Social Inequality in Australia - Essay Example

Is there evidence that social inequality increased in Australia in the 1990s? (Student’s name) (Course) May 28, 2012 Introduction Social inequality is a major issue affecting various societies in different countries. Social inequality is defined as a situation in which different groups of people in the community have varying or unequal social status and a reduced social circle in the contemporary society. There are various forms of social inequality which entail, gender, ethnic, racial, caste as well as age to mention a few. In the contemporary society, many governments, non-governmental organizations and even individuals have taken action through rigorous campaigns to make sure that all groups of people are fairly and equally treated with equal opportunities and in their rights. Australian society is no different from other societies and has been faced by issues of social inequality. Some scholars have argued that, Australia has escalated in terms of social inequality in the last two decades whereas some argue that it has reduced inequality significantly within the same period. This essay explores both arguments with support from scholarly sources and statistics, and linking social inequality to various social ideas of gender and ethnicity in an attempt to draw sound conclusions. Inequality despite all the efforts put in the world by various governments and the non-governmental organizations remain undeniable in Australia. According to White the Australian society was established on social inequality and the country has in fact no previous history of equality among its population1. Studies have indicated that, despite the persistent rhetoric that Australia is indivisible and united; cases of social inequality are profound. Ethnicity, gender, skin colour, sexuality, social class still has significant effect on individuals’ life chances and social status. Wilkinson and Pickett believe that inequality in Australia is due to the creation of penal colonies, squatocracy, ill-treatment and killings of Aboriginal Australians British cultural imperialism, Americans and the White Australian policies2. Gender inequality Gender inequality in refer to the inconsistencies between individuals with regard to their gender. In Australia, gender inequality is portrayed through various factors such as employment, education, health and sexuality. Gender inequality in Australia is significantly marked by violence, discrimination and harassment. This highlights the ways in which women are not in position to equally produce and benefit from different aspects of social, political, economic and cultural life. Regardless of the fact that men are also singled out, a study by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission showed that, of 472 incidents reported between 2006 and 2007 under the Sex Discrimination Act, 87 percent involved women3. In addition, about a third of women in Australia are violated by their partners during their lifetime. This signifies how rampant gender inequality in Australia is and is believed to cost the Australian economy US $500 million annually due to effects of violence on workers of businesses in Australia4. Violence, harassment and discrimination against women are thus a major contribution to gender inequality in Australia which leads to social and financial conflicts in the country5. In the past two decades, gender inequality in the labour market has become of paramount interest as many women have fought in order to win over social, institutional and cultural barricades in their efforts to attain equal rights and opportunities as men in the workplace and the society. An important feature in gender inequality in Australia in employment is the less number of women in the high ranking positions6. Women only amounted to 26 percent in the managerial post which is an indication that there is gender inequality in the labour market7. In addition, there is a constant gap in salaries between genders in Australia. According to National Center for Social and Economic Modeling, from 1990 to 2009, the gender pay gap in Australia varied between 15% and 17% while by August 2010 the gap was at 16.9%8. Gender pay gap ranging between 60-90 percent is not due to dissimilarities in workplace or due to individual differences, but is as a result of discrimination against gender9. The average wage rate of women in Australia is about 65 percent of the male’s average wage rate10. Consequently, inequality in Australia is evident in the disparity in part time and full time jobs between men and women11. The number of part time employed male was 89 percent as compared to 11 percent of women in part time employment12. Conversely, only 58 percent of women were in full time jobs with men making 42 percent of the workforce in full time employment. This shows that, the large number of females in the part time work has ripple effects on the income and wealth distribution between men and women13. Besides, part time jobs are usually less rewarding and unsecure as opposed to full time employment. Fundamentally, casual work makes two thirds of part time employment, in which there is minimal standard employment entitlements such as annual leave and parental leave. This therefore means that there is job insecurity and attrition of benefits and rights associated with full time work which implies that many women belong to the marginalized group of labourers rather than the privileged core14. Moreover, women face big challenges while re-bouncing into the job market after exiting for varying reasons such as maternity issues. Women experience great problems while re-entering the job market as compared to men. White indicates that, three quarters of women re-enter the labor force into a different job or position15. This career break for female is associated to a downward shift to employment with fewer requirements in skills which leads to employers perceiving women as less capable than men16. Racial inequality Australian society is also known to have racial inequality. Racial inequality refers to the situation where people are treated with regard to their race and their racial characteristics such as physical characteristics, culture, skin colour, and place of origin. Racial inequality exists due to the notion that some races are better or superior than others, thus leading to unequal treatment and opportunities in the society. Attitudes of racism in Australia are very evident and have increase in the last two decades especially when expressed towards the aboriginal people. In 1994 for instance, in 1994 Mick Vievers, of Queensland National Party, and the tourist spokesperson at the time openly disapproved for the aboriginal Australians to live in Gold Coast (a tourist area) saying that the Aboriginals are should live by gathering food and hunting instead of residing on tourist area17. The statement by a government official in Australia exhibits the depth of social inequality in Australia in the past two decades. Apparently, racism has serious effects on the lives of Aboriginals in terms of land rights, employment, education, health, housing as well as incarceration. In addition to racism, the domination of the Anglo-American culture, the English