Introduction
In this new era of globalism, grievances that splinter society should not exist. Yet the United States, a highly developed democracy, still lacks the infrastructure its Nordic counterparts can afford. Countries such as Sweden, the Netherlands, and Norway, rank among the most equal societies. This withstanding in these societies, women are not paid less than their male counterparts, access to support programs aids the urban populace, and the difference between the wealthiest and poorest individuals diminishes. Annette Lareau’s Unequal Childhoods, examines numerous family units, across an array of socio-economic statuses, to observe their unequal treatment in society (2003). From the parent-child relationship growing from urban decay …show more content…
Income inequality has never been at higher levels than it is now. One method to measure such stratification is through the Gini Index, a statistical model where countries are rated from 0 to 1 according to how unequally wealth is distributed. The most unequal societies fall higher on the scale, while conversely the more equal societies find status on the lower end. Post-taxes, America ranks .37 on the Gini Index (Smeeding 2005). For comparison, Finland, Sweden, and the Netherlands all fall below .26 on the scale (Smeeding 2005). While not severe, the effects of such distributions reflect on the respective societies. For America, three components elevate this coefficient: race, gender, and education (Massey 2007). Though many in America consider racism dead, its prevalence in society has not fallen off. Furthermore, gender has shaped the corporate world, allocating many mainstream positions to women, while men assume upper-management positions. Despite this, education remains the most prevailing factor contributing to this divide (Massey
In this new era of globalism, grievances that splinter society should not exist. Yet the United States, a highly developed democracy, still lacks the infrastructure its Nordic counterparts can afford. Countries such as Sweden, the Netherlands, and Norway, rank among the most equal societies. This withstanding in these societies, women are not paid less than their male counterparts, access to support programs aids the urban populace, and the difference between the wealthiest and poorest individuals diminishes. Annette Lareau’s Unequal Childhoods, examines numerous family units, across an array of socio-economic statuses, to observe their unequal treatment in society (2003). From the parent-child relationship growing from urban decay …show more content…
Income inequality has never been at higher levels than it is now. One method to measure such stratification is through the Gini Index, a statistical model where countries are rated from 0 to 1 according to how unequally wealth is distributed. The most unequal societies fall higher on the scale, while conversely the more equal societies find status on the lower end. Post-taxes, America ranks .37 on the Gini Index (Smeeding 2005). For comparison, Finland, Sweden, and the Netherlands all fall below .26 on the scale (Smeeding 2005). While not severe, the effects of such distributions reflect on the respective societies. For America, three components elevate this coefficient: race, gender, and education (Massey 2007). Though many in America consider racism dead, its prevalence in society has not fallen off. Furthermore, gender has shaped the corporate world, allocating many mainstream positions to women, while men assume upper-management positions. Despite this, education remains the most prevailing factor contributing to this divide (Massey