FRAMING INEQUALITY

{FRAMING INEQUALITY ===è CANADA IS PORTRAYED AND CHERISHES AN IMAGE AS A REMARKABLY EGALITARIAN “MIDDLE CLASS” SOCIETY THAT IS INTOLERANT OF EXTREMES IN POVERTY OR WEALTH ===è ON CLOSER INSPECTION, CANADA’S REPUTATION AS EGALITARIAN AND TOLERANT IS TARNISHED BY GAPING LEVELS OF “INEQUALITY” BETWEEN THE “HAVES” AND THE “HAVE-NOTS.” ====è THE DEEPLY INGRAINED MYTHS IN THE COUNTRY CANNOT DISGUISE SOCIOLOGICAL FACT(S) THAT CANADA IS A STRATIFIED SOCIETY WHERE PEOPLE ARE DENIED, EXCLUDED, OR EXPLOITED ON THE BASIS OF SOCIALLY DEFINED DIFFERENCES =====è IN CANADA, PATTERNS O INEQUALITY TEND TO COALESCE AROUND THE POLES OF – RACE, ETHNICITY, GENDER, CLASS AND REGION. ====è WHEN SOCIOLOGISTS SAY THAT CANADA IS A “VERTICAL MOSAIC” THEY MEAN IS DIVIDED INTO UNEQUAL “STRATA” PRIMARILY ALONG THE LINES OF RACE, ETHNICITY, GENDER, & CLASS

IN OTHER WORDS =======> IN OUR SOCIETY – RACE, ETHNICITY, GENDER, & CLASS ARE CONSEQUENTIAL HUMAN DIFFERENCES THAT ARE INDEPENDENT OF INDIVIDUALS -- “SOCIALLY CONSTRUCTED, SHARED UNDERSTANDINGS” THAT “TRANSEND SPACE AND TIME”

ALL SOCIOLOGISTS AGREE ======> INEQUALITY IS ABOUT ENTITLEMENTS: THAT IS, WHO GETS WHAT, HOW AND WHY?

MEASUREMENTS(?)

(A) INEQUALITY OF CONDITIONS =======>{ECONOMIC PRIVILEGE OR THE MATERIAL DISTRIBUTION OF REWARDS}; AND/OR

(B) INEQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITIES ======> {“LIFE CHANCES” – REFLECTED IN SUCH MEASURES AS THEIR LEVEL OF EDUCAITON, HEALTH STATUS, NUTRITION, AND TREATMENT BY THE JUSTICE SYSTEM}

1) WHAT IS SOCIAL INEQUALITY?

SOCIAL INEQUALITY - IS STRUCTURED AND RECURRENT PATTERNS OF INEQUITABLE GROUP RELATIONS [*****DOMINANT-SUBDOMINANT INTERACTION].

SOCIAL INEQUALITY - IS CHARACTERIZED BY THE EXISTENCE OF UNEQUAL OPPORTUNITIES AND REWARDS FOR DIFFERENT SOCIAL POSITIONS OR STATUSES WITHIN A GROUP OR SOCIETY.

A) WHAT IS A DOMINANT GROUP?

DOMINANT GROUP – THE COLLECTIVITY OF PERSONS IN SOCIETY WITH BOTH POWER AND AUTHORITY TO PRESERVE AND PROMOTE THE PREVAILING DISTRIBUTION OF PRIVILEGE IN SOCIETY. THE DOMINANT SECTOR REPRESENTS THAT PART OF SOCIETY WITH THE CAPACITY TO DEFINE ITSELF AND ITS CULTURE AS THE STANDARD OR NORM BY WHICH OTHERS ARE JUDGED AND EVALUATED.

– [PRACTICES ARE SUPERIOR, NECESSARY, INEVITABLE -- EX: JOB INTERVIEW -- BURQUA, BRAIDS]

B) WHAT IS A SUBDOMINANT GROUP?

SUBDOMINANT GROUP – ALSO CALLED SUBORDINATE, SUBDOMINANT GROUPS STAND IN AN UNEQUAL RELATION TO DOMINANT GROUPS, ALTHOUGH THIS INEQUALITY MAY BE CONTESTED AND TRANSFORMED.

-- [EX: WOMEN'S GROUPS, CIVIL RIGHTS GROUPS, ORGANIZED RESISTANCE]

C) WHAT ARE MINORITY – MAJORITY GROUP RELATIONS?

THE CONCEPT OF A MINORITY AND MAJORITY GROUP DOES NOT REFER TO “NUMBERS” OR “STATISTICAL PROPORTIONS” — BUT RATHER — TO “POWER RELATIONS.”

