Explain how economic inequalities can cause social inequalities

An inequality is a difference in access to resources leading to social, economic, cultural advantages and disadvantages. Economic inequalities can cause and reinforce social inequalities.

The economic situation of a child’s parents will play a major role his education and development. Indeed, factors such as quality of housing, food, and quality of life in general (that are directly linked to the economic situation) will impact his well-being. Let us take the example of a child brought up in a rather poor and large family. He is raised in a small, humid, even unsafe place. The poor quality of housing might cause him to be more exposed to sickness. He might also find it difficult to concentrate to do his homework due to the constant noise and activity around the small flat. The fact that both parents work long shifts gives him less time to interact with them or ask for help with homework, etc. His parents will not be able to afford a tutor to help him at school and he might have to get part-time jobs to help financially; leaving less time for school and personal activities. Furthermore, children coming from poorer backgrounds have less access to culture through museums, books, travelling etc., having an impact on how well they speak and write for example, which is a skill that is extremely valued at school and even necessary in higher education. Therefore, economic inequalities have an impact on a child’s primary socialisation and can lead to important social inequalities, following him through secondary socialisation.  

However, economic inequalities cause social inequalities during adulthood as well. First of all, they impact the living conditions. Less paid jobs are often physically more demanding and risky (exposure to chemicals, hard physical labour, cancer) leading to inequalities facing health and even death: a person having always worked in manual labour has a lower life-expectancy than an executive who is mostly seated during the day.  Furthermore, poorer people tend to have less healthy habits (e.g. smoking, fast food etc.), again, impacting their health. On the other hand, economic inequalities also have an impact on social capital of an individual. Social capital is one’s ability to mobilise personal relations in his personal interest. Social capital is useful because it gives access to jobs, opportunities, social events etc. But in the case of individuals with lower earnings, this social capital will not only be reduced in terms of quantity but also quality. Indeed, their social network will tend to be reduced to the people they surround themselves with and that is usually people from similar economic situations. Those relations are less efficient when it comes to social capital, limiting their access to opportunities, therefore leading to social inequalities.