Social Inequality

Definition and Dynamics of Social Inequality

In society, there is a constant flux of incumbents in social positions, and individual members change. However, the positions themselves and the resources allocated to them remain relatively static and change only gradually. That is, both men and women can assume the position of airline pilot, but because it is a male-dominated occupation, the definition of airline pilot is likely to be designed by and for men, and changes or modifications to the position are most likely to be perpetuated by men. Therefore, women who wish to work as airline pilots have to overcome the obstacles imposed by gender, which in this example are disguised by the male-influenced criteria for becoming an airline pilot. Women's efforts to secure such male-influenced social positions therefore face more obstacles than do men's. Without enough women influencing the definition of airline pilot, the social position tends to remain unchanged, and women continue to be discouraged from occupying the position. However, as more women occupy this position, the definition of airline pilot can eventually be renegotiated and redesigned to reflect the interests of both men and women. With the changed definition of social position that accommodates both men and women, the opportunities for women to become airline pilots may become equal to those for men and may in turn lead to more women occupying the position.

Valued resources need not be only economic. A variety of resources are allocated to social positions. In general, resources can be broadly categorized in eight groups: economic (such as property ownership, monetary compensation, and liquid assets), political (societal authority), cultural (privileged lifestyles), social (valued social networks), honorific (prestige), civil (civil rights), human (expertise), and physical (health). Although each type of resource is important on its own, social inequality is multidimensional, and eliminating one form of inequality (resource deficit) will not eliminate all. Some argue that a subset of resources, such as economic and political, can determine the overall degree of social inequality; others argue that overall social inequality can be synthesized into a measure that covers a wide range of resources simultaneously (for example, social position can be a synthetic measure, for it covers almost all types of rewards).

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