Co, Chynna R.

BPA 2-B

Activity no. 7

1. What is Social Inequality? Expound your answer.

Social inequality is defined as unequal opportunities and incentives for various social positions or
statuses within a group or society. It is characterized by systematic and recurring patterns of unequal
distributions of goods, wealth, opportunities, rewards, and penalties.

Racism, for example, is defined as a phenomenon in which access to rights and resources is
unequally divided along racial lines. In the setting of the United States, individuals of color are
frequently subjected to racism, which benefits white people by bestowing white privilege on them,
granting them better access to rights and resources than other Americans.

There are two main ways to measure social inequality which are Inequality of conditions and
Inequality of opportunities.

a. Inequality of conditions- refers to the unequal distribution of income, wealth, and material
goods. Housing, for example, is inequality of conditions with the homeless and those living in
housing projects sitting at the bottom of the hierarchy while those living in multi-million-dollar
mansions sit at the top. Another example is at the level of whole communities, where some are
poor, unstable, and plagued by violence, while others are invested in by businesses and
government so that they thrive and provide safe, secure, and happy conditions for their
inhabitants.

b. Inequality of opportunities- refers to the unequal distribution of life chances across individuals.
This is reflected in measures such as level of education, health status, and treatment by the
criminal justice system. For example, studies have shown that college and university professors
are more likely to ignore emails from women and people of color than they are to ignore those
from white men,1 which privileges the educational outcomes of white men by channeling a
biased amount of mentoring and educational resources to them.
2. What is a minority group? Give examples.

Minority is a culturally, ethnically, or racially distinct group that coexists with, but is subordinate
to, a more dominating group. This subordination, as the term is used in the social sciences, is the
most distinguishing feature of a minority group. As a result, minority status does not always
correlate with population. A minority may disappear from a society via assimilation, a process
through which a minority group replaces its traditions with those of the dominant culture.
However, complete assimilation is very rare. More frequent is the process of acculturation, in
which two or more groups exchange culture traits. A society in which internal groups make a
practice of acculturation usually evolves through this inherent give and take, causing the
minority culture to become more like the dominant group and the dominant culture to become
increasingly eclectic and accepting of difference.

a. Racial and Ethnic Minorities:

The terms “race” and “ethnicity”, often used interchangeably, refer to two distinct types
of social identity. While the term “race” defines individuals using their physical
characteristics such as skin color and facial structure, “ethnicity” points to a shared
heritage, language and even culture. Ethnic and racial minorities exist in nation-states
across the globe; however, they are not always determined by apparent numerical
differences. As stated earlier, the term “minority” is often used to refer to groups lacking
social or political power. For example, the blacks in South Africa, during the apartheid,
owned the numerical majority in the nation-state; however, they were still subjected to
institutionalized racism by the white minority.

b. Gender and Sexuality Minorities

These typically refer to groups that identify themselves as members of the LGBTQ+
community and includes people who identify as transgender, gender non-binary,
homosexual, bisexual, etc. In certain societies, women are also considered a minority group
despite their numerical strength because of their status as an oppressed group. People with
non-normative gender and sexual identities have historically been denied equal rights and
protection under the law. While Western society has been working towards inclusivity for
the past century, Eastern cultures have only now begun to engage in conversations that
recognize non-normative identities.

c. Religious Minorities
Minority groups defined by religion are those whose religious identity is subscribed to by
a numerically weaker section of society and is different from that of the majority of the
population that often holds power. While several nations worldwide allow their citizens the
freedom to practice the religion of their choice without discrimination, there are others
such as Myanmar and China that restrict such freedom through cultural bias. For example,
the Uyghur Muslims in China and the Rohingyas in Myanmar are recognized as minority
groups. As a result, they have been subjected to deplorable institutionalized discrimination,
injustice, ill-treatment and horror in their respective states.
 d. People with Disabilities

Despite being a hotly debated matter, people with disabilities – physical or psychological
– have been found to form the largest minority group globally, with over one billion people
living with some form of disability. Neuropsychiatric disorders, sensory impairment, loss of
physical mobility, etc., are regarded as causes of disability.

3. Differentiate from one another the different social inequality theory on your own
understanding;

a. Conflict theory

b. Functionalism theory

c. Critical Race theory

Conflict Theory- In contrast, conflict theory sees inequality as the product of dominant groups
controlling weaker groups. They believe that social inequality hampers and impedes societal progress by
allowing those in authority to oppress the powerless in order to maintain the status quo. This job of
dominance is accomplished in today's world mostly through the strength of ideology, our thoughts,
values, beliefs, worldviews, norms, and expectations, a process called as cultural hegemony.

Functionalism Theory- The view of functionalist philosophy, inequality is both unavoidable and
desirable, and it serves a crucial function in society. Important positions in society necessitate greater
training and, as a result, should be rewarded more. According to this viewpoint, societal disparity and
social stratification lead to a meritocracy based on aptitude.

Critical race theory- It is an intellectual movement and legal analysis framework that holds that (1) race
is a culturally invented category used to oppress people of color, and (2) the law and legal institutions in
the United States are inherently racist in the sense that they function to create and maintain social,
political, and economic inequalities between white and nonwhite people.

4. Differentiate between sexism, sex discrimination and sexual harassment. Give example for
each.

Sexual discrimination occurs when you are treated differently because you are male or female. For
women, this includes being discriminated against simply because they are pregnant. This type of
discrimination includes being denied a promotion because you are pregnant, being fired because
you are a guy, or having your benefits revoked because of your gender. Typically, this type of
discrimination is perpetrated by supervisors, managers, or other people in positions of power in the
workplace, but coworkers may also discriminate.

Sexual harassment, on the other hand, occurs when you are subjected to unwanted sexual
approaches, physical sexual touches, or requests for sexual favors. These are also forms of
discrimination, but sexual harassment is distinct in that it is both harassing and sexual in nature.
Anyone who has been subjected to sexual harassment in the workplace may file a claim. This
includes third parties who have seen harassment, especially if it has had an emotional impact on
them. Of course, the sexual activity must be unwanted in order to be classified as harassment, and it
can affect both men and women. This harassment can be perpetrated by anyone in the office; it does
not have to be your boss, manager, or a coworker.

Sexism is prejudice and discrimination based on a person's sex or gender. The sex of a person is
determined at birth based on biological characteristics such as genitalia and chromosomes. Gender
is concerned with how a person feels and self-identifies. Gender is also a social construct. This
includes societal and cultural roles and customs deemed fitting for different genders. Sexist behavior,
speech, law, practice, or media depiction places a higher priority on one gender or sex over another.
This holds true whether the person or institution intended to inflict harm or not. For example, if a
person believes that women are weaker than men, they may feel that they have to be strong or
tough at all times — even if this means risking their health or participating in violence.