Social Inequity: Social Classes and their Impact

The issue of social classes in society has been in existence for a long period of time, given that there is respect and honor accorded to those with material wealth in society. According to sociologists, the social classes in society include the upper class, the upper middle, the lower middle, working class, and the poor. All these categories of people strive to make ends meet and realize their goals in life. However, the different social classes may affect the achievement of life goals in various ways as discussed in this essay.

First, a person’s social class is of much significance to their physical health. According to scholars, the ability of a person to get good medical care and nutrition, which has an impact on life expectancy, is largely determined by their social-economic status. The environment in which humans live determines their health. This means that there are risk factors in people’s living conditions that might cause ill health and the achievement of life goals.

Second, lower social economic classes have limited access to quality education. In modern times, most good academic institutions with good facilities hike their tuition fees making it extremely difficult for the lower class to enroll in such institutions. They, instead, go to institutions with inadequate learning facilities where quality is compromised since they want to operate within their means.

In addition, social economic status determines the access to the factors of production which can boost a person’s economic status and facilitate the achievement of their goals. Some of these factors (capital) require connection with the elite members of society. Those who may not have the access to capital, for example, may find it difficult to start a business venture because they lack capital.

Lastly, the social inequity determines one’s chance of getting an employment. Those in the upper social class have high chances of getting better employment opportunities as opposed to their poor counterparts because they have access to powerful individuals in the political circles.

In conclusion, there is need for government to try and reduce the gaps between the social classes, so that every citizen can have an opportunity to realize their life goals regardless of their social-economic status. Giving people equal chances in society will have an impact on crime rates, thus making the world a safer place to live.

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