Minority Inequality - Essay Example

MINORITY INEQUALITY By of the of the of the School 15 April Minority Inequality Introduction The world we live in is made up of unequal societies; people from different ethnic and social classes tend to have different social treatment and as Aggleton (2013) mentions, “it is vitally important, however, to recognize that while all minority ethnic groups may experience discrimination and disadvantage, the form and intensity that this takes varies significantly from one group to another” (42). It is therefore recommended that care should be taken while making discriminatory observation, to avoid assumptions that challenges facing various minority ethnic groups are similar. Inequality can take numerous forms ranging from political, cultural and sociological. The central political issues determine the distribution of available resources. People are then classified according to the quantity of the share they receive; therefore, the distribution of resources has become the basis of organizing the society. Does it add value if a certain group has better life than the other? The answer to this is that people should be sensitive to inequality as a societal vice that can bring down a whole community. At their disposal, people possess a lot of strength which acts as a physical inequality. Economic inequality arises as a result of capital investment. Both the physical and economic inequality when combined can foster people to a higher level of success, adding their wealth and accumulation of material possession and social positioning, hence creating classes of people based on ‘what you have situations’. Cultural inequalities arise from people’s educational backgrounds and the levels of success. The kinds of entertainment we receive are also contributing factors to the way we behave. Although these behaviours result from one’s own decision, they contribute a lot to domination of cultures, families, friends and opinions. We ought to appreciate the kind of health that we have and by choosing to manage the best standards at our homes and in our neighbourhoods; we negate the possibility of experiencing discrimination. These basic practices are influenced by educational background and social circumstances. Burke says that “we have an obligation to meet this challenge and tackle racism and institutional discrimination within our mental health services” (2008, p. 55). Ethnic Minority in the Health Sector The main aim of this essay is to address the developments in the health sector in relation to ethnic minorities. Health care systems all over the world are facing the challenges of demographic changes, advances in technology amongst many, but the main agenda in the public health sector is to tackle the root causes of diseases, as well as inequalities in this sector. According to Rewaf and Bahl, “the key determinants of health- income, employment, housing, social exclusion, pollution, minority status and gender are important issues when tackling the health of minority ethnic groups” (1998, p. 3). The common health imbalance based on ethnicity originates from the comparison between the whites, the Asians and the Africans. The ethnic inequalities apparent in most aspects of public life has high chances of inflicting mental health on black and minority ethnic groups (Burke, 2008). It is widely known that minority ethnic groups experience difficulty in accessing health services and at times, the services that are so provided are not sufficient and appropriate. The language barriers as well as differences in cultural backgrounds inhibit communication and access to health services by the minority group. The health sector therefore needs re-assessment and should take into account several health determinants, so as to have a balance between the majority and the minority groups. In Britain, which is a multicultural society, there have been a few health surveys carried out on ethnic health inequalities. The first survey was conducted in England and Whales and from the survey, it can be deduced that the problems experienced by members of minority ethnic groups are similar and with different intensity than those already in the entire community. Migrants constitute the minority group that often undergo inequality. The number and the rate of increase of migrants have been on a rise, likewise to their state of health and deterioration of their treatment. The fundamental concern is whether migrants are given the privileges to use regular health facilities in the country; the rules governing entitlement is a matter of national government which always translate to political issues. In America, a large number of migrants and minor groups had limited access to health care because they could not access the health care system, but in 2010, a bill was enacted calling for affordable care, it was referred to as the Affordable Care Act 2010 (Ingleby, 2012). Race and ethnicity are the main concerns in inequality. Not only do they occur in the labour market, but it has also been identified that they lead to men having better advantage than women in most European Union states (Kraal, Roosblad and Wrench, 2009). As it was in the university of Manchester, there was a revelation about the lives and experiences of ethnic minorities living in UK, the research done by the university was aimed at creation of an improved understanding of contemporary ethnic inequalities, educating the people and forming policies (Duncan, 2013). Given the current situation in multinational demographic trends, there is a great sign to show that societies will remain to be more and more ethnically and socially divided. Sheikh presents a research in 1991 and 2001 conducted in UK census, and the results revealed that the proportion of UK population who belong to non-white minority had increased by 53% (2005). People who come from black and minor ethnic communities encounter poverty and reduced life expectancy; they at large fail to access health services like the whites. Being a major concern, Burke acknowledges that “for decades, the disparities and inequalities between black and minority ethnic groups and the majority white population in the rates of mental ill health, service experience and service outcome, have been the focus of concern, debate and much research” (2008, p. 31). Policies and Approaches taken to Address Inequality There are various ways of addressing the issue of minority inequality and discrimination in the work places. Many commissions have had to be formed to look into this matter and as a result have come up with statutory codes of practices necessary to be accounted by employment tribunals. Reviewing of current positions: This marks the beginning of the action championed towards resolving the issue of inequality and discrimination in a working environment. The management have to first assess what the organisation have and the regions to impact improvement. To do this, an audit has to be carried out on equality and payment, investigation and evaluation of existing work patterns, observing the good practise adopted by other organisations or community, reviewing regions of improvement and ensuring that what the organisation is using is clear and justifiable with clear objectives. Developing an equality policy plan: this policy outlines the organizational attitude and commitment towards inequality resolution by coming up with policies, it makes the organization to be more committed and responsible towards rights and equality. This policy design states the values drawn and how the organisation intends to practise them. An effective policy is the one that:- Guides people to understand how they are expected to live and behave and what to expect from the organisation. Helps to attract more people to be associated with the organisation. Provides support to the action plan: This addresses how the policy will be done so as to achieve the desired goals. It also defines the responsibility structure, measures of handling the policies and how to measure achievements and failures. Endorse equality and good employment exercise: Employment exercise starts from the recruitment stage whereby, communities that are under-represented have to be encouraged to make application for an employment opportunity. The job requirement should not in any case show any form of discrimination. Further guidelines and policies regarding job employment have it that: The organisation should ensure that people with disabilities are given equal chances as the rest. Job qualification requirements that would otherwise disqualify the disable should be adjusted so as to accommodate them as well. Tackling Health Inequalities Proposals for the state intervention of health inequalities could be created from social demographic foundations (Taylor et al., 2010). Social democrats tend to support development of a balanced society, a community with equality. The argument suggested by these democrats is that there should be equal distribution of wealth, resources and opportunities. The state should ensure that there are more health care facilities in poor regions, as well as the sections with minority ethnical groupings. Taylor et al. (2010) also see an opportunity of money saving by the state, if the health status of the poor is raised to some level. According to Raphael “the moral justification for tackling health inequalities is based on ethics-based commitments to human rights, human health, and human dignity contained in international agreements” (2012, p. 1). Social Policies Health and other forms of inequalities should be tackled through a wide range of public resources; states should get involved in development of housing, employment and promotion of health. To make significant improvement, Taylor et al. suggest that, “the state should invest more in social housing and that as possible, to use community regeneration schemes to make significant improvements to the environment and to the local economic and social systems” (2010, p. 87). Inequalities prevailing in the health sector can be tackled through a wide range of social policies, such as those that support provision of housing, employment and promotion of health. Social policies address such issues as housing and generation schemes to improve the environment, local economy and social systems. As suggested by Taylor et al. (2010), it would be appropriate if the state could intervene through education and training. By doing so, the state would develop a sustainable system. The benefits would then enable low paid individuals feel part of the society. The observation further made by Taylor et al. shows that the state should not blame the victims due to poor health; rather, it should focus on improving health services (2010). As Ochs states, “a liberal society requires choice, and a just society requires principles” (2007, p. 6). Prioritization Implementation of social policies could be too expensive for the state especially when it comes to implementation. However, to secure equality in the health sector given limited resources, it would be significant to adopt the policy of prioritization. Interest should be created towards narrowing the gap between the various classes and groups in the society. Making priorities on differentials in health status is much more important since it expands the scope of policies, and as Graham and Kelly put it, “such interventions would be more inclusive and it would deal with the majority of the population rather than concentrate solely on the welfare of the bottom layer” (cited in Taylor et al. 2010, p. 6). Labour Policy on Health Inequalities The labour wings of government should take bigger responsibility concerning health inequalities. The government should adopt specific actions that would possibly improve capabilities and awareness, hence increasing the community capacity. These actions could be in the form of: Reduction and elimination of existing ethnic inequalities in mental health environment. Establishment of potentials in mental health vicinity by providing appropriate and efficient services across the cultural divide. Promoting development of minority ethnic groups with an aim of increasing and encouraging communal participation and contribution towards mental health. Conclusion Health care professionals within any community should work within and in different diverse and unequal societies. It would be unrealistic for a person training to become a health professional and have a thought that they would only treat people from their own locality, or within the same class, age and ethnic background. It is important for healthcare individuals to understand about existence of health inequalities, so that it can add to their understanding of the consequences in the field of health. It would further prevent any form of injustices waved towards minorities. In order to develop a working culture that creates inclusion, respect and equal opportunity for all, it is important that everybody in the organisation including the management and other staff are included in the process of creating this culture. Possible measures that enhance togetherness should be put in place. It is essential to involve all employees so as to take advantage of their experiences. By engaging employees through networks and forums, all essential representative voices from minority groups would be instrumental for implementing policies and designed action plans. Reference List Aggleton, P., 2013. Health. London: Routledge. Burke, D., 2008. Crisis in the Community. London: Chipmunka Publishing Ltd. Duncan, N., 2013. Ethnic minority ‘still persists’. [online] Available at: [Accessed 15 April 2014]. Ingleby, D., 2012.Inequalities in Health Care for Migrants and Ethnic Minorities. Alberdon: Maklu Publishers. Kraal, K., Roosblad, J. and Wrench, J., 2009. Equal Opportunities and Ethnic Inequality in European Labour Markets. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press. Ochs, Holona L., 2007. Social Policy and Inequality. Ann Arbor: ProQuest. Rawaf, Salman and Bahl, Veena, 1998. Assessing Health Needs of People from Minority Ethnic Groups. London: Royal College of Physicians. Raphael, D., 2012. Tackling Health Inequalities. Toronto: Canadian Scholars’ Press. Sheikh, A., 2005. Why are ethnic minorities under-represented in US research studies? Plosmedicine, [e-journal]. Available through: Plosmedicine website [Accessed 15 April 2014]. Taylor et al., 2010. Key Debates in Healthcare. Berkshire: McGraw-Hill International. Read More