Social Inequality In The United States

The term “American dream” was coined by renowned writer and historian, James Truslow Adams, who considered America as a place where life will be better and richer. Since then, the United States of America has been considered as the land of equal opportunities and growth. However, the changes in the social and economic status of the population indicates that there is existence of social disparity in our society. Social inequality can be defined as the existence of an unequal distribution of various resources and opportunities among the social groups in a population. While the United States of America trys to be a pioneer nation in promoting social equality, the leading research, based on various parameters and asset groups indicate that the

After World War II, until 1970 nation saw a substantial economic growth and during that phase, the prosperity was widely shared among different groups of society. The income gap between the groups of society which are high in the ladder of income and others which are low did not change much. However, after 1970 the economic growth slowed down and thus income disparity increased. The rich groups continually grew while the lower and middle groups saw a decline in the financial growth. Recent research indicates that the difference between rich and poor has been amplified over the years and today’s American society is harshly unequal. The economic boom which was regulated by the real estate roar tripled the economic disparity. During 2007- 2009 recession, the higher income groups were also severely impacted due to the great recession and their income fell by almost 36%. Post -2008 economic recoveries have brought more concentrated income, widening the gap between rich and poor. From 2009 to 2010, average real income per family grew by 2.3%, but the gains were very uneven (Atkinson, 63). There is a vertical rise in the inequality in the labor share. The middle and lower wage earners are severely impacted. The decrease in unions also affected the wage inequality in the United States. In 1970, the one-third of the United States labor was unionized, which decreased

Three types of this asset group are mortality, physical health, and mental health. Inequality impacts the course of the life of an individual. In the contemporary society, the participation of an individual in social life is greatly dependent on the price that he/she can pay for participation. The long-term impact of inequality is seen in the basic life chances such as physical health, psychological health, food, shelter and overall wellbeing. Nothing is more important for an individual than his or her physical health. Research clearly indicates that health is related to individual socioeconomic status (Hurst, 227). Apart from income, the other types such as race and gender inequality severely impact the health of individuals. The matter of good psychological health remains unattended in poor people because of less awareness on the matter. Several victims of depression and alienation are found in financial weak sections of the society. Women, socially oppressed, and the poor population has the least choice for a better lifestyle. The mortality of an individual is also dependent on the kind of life supporting assets he or she obtains. Lack of appropriate physical and mental health support, quality of food and accommodation directly affect the lifespan of the population and results in premature death of