Brian Barry Equality Of Opportunity Summary

Social inequalities are subjective and relative to those around us. Individuals compare themselves to those they see which in turn may alter their expectations of equality in terms of such things as wealth, education and gender equality for themselves. General needs and expectations differ depending on where in the world you are. In most western countries we have come to expect certain levels of gender equality for instance. This essay will look into social inequality, particularly in the form of gender inequality.

Education is provided to people who come from all economic backgrounds. However, not everyone is able to use the education system to the best of their abilities. For example, children who live in poor situations might not be able to focus only on their studies such as taking up a job to help support their families. Moreover, it’s a fact that the areas that have a higher income generally often have a better schooling system. This might be arising from donations from local families and from a better economic structure in the area. A higher social class has advantages to access to resources such as tutors, private lessons, private schools and higher quality public schools. On the other hand, children in lower socioeconomic classes might live in impoverished, stressful environments with fewer resources.

In the chapter, we explore concepts that determine social class and health inequalities. The authors, Julie MuMullin, and Lorraine Davies discusses the link between social class and inequality and an individual's well-being and health. Studies have shown that people who have higher income, higher education, and better jobs are expected to live longer and do not contract sicknesses. On the other hand, individuals that with lower income, lower education, and bad jobs are expected to have shorter lives. This particular concept is consistent to what we see in Canada, a nation that provides universal health care system for all individuals. Prior to this course I was aware of the concept of “the poor are getting poorer, and the rich are getting

This paper discusses the ideas presented by Richard Wilkinson, in the video How economic inequality harms societies (2011). Three compelling concepts arise from the video which are that there was no longer a correlation between gross national income and health and social problems; it is also possible to attain greater equality as evidenced by what some countries are doing to reduce the income gap; and inequalities vary based on their health impact across the social gradient but nonetheless is present from top to bottom. In order to tackle the health problems and improve the health of individuals within societies, social justice actions geared at the inequalities seen in the healthcare system and other institutions are crucial. This paper also

In advantage schools children recognised and appreciated that they learnt better because teachers were trying to make learning interesting and fun. In most of the disadvantage schools there were many compliments such as the nature of the school, the quality of food, glass on the playground and attitudes of teachers. They also complained about being shouted at; Goretti also discusses that they are many pressures for teachers working in disadvantage schools they deal with welfare issues, hungry children and behavioural problems have an effect on teachers. According to …… children growing up in poverty are more likely to expect to leave school at sixteen, this factor decreases the chance of receiving high grade GCSE’s. Also nearly 90 per cent of failing schools are located in deprived areas and have a large proportion of children eligible for free school meals.

This article describes nine principles that are fundamental to guide action to achieve health equity. The first principle focuses on action by the society to assist in eliminating obstacles to health and increasing opportunities for healthier choices. The focus of the action is on the disadvantaged group. It also involves the excluded groups in the process in identifying and addressing their own health equity goals. The second principle focuses on a higher level by looking at well-designed policy, systems and environment improvements that have the largest impact to reduce health inequities among the under-represented group. The third principle focuses on improving the living and working conditions and other resources that enable people to be as healthy as possible, measuring by assessing the determinants of health. The fourth principle focuses on improving everyone’s health with more focus on the those with greatest needs and least resources. This group requires more not equal resources. The fifth principle focuses on approaches for building and strengthening the existing resources of the disadvantaged group. The sixth principle focuses on using multi factorial approaches to address obstacles to health equity, instead on focusing on one factor at a time which is less successful. The seventh principle focuses not only on obvious discrimination

The development of these issues can hinder the child's ability to receive a proper education because they are unable to focus in the classroom and often do not perform at the same level as their classmates.”By the age of three, poorer children are estimated to be nine months behind children from wealthier backgrounds. By the end of primary school, students receiving free school meals are estimated to be about three terms behind their peers”(Shelton,2013). The evident educational disadvantage children with impoverished backgrounds experience due to exposure to violence in early years of development and the common inability to attend school persistently in order to provide for their families.