language and capitalist system have largely impacted the marginalization of individuals from other cultures and traditions18. In addition, Sharma argues that, ethnic discrimination is evident as portrayed by the wage rate among aboriginal and other people in Australia19. On average, aboriginals in Australia have a wage of about 65 percent of the median wage of the rest of population. Ethnicity has been portrayed by many studies to be the main cause of inequality in economic, social and political activities. Social inequality in Australia is also evident in immigration processes. The current immigration systems in Australia are suggestive aspects of inequality. Refugees are certainly potential source of immigrants who has the greatest needs but has the least resources. The quota of immigrants in Australia is very small of the whole fraction of immigrants, which has been reduced significantly over the recent past. Wilkinson and Pickett argue that, the immigrant mix is largely shifting to the successful business immigrant20. Questions arise on how the measuring of persons appeal in regard to their wealth is fair as compared to measuring their appeal by race. Immigrants with less wealth or resources are also limited by the idea of necessitating all immigrants to pay US $ 30,000 bond. This shows how inequality in terms of wealth and ethnicity has grown in the Australian society21. Inequality is thus perpetuated by Australia’s government institutions as depicted in the differentiated policing policy. The social inequality in Australia is well explained by functionalism theory. Functionalism is a sociological point of view which articulates that, social inequality in the society is inevitable. Functionalists believe that the society has to be stratified as it is made up of parts that work together towards the general goal of the society. For the society to develop socially and economically there has to be stratification which allows individuals to act at different levels and capabilities in development of the society. Not everyone can be a manager and hence, there is need to alter rewards and benefits to allow individuals to work towards achieving certain requirements to be able to get to the best positions with greater rewards and have more control. This in Australian society has not been the case as people have just been discriminated in lines of their personality, gender, ethnicity, race and age22. Nevertheless there is a positive notion that social inequality has reduced significantly since 1990’s. This notion is linked to the idea of globalization which has made Australia more open to the world outside and embrace other races as well as promote gender equity. Besides, what is shown on media such as television, newspapers, and radios as well as on the internet has greatly influenced the perception that aboriginal Australians are not inferior, and they are as much as capable as natives. Besides, the formulation of policies in Australia to help minimize discrimination in the workplace especially gender discrimination has helped reduce issues of social inequality such as gender inequality. Reducing inequality in Australia since 1990’s can be associated with the conflict theory. Conflict theory suggests that, social inequality is unjust and unfair and there is great need to change social structures in order to minimize or eliminate inequality in the society. This view is in line with many humanitarian organizations and human rights activists all over the world. The United Nations for instance believes in equity in all aspects of life such as habitation, health, education, food security, water, security, etc. Symbolic interactionism on the other hand explains how humans form a multifaceted set of models that give meaning to life and the world. This theory explains why people view others or relate to others the way they do23. This theory supports explains how social inequality in Australia has developed such gender inequality. I strongly believe that social inequality is unfair for any society in the civilized world. With the efforts put place by organizations and governments to overcome social inequality, Australia needs to go with the trend and address this issue in the Australian society. I believe the conflict theory is the best theory in addressing social inequality in Australia. Everyone should be treated with optimal regard despite disparity in their origin, social status, gender, race, skin colour, and culture. Conclusion Social inequality in Australia remains an issue of concern. Despite the rest of the world campaigning hard for social equality, Australian has been left being with the authorities turning a blind eye to the matter. This has seen the country experience inequality even at times when globalization has taken center stage in ensuring social equity in the world. Gender inequality, racial discrimination is some of the most dominant forms of social inequalities discussed in this essay. The conflict theory which strongly opposes social inequality is best used to discourage social inequality. Bibliography Australian Bureau of Statistics. “Personal Safety, Australia” 2005, Cat no. 4906.0. Australian Government. “The Sex Discrimination Act.” 2010. http://www.ag.gov.au/www/agd/agd.nsf/Page/Humanrightsandanti-discrimination_Sexdiscrimination. Australian Government. “Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency.” Pay Equity Statistics, 2010. Broderick, Elizabeth. “Gender Equality: What Matters to Australian Men and Women.” 2008, http://www.hreoc.gov.au/sex_discrimination/listeningtour/ListeningTourCommunityReport.pdf Fields, Jessica., Copp, Martha. and Kleinman, Sherryl. Handbook of the Sociology of Emotions, Symbolic Interactionism, Inequality, and Emotions, 2006. Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, (2007). Annual Report 2006-2007. Joo, Kee. “Glass Ceiling or Sticky Floor? Exploring the Australian Gender Pay Gap.” The Economic Record, 82, no.259 (2006): 408-427. Miller, Paul. "The Role of Gender among Low-Paid and High-Paid Workers.” Australian Economic Review, 38, no.4 (2005): 405-417. National Centre for Social and Economic Modeling. “The impact of a sustained gender wage gap on the economy”. Report to the Office for Women, Department of Families, Community Services, Housing and Indigenous Affairs, 2009. Pease, Bob. “Men in Social Work: Challenging or Reproducing an Unequal Gender Regime?” Journal of Women and Social Work, 00, no.1, (2011): 1-13. Sharma Sushil. “Gender Inequality in Australia”. 1998 www.sydgram.nsw.edu.au/CollegeSt/extension/oct97/Inequality.pdf Syed, Jawad. & Pio, Edwino. “Veiled diversity? Workplace experiences of Muslim women in Australia”. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 27, no.1, (2010): 115-137. White, Kevin. Inequality in Australia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003. Wilkinson, Richard and Pickett, Kate. The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better. Allen Lane, 2009. Wilson, Lou. “Developing a Model for the Measurement of Social Inclusion and Social Capital in Regional Australia.” Social Indicators Research, 75, no.3 (2006): 335-360. Women at Work (1998). Publication by the Department for Employment, Education and Training – Issue 3. Read More