StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

Inequality and Politics in the United States - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
In the 1970’s, the United States had one of the most unequal income distributions among the world’s developed nations which has ensued in the last four decades. While the U. S. has the highest share of top incomes among the rich countries, inequality is high and rising in…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER91.5% of users find it useful
Inequality and Politics in the United States
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Inequality and Politics in the United States"

Download file to see previous pages

The following discussion aims at addressing economic and political inequality and discusses the role of social movements in improving the lives of the poor in society. Some of the important economic challenges facing the United States and other developed economies are the increase in economic inequality. Over the last two decades, no other industrialized country in the world has a bigger gap between wage growth and productivity growth than the U.S. The U.S economic inequality is at historically high levels because there is a great disparity in the way wages and income are distributed.

Americans today live in an unequal society characterized by higher gaps in wages, income and wealth. Most poor and middle class households are left out in matters of economic growth and they watch as the GDP, stock markets, productivity and corporate profits rise everyday while their incomes stagnate or grow at a very slow rate (Kenworthy and Smeeding 31). The stock market has risen to 60 percent; the GDP is up by 8 percent nationally while the median house hold income has fallen by 5 percent.

From the year 1979 to 2007, the richest 1 percent of the population experienced tripling of incomes while those of the middle households rose only to about 25 percent. Currently, the richest 1 percent claims ownership to over 60 percent of the total wealth while 5 percent of the richest people claim over 60 percent of the total wealth in the United States. The gender and racial gap in wages, incomes and wealth has also widened throughout the period. While racial segregation has reduced in the last ten years, economic segregation has been on the rise.

The great recession through 2010/2011 had its negative effects on the U.S. economy. Indeed it has permanently and negatively changed the level of well being as well as the distribution of resources in the whole country. With the nation’s economic growth abruptly halted during the 2008 recession, many workers turned

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Inequality and Politics in the United States Essay”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/social-science/1663492-inequality-and-politics-in-the-united-states
(Inequality and Politics in the United States Essay)
https://studentshare.org/social-science/1663492-inequality-and-politics-in-the-united-states.
“Inequality and Politics in the United States Essay”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/social-science/1663492-inequality-and-politics-in-the-united-states.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Inequality and Politics in the United States

Opportunity and Inequality in the United States

This paper seeks to highlight the practice of inequality in the united states by looking at the equal opportunities in the same land.... Those propagating the inequality and the victims of the inequality believed in the practice, with the former group feeling elated as the latter embraced great resentment against the former.... inequality is as old as the very first generation in human kind.... In effect, inequality had been instituted by such practices....
10 Pages (2500 words) Term Paper

Income Inequality in the United States

The paper 'Income Inequality in the united states' presents the issue of income inequality which is one of the major problems facing the U.... In fact, income inequality has been on the increase in the past three decades.... Finally, the cycle of privilege that inhibits social mobility and cements inequality should be eliminated....
1 Pages (250 words) Essay

Inequality Affects World Nations

irst of all, the challenge of cheap labor from Asia is an important reason behind the inequality in the united states.... The grass-root level reasons behind inequality within the united states are cheap labor from Asia, unreasonable exchange rates, outsourcing, corporate greed, illegal immigration, discrimination, and involvement in global wars, but policy changes like increase in minimum wages, innovative tax systems, earned income tax credit (EITC), Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA), etc can reduce this inequality to an extent....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay

Values of Gender Equality by the United States Government

Importantly, the convention provides states with a useful framework for legislative policies that will prevent all forms of discrimination, setting clear standards of gender equality.... Using that framework, states can bring in appropriate laws and legislation to ensure that women get equal opportunities in every field, including politics, health, education, employment, and the right to vote.... The states that commit to the convention will take appropriate legislative measures and make certain temporary and special amendments to make sure that women will enjoy their full freedom and equal rights in every discipline (Wrigley)....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

Education Inequality in Rural Areas of the United States

nbsp;… As the report, Education Inequality in Rural Areas of the united states, highlights many critics have noted the high level of inequality, especially in the education provided in such school.... In this argumentative essay, we will look at either side of the coin in regard to the different points of view in the question: is there inequality in education in the rural areas of the united states?... But both groups agree that there is a need for more efforts aimed at reducing the levels of inequality and the gap in education in both the rural and urban areas....
6 Pages (1500 words) Research Paper

Income Inequality in America

Middle class in the united states have the tendency to spend more compared to their counterparts in other places due to pressure.... Consumption should be one of the measures of inequality and well-being as it results from the disposal of incomes.... Income inequality is a big problem in America as it also leads to political inequality as the outcomes of politics are inclined towards the preferences of the rich.... inequality in America is of great concern as President Obama commented ‘inequality is the defining challenge of our generation' (Winship)....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

What Is the Impact of Global Social Inequality on Global Politics

The paper "What Is the Impact of Global Social Inequality on Global Politics" states that The Global Financial Crisis and the response to it demonstrate that globalization has defeated the state system as it has proven more lucrative for countries to work together.... The first world countries are generally made of most western states such as those in the North American and European continents e.... This can also explain the recent changes that have been brought in the gender order more females are becoming heads of states than was previously the case (John, 2007)....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

Cultural, Economic, and Institutional Inequality in the US

hellip; Using sociology, the paper will explore inequality in the united states with regards to its causes and results using concepts and theories that help in understanding equality.... Cultural, Economic, and Institutional Inequality in the United StatesThis research paper will seek to answer the research question: what are the main reasons for cultural, economic, and institutional inequality in the united states?... Using sociology, the paper will explore inequality in the united states with regards to its causes and results using concepts and theories that help in understanding equality....
2 Pages (500 words) Assignment
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us