Social Inequality Essay

To understand the concept of social inequality, one needs to explore how it occurs or functions. According to Charles Walker, “Social inequality refers to the ways in which socially-defined categories of persons are differentially positioned with regard to access to a variety of social ‘goods”. Social inequality, therefore, is an umbrella term. It is expansive in nature, as social inequality encompasses a variety of different inequalities; for example, gender, race, and structural inequality are all social inequalities, but they can differ widely in manifestation. The definition of social inequality can also change based on the perception of the individual who is defining the term.

Before starting this class I never really gave much thought

The reason this type of inequality interests me so deeply is because, as a woman growing up in a male dominated rural community, I have experience with gender inequality. I was taught that women cannot be football players, cannot ride horses for too long, or be too loud, shouldn’t share their opinion, and should refrain from working outside the home. I was taught my value was in the size of my jeans and the purity of my abstinence. I was taught that my husband is the leader of the family and makes the decisions. My mom catered to my father-her role was in the

However, our obsession with liberty causes us to believe we are far more free than is actual; for example, gender inequality still exists in covert forms such as social expectations of women to be thin (by decreasing a woman’s size, biologically they are made less threatening than a man), forcing them to wear restricting high heels and other articles of clothing which often prevent women from partaking in male-dominated recreational activities such as football or soccer (when depicted on television, a women’s recreational time is usually spent happily cleaning the house or giggling with women at a salon). Dissension from any one of these social constructs often results in social ostracization, such as being called a “dike” or being excluded from social