Explain, in detail, socio-economic inequalities in the world power you
have studied. (6)
I have studied the USA.
One socio-economic inequality is education. In poorer areas of the USA, people
earn less money and so pay less tax. Tax is used to fund the schools in the area,
therefore if less tax is paid, the schools have less resources. This makes it much
harder for the schools to attract high-quality, well-trained teachers and so means
the level of education is much worse. This especially affects children from ethnic
minority groups, African Americans and Hispanics, as they are more likely to live
in these areas. This means that they are more likely to drop out of high school
and less likely to pursue higher education. Therefore, they will get lower paying
jobs and be forced to stay in poorer areas, so this cycle continues.
Another socio-economic inequality is health. Unlike in the UK, where healthcare
costs are covered by the NHS, people in the USA have to either pay for their own
healthcare or take out insurance to cover it. Health insurance can be very
expensive so those on low incomes or who are unemployed may not be able to
afford it. This particularly affects ethnic minority groups like African Americans
and Hispanics who are less likely to have private medical insurance. Not being
able to afford insurance can lead to debt from pricey medical bills, pushing
people further into poverty. For example, around 1.5 million Americans lose their
homes due to unaffordable medical costs.
Explain, in detail, reasons why some people experience social and
economic issues in the world power you have studied. (6)
I have studied the USA.
One reason people experience social and economic issues is because of racial
discrimination. As well as being statistically more likely to drop out of high
school, minority ethnic groups like African Americans also experience racial
discrimination when applying for jobs. Studies have shown that people who have
names that can be recognised as being ‘black’ are less likely to get jobs than
people with white-sounding names, even if they have the same experience and
qualifications. Racist employers may also discriminate against black candidates
during the interview process. This is part of the reason that the employment rate
for African Americans is around double that of White Americans.
Another reason people experience social and economic issues is because of the
poverty cycle and education. In the USA, the amount of money a school receives
is very dependant on how wealthy the area is, as a lot of the funding comes from
local taxes. Therefore, schools in poorer areas receive much less money because
the people who live there tend to be on a low-income job, or unemployed so they
pay much less tax. This means that the school is less likely to be able to afford
necessary resources and makes it difficult to attract high-quality, well-trained
teachers. This especially affects African Americans and Hispanic people who are
more likely to live in these areas. This means that they are more likely to drop
out of high school and less likely to pursue higher education, so they take on
lower-paying jobs and so the poverty cycle continues.
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