This collection of edited papers gives an integrated understanding of the question of "why is society unequal"? This book is aimed at those stakeholders, who want to make or contribute to change and build an undivided, socially inclusive society, and to those who want to contribute to empowering society in the Twenty-First century.

This book discusses the factors behind the inequalities embedded within our social, economic and political systems. Social inequalities are especially seen in the service sectors – in the differences of access to healthcare, education, social protection, housing systems, childcare, elderly care etc. Cultural inequality, which segregates people from the mainstream based on recognition problems with a specific groups’ social status, language, religion, customs and norms, is another widespread issue. This book tries to present an accurate picture of these issues with cases studies from various countries. Mostly, when we talk about inequality, the focus is on economic inequality; however, much inequality persists, especially discrimination due to gender, age, origin, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, class, and religion. To end this situation there is a need for social, economic, and political reform. Until or unless the marginalized groups are empowered, the inequality issue cannot be solved or even minimized. On the basis of various case studies, this book encourages us to rethink societal development through the lens of growing inequalities and disparities. The book presents new insights for evaluating the progress on social development. The book highlights the current challenges of social inequality. In combination this collection of edited papers gives an integrated understanding of the question of “why is society unequal”? This book is aimed at those stakeholders, who want to make or contribute to change and build an undivided, socially inclusive society, and to those who want to contribute to empowering society in the Twenty-First century.

Inequality has emerged as a key development challenge. It holds implications for economic growth and redistribution and translates into power asymmetries that can endanger human rights, create conflict, and embed social exclusion and chronic poverty. For these reasons, it underpins intense public and academic debates and has become a dominant policy concern within many countries and in all multilateral agencies. It is at the core of the 17 goals of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This book contributes to this important discussion by presenting assessments of the measurement and analysis of global inequality by leading inequality scholars, aligning these to comprehensive reviews of inequality trends in five of the world's largest developing countries - Brazil, China, India, Mexico, and South Africa.

Inequality in income, earnings, and wealth has risen dramatically in the United States over the past three decades. Most research into this issue has focused on the causes—global trade, new technology, and economic policy—rather than the consequences of inequality. In Social Inequality, a group of the nation's leading social scientists opens a wide-ranging inquiry into the social implications of rising economic inequality. Beginning with a critical evaluation of the existing research, they assess whether the recent run-up in economic inequality has been accompanied by rising inequality in social domains such as the quality of family and neighborhood life, equal access to education and health care, job satisfaction, and political participation. Marcia Meyers and colleagues find that many low-income mothers cannot afford market-based child care, which contributes to inequality both at the present time—by reducing maternal employment and family income—and through the long-term consequences of informal or low-quality care on children's educational achievement. At the other end of the educational spectrum, Thomas Kane links the growing inequality in college attendance to rising tuition and cuts in financial aid. Neil Fligstein and Taek-Jin Shin show how both job security and job satisfaction have decreased for low-wage workers compared with their higher-paid counterparts. Those who fall behind economically may also suffer diminished access to essential social resources like health care. John Mullahy, Stephanie Robert, and Barbara Wolfe discuss why higher inequality may lead to poorer health: wider inequality might mean increased stress-related ailments for the poor, and it might also be associated with public health care policies that favor the privileged. On the political front, Richard Freeman concludes that political participation has become more stratified as incomes have become more unequal. Workers at the bottom of the income scale may simply be too hard-pressed or too demoralized to care about political participation. Social Inequality concludes with a comprehensive section on the methodological problems involved in disentangling the effects of inequality from other economic factors, which will be of great benefit to future investigators. While today's widening inequality may be a temporary episode, the danger is that the current economic divisions may set in motion a self-perpetuating cycle of social disadvantage. The most comprehensive review of this quandary to date, Social Inequality maps out a new agenda for research on inequality in America with important implications for public policy.

'Punchily written ... He leaves the reader with a sense of the gross injustice of a world where health outcomes are so unevenly distributed' Times Literary Supplement 'Splendid and necessary' Henry Marsh, author of Do No Harm, New Statesman There are dramatic differences in health between countries and within countries. But this is not a simple matter of rich and poor. A poor man in Glasgow is rich compared to the average Indian, but the Glaswegian's life expectancy is 8 years shorter. The Indian is dying of infectious disease linked to his poverty; the Glaswegian of violent death, suicide, heart disease linked to a rich country's version of disadvantage. In all countries, people at relative social disadvantage suffer health disadvantage, dramatically so. Within countries, the higher the social status of individuals the better is their health. These health inequalities defy usual explanations. Conventional approaches to improving health have emphasised access to technical solutions – improved medical care, sanitation, and control of disease vectors; or behaviours – smoking, drinking – obesity, linked to diabetes, heart disease and cancer. These approaches only go so far. Creating the conditions for people to lead flourishing lives, and thus empowering individuals and communities, is key to reduction of health inequalities. In addition to the scale of material success, your position in the social hierarchy also directly affects your health, the higher you are on the social scale, the longer you will live and the better your health will be. As people change rank, so their health risk changes. What makes these health inequalities unjust is that evidence from round the world shows we know what to do to make them smaller. This new evidence is compelling. It has the potential to change radically the way we think about health, and indeed society.

The book outlines a journey from enabling models of government and business to strategies for creating both financial and social inclusion and entrepreneurism as mechanisms for sustainable and inclusive growth.

This book focuses primarily on social inequalities in the American context. However, a trend in this course is how the global inequalities are effecting, and affected by social stratification and inequality in America. The second edition of Sernau's Worlds Apart reflects that trend. Three new visual essays provide powerful illustrations of inequality in Global (Honduras), Rural (Navaholand), and Urban (Deindustrialized) Contexts. Chapter 3 is on the Gordian Knot, of Race, Class, and Gender; and chapter 12 is on Challenging the System: Social Movements. It has updated figures that includes information from the 2004 election. This edition's theme has been how the current regime of market-driven solutions actually contribute to rather than reduce social inequality. This edition continues to highlight inequality in America, with the addition of how social inequalities in America are affected by global inequalities.