Social Inequality
In his book The Animal Farm, George Orwell observes while animals might all be equal, some tend to be more equal than others. This statement was in reference to social inequalities that can be seen to exist in the society. Social inequality can be simply defined as the differential access to power, wealth, prestige and status on the foundations of factors such as age, race, gender, ethnicity, age, religion, nationality or sexual orientation. Broadly, social inequality is used to refer to disparities that exist in economic wealth distribution, as well as disparities in access to fundamental social services such as shelter, clothing, food, education and healthcare (Murali & Oyebode, 2004).
One cause of social inequality that is most frustrating is corruption. Through corruption, only a few get to accumulate wealth, while the majority remain poor. Through corrupt practices such as nepotism, tribalism and ethnicity, people of a certain family, tribe or ethnic orientation get to dominate employment opportunities, rendering many more qualified unemployed. Through corruption, there is unequal distribution of resources. Therefore, corruption is extremely frustrating because it only satisfies the greed of a few while excluding the majority. Take an example of aid given to a certain developing country to tackle issues of drought and famine. Instead of channeling these funds into helping the affected, a few, already wealthy, government officials siphon off these funds into their personal accounts. What is more inhumane than that? Therefore, corruption is a social evil, a social injustice and causes social inequality.
In order to address corruption, there needs to be behavior change as well as accountability. Public campaigns denouncing corrupt tendencies need to be rolled out so as to sensitize the public against this social evil. Also, all holders of office, employees and the common citizens need to be held accountable for their actions. Corruption cases should carry a heavy penalty so that a deterrence effect can be achieved. Overall, instilling a culture of transparency and accountability can go a long way in reducing and eventually eliminating corruption.
References
Murali, V. & Oyebode, F. (2004) Poverty, Social Inequality and Mental Health. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, 2004; 10: 216-224.
