Essay On Social Inequality And Human Rights In Australia

 

The globe has experienced a remarkable growth in disparities of income and wealth over the previous three decades, making excessive social inequality one of the defining concerns of our day. According to the estimate by the UN world social report, the wealthiest 80 individuals on the earth now possess as much as the lowest half of the world's population, while seven out of ten people live in nations where the gap between wealthy and poor is wider than 30 years before (UN Department and Social Affairs, 2020). The case for Australia is not different, as Australia is one of the wealthiest countries of the world where one could afford the basic human rights but still there is sharp inequality gap between the rich and the poor (Bessel, 2020). This inequality of income has spilled over in the social inequality of Australia which is evident in terms of affordability, housing, education, health, property rights, gender, race etc. The less affluent and more vulnerable members of Australian society are impacted by social inequality since the right to life includes both the right to live and the right to live with dignity. Social inequality is ethically unacceptable because it breaches basic human rights, notwithstanding the claims of many academics and neo-liberal economists that it provides advantages related to individual contribution.

 

Ndinda (2011) defines social inequality as the absence of equal social standing among persons in a society. Social Inequality takes many forms, including, but not limited to, disparities in wages, educational opportunities, health care access, misogyny, and private property rights. Social inequality is defined by Sanders & Spencer (2004), as the occurrence of uneven benefits and opportunities for different social statuses or positions in a community or organisation. In spite of the fact that most nations in Europe and the United States have a titled dignity, Australia remains highly stratified. According to the Marxist conflict theory perspective, class is a more fundamental way of defining inequality in society. It is based on how much influence a person has over the means of production, rather than how much money they are paid (Prechel & Berkowitz, 2020). Capitalism is the dominant mode of production in many European nation as well as in Australia. The capitalists own and control the means of production, and the people who labour in these factories are members of the working class. The majority of Australians fall into the working class, which accounts for around two-thirds of the population. According to the data by Australian Bureau of Statics (ABS) indicates the Gini coefficient in Australia declined from 0.34 in 2007–08 to 0.32 in 2015–16, which demonstrates a minor reduction in income inequality (Aph.gov.au, 2021). But there is still a large difference in the Australian society, with the average wealth of the top 20 percent expanding 10 times faster than the wealth of the poorest 20 percent during the previous 20 years or so (Davidson et al., 2020). Conflict theory envisages that because of the uneven distribution of wealth one class dominates and appropriates the essential means of production. It gave rise to class conflict as the other group are alienated from the wealth or the basic resources of society. Social and economic institutions, according to conflict theory, are utilised to sustain inequality and the power of the ruling class by groups or classes. Social inequality results in the loss of fundamental human rights when wealth is concentrated in the hands of the privileged or capitalist elite in society.

 

As stated by Cantero-Flores & Parra-Dorantes (2019), human rights enumerate the inherent worth and dignity of every person regardless of their history, beliefs or appearance. All faiths, ideologies, and civilizations adhere to the same basic values when it comes to human rights like equality, mutual respect, and respect for human dignity. Consequently, the right to non-discrimination and equality encompasses both negative and positive requirements - the need to refrain from degrading equality or discriminating, and the responsibility to protect and maintain the rights to non-discrimination and equality for all persons. In Australia context, the country has a long tradition of upholding the basic human rights for its citizen which includes non-discrimination between the rich and poor, men and women and people belong to different race. However, it's not a flawless record. A person's colour, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation or handicap may prevent them from receiving the basic human rights in compare to its rest of the citizens. Social inequality may also affect the lives of Australians on many levels, including health, political power, and educational attainment (O’Sullivan, Rahamathulla,  & Pawar, 2020). Men and women may also suffer in the social inequality scale when they are treated differently on the basis of their gender. Inequality itself may have negative consequences, regardless of wealth. It is possible that lower-income families in a less-equal community may do worse than those in a more egalitarian society. Thus, in the Australian context social inequality in a society may have negative consequences in achieving the full basic rights for the citizen which includes the right to a jury trial (Section 80), the prohibition of discrimination on the basis of where you live (Section 51 (xxxi)) provide safeguards against the acquisition of property on unfair conditions (Section 117) (Humanrights.gov.au, n.d.).

 

 

