p. 98). Working class people tend to live in industrial cities, and it compromised their relationship with families and neighbors (Habibis, Daphne, and Walter 2015, p. 7). The difference in the distinct communities in their share identities has made the attempts of attaining social equality to be less effective. Also, the presence of social class in today's society is another indication that the Marxism theory has not been successful in addressing the problem. Hence more efforts need to be taken.

Another attempt that has been undertaken to address the inequality and poverty in Australia is the establishment of minimum wage legislation. In this case, "The system of minimum wages prevents the salaries of the low-income earners from falling below a specified range" (ACOSS 2015, p. 5). Most employers used to take advantage of the high rate of unemployment in Australia to compensate their workers unfairly.

The increase in the supply of labor compared to the demand resulted in a reduction in general wage level and hence making most individuals remain below the poverty line. This was also used as a mechanism of exploiting the poor to accumulate more wealth and hence leading to social inequality. However, laws have been adopted to protect the interest of the employees through the National Labor Relation Board (Archer 2009, p. 466). Even though this has interfered with the profitability of many firms and their potential to employ more workers, the strategy has successfully helped in mitigating the gap between the rich and the poor.

The working class can now afford significant income to cater for their social needs and those of their dependencies. The strategy can be made more effective by ensuring that all employers are complying with the set laws. Strict measures should be undertaken for those offering salaries below the minimum legal wage.

Novel Idea to Address the Problem

Social inequality has proved to be a major problem affecting most of the countries since tradition, and it is worth solving. The efforts put in place have also proved not to be successful and hence more strategies need to be established. It is also recommended that the attempts to attain social equality in the society needs to be enforced to make them more effective. For instance, the attempt of the government to ensure equitable distribution of wealth needs through taxation can be a good measure if well implemented. The revenue collected from the taxpayers should be utilized properly for improving the lives of the disadvantaged individuals. The government needs to invest in social amenities to facilitate access to social services for those who cannot afford such services. More employment opportunities need to be created to minimize poverty in society.

Proper utilization of government spending will also help in minimizing the dependency level in Australia which has accelerated social inequality problem. The government should address the level of corruption which has imposed significant hindrance in the efforts to eradicate poverty in the society. Strict rules ought to be established to protect the interest of majority among the Australian population who are highly exploited by those in the upper social class.

References

Acoss.org.au. (2015). ACOSS - Australian Council of Social Service. [online] Available at: https://www.acoss.org.au/ [Accessed 12 Dec. 2018].

Archer, R. (2009). The Politics of Inequality: A Political History of the Idea of Economic Inequality in America - Edited by Michael J. Thompson. British Journal of Industrial Relations, 47(2), pp.465-466.

Habibis, Daphne and Walter, M. (2015). Social Inequality in Australia: Discourses, Realities, and Futures. OUPANZ.

Kolko, J. (2012). Wicked Problems: Problems Worth Solving (SSIR). [online] Ssir.org. Available at: https://ssir.org/articles/entry/wicked_problems_problems_worth_solving [Accessed 12 Dec. 2018].

Tapper, A. and Fenna, A. (2018). Income, wealth and economic inequality in Australia. Australian Journal of Social Issues, 4(6), pp.65-77.

Wilkins, R. (2015). Measuring Income Inequality in Australia. Australian Economic Review, 48(1), pp.93-102.