Social Inequality & Social Mobility

Week 4

According to The Spirit Level authors, what feelings do inequality invoke?

→ feelings of superiority and inferiority, dominance and subordination

What does too much inequality lead to and what does reducing it lead to?

→ too much inequality is an obstacle to a better society

→ reducing inequality improves the psychological and social wellbeing of the whole society

How do insecurities about social status affect an individual’s stress levels, cognitive performance and emotions?

→ inequality has shown higher rates of child abuse

→ higher rates of bullying in schools

→ in unequal societies, mental illnesses are more prevalent (specifically depression & schizophrenia) 

What is the state of inequality like in the US?

→ a growing class gap among America's young people in terms of the resources and opportunities available to them

→  greater challenges they have to overcome to have success in life

→ a growing gap of what parents can invest in their kids

→ a growing gap in the quality of schools that kids attend

→  growing class segregation in America

→ a gap in the amount of support that kids get from their neighborhoods, from community institutions, from churches, and so on

What is an example of inequality in the US?

→ high–test–scoring kids from poor backgrounds are less likely to finish a college degree now than low–test–scoring kids from rich families