According to the report by UNSW, inequality of income has widened during periods of rising income and narrowed during times of stagnating income during the previous two decades in Australia (Davidson et al., 2020). The report continued that, over the last 20 years or so, the wealth gap between the richest and poorest has widened significantly, with the wealth of the top 20% increasing 10 times faster than that of the lowest 20% (ibid). Thus, the research found that there is a widening disparity between those at the top and those on the bottom, with a top manager making 150 times more than the average weekly wage. In addition, the distribution of wealth in the Australian community is not nearly as equal as the distribution of income. In the sector of education as well, there is significant gap between the educational qualification of the indigenous and non- indigenous population of Australia. According to the report by the Australian government, Indigenous students' attendance rates have not increased between 2014 and 2018, and are lower than those of non-Indigenous pupils (Fahey, 2021). Indigenous students in distant places had lower school attendance and a wider attendance gap. Indigenous pupils' attendance rates varied from 86% in Inner Regional regions to 63% in Very Remote locations in 2018 (Niaa.gov.au, 2019). In terms of gender inequality Australia has not fared well, as there are significant social and economic disparities among men and women in the country. It is estimated that the gender wage gap in Australia now stands at 13.8 per cent (Wgea.gov.au, n.d.). Across all sectors and professions, the average weekly ordinary full-time wage for women in November 2021 was $1,591.20, compared to the $1,846.50 average weekly ordinary full-time wage for males. As a result, women earned an average of $255.30 less each year than males (Wgea.gov.au, n.d.). Occupational segregation is also common in numerous businesses in Australia. Gender segregation is rife in the workforce, with males predominating in some fields while females take the lead in others (Lind & Colquhoun, 2021). On average, there were more males than women in the construction and mining sectors in 2016. Social inequality also occurs in terms of health since lower middle class and indigenous people are said to lack access to high-quality medical treatment. Functionalist theory and conflict theory are two ways to explain this inequality in Australia. Inequality, according to functionalist theory, is both desirable and unavoidable, and it plays an important role in society. For this reason, the salaries of people in high-ranking jobs tend to be higher. On the other hand, it is argued by conflict theorists that inequality is a consequence of those with power participating in the oppression of those who lack it. As a result of the oppression of the weaker sections of society by the powerful, they argue, social disparity is a hindrance to growth.

 

In spite of the absence of a foundation to quantify and conceptualise social inequality, there is an accord that social inequality is an intrinsically multi-dimensional term that encompasses disparities across numerous extents that are relevant in the lives of individuals and the society in which they exist. Social inequity occurs via the incidence of social stereotyping, or by Australian perception societies of correct gender roles. It might also happen between religious or ethnic groups and classes as a consequence of discriminatory laws. Australian income and economic resources may be unevenly distributed, and each person's standard of living may be lower or higher than in other countries (). Social inequality in Australia has been linked to gender disparity, poverty, and racial inequality. Sexist, racist, and other forms of prejudice proliferate and limit access to opportunities because of how individuals behave socially.

 

 

Inequality in society impedes and stifles social progress because the powerful suppress the less powerful in order to maintain the status quo. Cultural hegemony, the process through which our values, ideas, worldviews and conventions dominate Australian society, is the primary means by which this dominance is achieved in contemporary Australia. I thought that we couldn't totally eliminate social disparity, but that we could minimise and prevent it. Education and openness about the ramifications may help prevent this. There is also a need to understand the origins and implications of social inequality, notably in Australia, which are multidimensional and deeply ingrained in economic, social and natural resources and systems. The importance of universal human rights legislation can't be overstated, which is why it's critical to make pledges to safeguarding and promoting those rights. In order to ensure that no one is left behind, as well as to promote long-term social cohesion and poverty reduction, it is imperative that these social disparities be reduced both within and across society's members.

 

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Lind, G., & Colquhoun, R. (2021). Analysis of gender segregation within detailed occupations and industries in Australia. Australian Journal of Labour Economics, 24(1), 47-69. https://resources.curtin.edu.au/file/faculty/fbl/AJLE-Vol-24-No-1-Paper-3.pdf

 

 

Ndinda, K. (2011). Social Inequality and Egalitarianism in Australia. Retrieved 26 June 2022, from https://www.grin.com/document/270029

 

 

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O’Sullivan, D., Rahamathulla, M., & Pawar, M. (2020). The impact and implications of COVID-19: An Australian perspective. The International Journal of Community and Social Development, 2(2), 134-151. https://doi.org/10.1177/2516602620937922

 

 

Prechel, H., & Berkowitz, L. (2020). Conflict Theories in Political Sociology. Journal: The New Handbook of Political Sociology, 53-78. https://www.academia.edu/49201931/Conflict_Theories_in_Political_Sociology_Class_Power_Inequality_and_the_Historical_Transition_to_Financialization

 

 

Sanders, A. E., & Spencer, A. J. (2004). Social Inequality: Social inequality in perceived oral health among adults in Australia. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 28(2), 159–166. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-842x.2004.tb00930.x

 

 

Satur, P., & Lindsay, J. (2020). Social inequality and water use in Australian cities: The social gradient in domestic water use. Local Environment, 25(5),351-364. https://doi.org/10.1080/13549839.2020.1747414

 

 

UN Deaprtment and Social Affairs. (2020). WORLD SOCIAL REPORT 2020 INEQUALITY IN A RAPIDLY CHANGING WORLD. Retrieved from https://www.un.org/development/desa/dspd/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2020/01/World-Social-Report-2020-FullReport.pdf

 

 

Western, M., Baxter, J., & Germov, J. (2020). Class and inequality in Australia. In Public Socology (pp. 238-264). Routledge.

 

 

Wgea.gov.au. Australia's Gender Pay Gap Statistics | WGEA. Retrieved 26 June 2022, from https://www.wgea.gov.au/publications/australias-gender-pay-gap-statistics#:~:text=Currently%2C%20Australia's%20national%20gender%20pay,using%20data%20from%20the%20ABS.&text=%241%2C591.20%20compared%20to%20men's%20average,earned%20%24255.30%20less%20than%20men.