Inequality is a central concept in sociology. Every society has a stratification systeman arrangement of society into groups that are unequal with regard to things valued in that society. In the United States, for example, we stratify people based on social class (or how much income and wealth they have). Our location within the stratification system impacts much of our lives. How would your life be different if you came from a family with billions of dollars? Would you have gone to the same school? Played with the same toys? Gone on the same vacations? While inequality exists in every society, it tends to be different as to how it is structured according to time period or location. In earlier times, inequality was based on who owned the land. Today, it is shaped by a variety of factors including income, wealth, gender, race/ethnicity, age, and ability status. For example, women and some racial/ethnic groups make less for the same work as males. Despite this, we have a tendency in the United States to believe that neither social class nor class conflict exist. Unfortunately, research and data suggest otherwise. We still have a division of people based on their income and wealth, with some at the top and others at the bottom. While we belong to a wealthy, industrially developed country, poverty still exists. Sociologists examine these issues of poverty and inequality in a society and try to better understand why structures of inequality exist in society. Do you think inequality is always going to exist? Focus on this as you delve into the resources and prepare for the assessment. By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria: American culture emphasizes self-sufficiency and working hard to get where you want. It is assumed that everyone has the ability to succeed if they work hard enough. For this assessment, write a paper applying key concepts regarding social stratification to argue for or against the inevitability of economic inequality. While there are many forms of inequality in the United States, for this assessment we will be focusing solely on economic inequality. Write an essay in which you complete all of the following:
