Untitled

Global Stratification and Poverty

  • Global stratification involves social inequality on a worldwide scale through gaps between and within nations.
  • Economic and social inequality burdens specific population segments with poverty (Myrdal, 1970).

Measuring Stratification

  • Key measures:
    • Quality of life indicators (infant mortality, life expectancy).
    • Poverty definitions:
    • Extreme poverty: Living on less than $2.15 per day (Filmer, Fu & Sanchez-Paramo, 2022).
    • Relative poverty: Affording necessities but not average societal living standards.
    • Absolute poverty: Lacking basic necessities (food, clean water, housing, healthcare).
  • Extreme poverty rate declined before the COVID-19 pandemic but spiked afterwards (estimated 11% increase in 2022).

Economic Inequality Statistics

  • In 1990: 1 in 3 lived in extreme poverty; by 2019: 1 in 10.
  • As of 2019: 8.4% or 648 million people lived on less than $2.15/day.
  • Poverty rates by consumption: 23.5% on <$3.65/day, 46.7% on <$6.85/day.

Disparities Between Countries

  • Varying extreme poverty rates exist among countries.
  • Example of income inequality within nations:
    • In Colombia, the top 1% earns 192 times more than the 10th percentile; in the U.S., it's 83 times more (Mathisen, 2022).

Social Inequality and Discrimination

  • Social prejudice and discrimination exacerbate economic inequality: gender, race, and socio-political factors contribute.
  • Gender inequity hinders women's access to labor markets and positions of power (Chancel et al., 2022).
  • Women's agency is often limited by socio-cultural restrictions (Kabeer, 1999).

Issues Faced by Low-Income Nations

  • Low-income countries (GNI < $1,035) face significant poverty, particularly affecting women and exacerbating the global feminization of poverty.
  • Countries' classifications may change due to economic and political shifts.

Dependency and Globalization

  • Dependency theory: Explains global poverty and inequality as a result of exploitation by wealthy nations.
  • Economic globalization leads to neoliberal policies prioritizing free markets, impacting social welfare and increasing inequality.

Consequences of Poverty

  • Poverty perpetuates health issues, lack of education, and high crime rates (Neckerman & Torche, 2007).
  • Environmental degradation and modern slavery arise from global inequality, with serious abuses reported globally (Anti-Slavery International).

Theories of Global Poverty

  • Modernization theory: Attributes wealth to cultural and economic practices.
  • Dependency theory: Blames colonial pasts for current poverty.

Impacts of Climate Change

  • Climate change deeply intertwined with socio-economic issues; it cycles back to deepen existing inequalities.
  • Vulnerable nations disproportionately affected due to lack of resources to adapt.
  • Climate justice emphasizes fairness in addressing climate issues impacting marginalized groups.

Global Health Disparities

  • Life expectancy significantly lower in developing regions; diseases exacerbated by economic and political instability.
  • Modern health crises (e.g., COVID-19, HIV/AIDS) emphasize existing healthcare inequalities and impact vulnerable populations most severely.

Social Movements and Climate Change

  • Environmental movements effectively influence policy; however, conservative counteractions complicate progress.
  • Individual actions affect collective responses to climate change; promoting sustainable practices is crucial.