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What Are The Theories Of Social Inequality

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There are various theories of social inequality that relate to inequality within New Zealand. These theories attempt to provide a theoretical explanation to help us understand issues of inequality. This essay seeks to discuss how theories of social inequality, human rights and intersectionality, relate to the topic of race within New Zealand, in particular Maori and Pacifica experiences of inequality. Firstly I will introduce the issue of inequality and race and how it manifests in New Zealand, secondly I will discuss the theories, and apply them to the topic of race and finally I will discuss how the theories work together to explain inequalities of race, their similarities and their contradictories towards each other, and what we gain from using multiple theories to understand a topic such as race.

Inequality is the existence of unequal rewards and opportunities that different social positions and statuses within a group experience (Crossman, n.d.). “It contains structured and recurrent patterns of unequal distributions …show more content…
Maori and Pacifica experience difficulty in obtaining employment due to oppression, hence their rights or achievement of their full humanity is not being exercised. Maori and Pacifica’s right to meaningful work should be the same as any other member of New Zealand society, but their oppression of race makes it harder for them to exercise that right (Ike, 2001). Human rights illuminate that disadvantaged groups, such as Maori and Pacifica, experience disadvantages and the inability to realise their full humanity (Ife, 2001). According to Ife (2001) human rights acknowledge the existence and nature of structures and discourses of oppression that run counter to the values of human rights. Human rights obscure that the unemployment issue for Maori and Pacifica may not be caused by their human rights being abused and little to do with their oppressions and

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