This book helps to explain whether or not parents are the solution to educational inequality. With some policy makers believing parental involvement is the cure, this book chooses to challenge and argue otherwise. The authors attempt to engage the readers from the beginning, by quoting an epigraph of Barrack Obama which pleasantly sets the scene as he states “responsibility of our children’s education must begin at home”. (p.1)

Social and economic inequalities exist in the UK particularly because of discrimination and prejudices resulting in unequal society lacking cohesion and unity. In 2008, a comprehensive analysis to critically analyze and asses the level of social and economic inequality was conducted in the UK, by Professor John Hills who chaired the National Equality Panel created by the government to provide in-depth analysis on the subject.

No society will ever be equal. Questions surrounding inequality in modern times are not just “Is there inequality?” but instead ask deeper questions like “How much inequality is there?” and “Where are inequalities most prevalent?” We as a society tend to be uncomfortable with the notion that ascribed characteristics such as race help determine our life chances. One of the most curious developments which as occurred over the recent years is how our social institutions have become more open to those who they previously excluded, yet at the same time inequality has increased (Kahn 2011, p. 122).

There is a more important argument to be had about education today than trying to reignite a class war against the toffs. The report of the Sutton Trust stating that the children of the poorest families fall behind a full year by the time they are five may not be as sensationalist as the claims of Iain Duncan Smith that the brain sizes of deprived nursery children are “three times smaller than they should be”. Both, however, represent the same set of assumptions so prevalent at the moment, which holds that deprived children are almost irretrievably damaged long before they reach primary school. It is, the implication is, the fault of their parents for not sufficiently aping middle-class behaviour. Not that they are financially deprived so much

It proposed to address the social determinants of health, the conditions in which individuals are conceived, develop, live, work and age and which can prompt health inequalities. It attracts further thoughtfulness regarding that a greater number of people are living longer, however spending more time in illness due to things such as poverty, lack of equitable service etc. The report, titled 'Fair Society, Healthy Lives', proposes another approach to reduce health inequalities in England post-2010. It contends that, customarily, government strategies have centered assets just on a specific areas of society. To enhance wellbeing for every one of us and to decrease unfair and antiquated health inequalities, greater movement and activity is required from a social perspective. The in depth report contains numerous critical discoveries, some of which are condensed underneath. Individuals living in the poorest regions in England will by and large have a mortality rate seven years earlier than individuals living in the wealthiest neighbourhoods. Alongside this, individuals living in poorer areas will not only have a reduced mortality but will have a greater chance of having greater chance of illness and disability - a normal distinction of 17 years. The Review highlights the social scale of health inequalities - put basically, the lower an individuals social economic status is can have a significant

Daniels uses the “fair equality of opportunity” for his argument on his views on the strong right to healthcare. He states that you can 't be considered a normal functioning human if you are diseased or have disabilities that restrict your range of opportunities. Because everyone should be able to obtain the same equal opportunities, if adequate healthcare is what they need to get back to a normal functioning state then that is what they should be able to receive. Buchanan thinks that the notion of a universal right of decent minimum healthcare cannot justify a mandatory decent minimum policy because it fails to demonstration distributive justice along with utilitarianism. His four main arguments that account for a right to a decent

Social inequality is a global concern impacting not only the poorest nations, but also the most economically advanced nations in the world. More alarming is the amount of separation between the worlds’ wealthiest and the worlds’ poorest inhabitants, with the gap widening year after year. It is estimated that between 17,000 and 22,000 children die each day due to poverty, and more than 1 billion people lack access to clean drinking water. Governments have implemented policies to help bridge the gap of social inequalities between the different races and classes in an attempt to even the playing field, politics and capitalism however have countered and, in some instances, nullified the effectiveness of those policies. Research suggests that addressing education as the root cause of social inequality, in lieu of ineffective policies that only benefit the affluent and social elite, is essential in combating poverty levels, life expectancy, quality of life and overall social well-being.

Sir Angus Deaton’s “The Great Escape: Health, Wealth, and the Origins of Inequality” surveys a broad stroke of the world’s health and income inequalities throughout history, with emphasis on the last three centuries. Furthermore, Deaton postulates how to approach shrinking the gaps of inequality between more developed countries and less developed countries. While Deaton considers education in his book, he fails to sufficiently study its profound impact on health disparities specifically. Educational prosperity benefits many aspects of life expectancy such as combatting infant mortality and infectious diseases.