THE CONCEPT OF MINORITY GROUP REFERS TO ANY GROUP — WHETHER BASED ON RACE, ETHNICITY, OR GENDER — THAT IS DISADVANTAGED, UNDERPRIVILEGED, OR EXCLUDED, DISCRIMINATED, OR EXPLOITED [SUBDOMINANT]. IT ALSO DESCRIBES A SOCIALLY DEFINED CATEGORY OF INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE PERCEIVED AS DIFFERENT AND TREATED ACCORDINGLY BY THE [DOMINANT] MAJORITY === AND === WHOSE DISPROPORTIONATE SHARE OF RESOURCES STEMS FROM A LACK OF INSTITUTIONALIZED POWER, DISCRIMINATORY BARRIERS, AND DENIAL OF OPPORTUNITY.

2) HOW DO WE "RANK" IN SOCIETY?

STRATIFICATION -- THE HIERARCIAL ARRANGEMENT OF SOCIAL STRATA == EVERY SOCIETY CAN BE DIVIDED INTO LAYERS OR HIERARCHIES THAT CAN BE RANKED ACCORDING TO CERTAIN CRITERIA IN ASCENDING OR DESCENDING ORDER. THIS SUGGESTS THAT INEQUALITY IS NOT RANDOM OR FLEETING, BUT IS PATTERNED AND PREDICTABLE AND TENDS TO CLUSTER AROUND CERTAIN DEVALUED CATEGORIES RELATED TO RACE OR ETHNICITY.

3) HOW ARE RANKS OR STATA CREATED?

SOCIAL BARRIERS AND IMPEDIMENTS CREATE DIFFERENTIAL ACCESS TO OPPORTUNITIES, RESOURCES AND REWARDS IN SOCIETY. [THEY INHIBIT AND DISADVANTAGE SOME GROUPS WHILE THEY FACILITATE AND ADVANTAGE OTHERS.]

4) WHAT IS THE RESULT OF RANKING IN CANADIAN SOCIETY?

STRUCTURED STATUS INEQUALITY. CANADA IS A VERTICALLY STRUCTURED ETHIC AND RACIAL MOSAIC. ETHNIC GROUPS WIELD VARYING DEGREES OF SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC POWER, STATUS, AND PRESTIGE. SOME GROUPS ARE HEAVILY REPRESENTED IN THE UPPER STRATA OR ELITE, AND OTHER GROUPS HEAVILY REPRESENTED IN THE LOWER STRATA.

5) HOW CAN WE MEASURE (TOOLS) RANKS IN SOCIETY?

[THE PRIMARY SOCIAL STRATA AND CONFIGURATIONS IN SOCIETY ARE:]

SOCIAL STRATIFICATION - A HIERARCHY OF POSITIONS THAT HAVE UNEQUAL PROPERTY, POWER AND PRESTIGE (3PS).

SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS - ONE'S POSITION IN SOCIETY BASED ON SOME COMBINATION OF EDUCATION, INCOME AND OCCUPATION (EIO)

SOCIAL CLASS - ARE BASED ON PROPERTY RELATIONS, AND REFER TO AN INDIVIDUALS RELATIONSHIP TO THE MEANS OF PRODUCTION. (BOURGEOISIE & PROLETARIAT)

ETHNO-RACIAL GROUP - ARE COMMUNITY AFFILIATIONS BASED ON SHARED CULTURAL AND/OR PHYSICAL TRAITS.

6) HOW DO MOST PEOPLE IDENTIFY THEMSELVES IN THE WORLD?

TODAY ETHNO-RACIAL STRATIFICATION IS THE KEY STATUS SYSTEM IN SOCIETY. [MANY SOCIOLOGISTS HAVE NOTED THE "GLOBAL ETHNIC REVIVAL" IN CONTEMPORARY HISTORY].

7) WHAT ARE THE MAJOR FAULT-LINES OF DIVISION?

INEQUALITIES REFLECT PATTERNS OF SOCIAL STRATIFICATION BY WHICH SOCIETY IS DIVIDED INTO UNEQUAL "STRATA" ALONG LINES OF CLASS, RACE AND ETHNICITY, GENDER, AGE, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, AND DISABILITY.

8) HOW CAN WE STUDY SOCIAL INEQUALITY (SOCIOLOGICALLY)?

SOCIAL INEQUALITY CAN BE STUDIED AS A SOCIAL PROBLEM ENCOMPASSING THREE DIMENSIONS: (1) OBJECTIVE [STRUCTURAL] CONDITIONS, {POWER, POVERTY, AND WEALTH, OCCUPATIONS AND EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT} (2) IDEOLOGICAL SUPPORTS, {FORMAL LAWS, PUBLIC POLICIES, DOMINATE VALUES, AND SO FORTH} [[[AND (3) SOCIAL REFORMS {E.G. ORGANIZED RESISTANCE, PROTEST GROUPS, SOCIAL MOVEMENTS}.]]]