The idea of social justice focuses on the concept of fairness in relations between individuals in society, as well as equal access to wealth, opportunities, and privileges.
There are many forms of social injustice. Discrimination permeates many aspects of our lives, from education and employment opportunities to prejudice and bias in social interactions. Social injustice, such as racial profiling and police brutality, continues to afflict societies worldwide, marginalizing and mistreating minorities.
There is, however, more to social injustice than individual acts of discrimination. Inequality is deeply rooted in social structures and institutions. An example of a systemic social injustice is the gender pay gap, in which women earn less than men for the same work. Additionally, the disproportionate representation of certain groups of people in positions of power and influence shows the systemic barriers that hinder social mobility.
During the Industrial Revolution, social justice was first considered to reduce the exploitation of marginalized groups and to promote more egalitarian societies due to the vast disparity between rich and poor. The initial focus of social justice was on issues of capital, property, and wealth distribution due to the extreme inequality and economic distress prevalent in the European social class system at the time.
As social justice has evolved, an increasingly strong emphasis has been placed on improving the lives of disadvantaged and marginalized groups that have historically faced discrimination. They have been discriminated against based on factors such as sex, age, wealth, ethnicity, heritage, social status, and religion. To achieve social justice, some underprivileged groups are often provided with income, jobs, and education opportunities.
There are different principles of social justice such as access to resources, equity, participation, diversity, and human rights. An important principle of social justice is equal access to resources for all socioeconomic groups. Many societies provide a variety of resources and services to their citizens such as healthcare, food, shelter, education, and recreation. There is, however, unequal access to these services (Team, 2023).
Policymakers need to appreciate cultural differences to construct policies that consider the differences between societal groups. The inequities within society should be considered by policymakers and civil servants for a more effective approach to expanding opportunities for marginalized or disadvantaged groups. A constant issue in society is the discrimination against employees based on their race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, and other characteristics. A policy that counteracts discriminatory practices is one way in which diversity is taken into account.
As a fundamental element of social justice, human rights form one of its most important principles. In many ways, human rights and social justice are intertwined, and they cannot exist without each other, with governments, organizations and individuals such as politicians and lawyers safeguarding civil, economic, political, cultural and legal rights. It is paradoxical to learn that the aftermath of Brexit has been the re-raising of the issue of whether the United Kingdom should still recognise the European Court of Human Rights (Jones KCB KC (Hon), 2022), which makes me wonder as to the reasons for this and to whose benefit and peril?
Classism or class discrimination is “the institutional, cultural and individual set of practices and beliefs that assign differential value to people according to their socioeconomic class; and an economic system that creates excessive inequality and causes basic human needs to go unmet” (University, 2000).
There are three dimensions of social class which are the economic dimension, the political dimension, and the cultural dimension. Economic factors have a greater impact on shaping people's lives than other factors, such as gender, ethnicity or age, making social class the primary form of stratification. An unequal distribution of resources and opportunities across socioeconomic classes is termed social class inequality. Some examples of social inequality are gender inequality, ageism, and ableism (Smarter, 2002).
In this regard, there is evidence that these disparities in wealth are also reflected in the health and wellbeing needs of the population, with those in the higher social class scale enjoying better living conditions and having access to better and more accessible health treatments, i.e. private medical treatments, than those in the lower socio-economic status living within the poverty threshold.
Governments have great responsibility in reducing the gap in class and health inequalities through welfare policies, job and career opportunities, a fairer tax system where those with more wealth contribute more as well as universal access to education and health services for the general population. I was surprised to hear in the news, during the recent by-election, that the maternity unit in Rochdale has remained closed since 2011 after their many failings in their duty of care were reported (Evening News, 2013). Recent statistics show the life-expectancy gap between the affluent and the poor has widened in recent years due to austerity measures which include longer waiting lists to access health services (Hinsliff, 2020).
Participation refers to the right of individuals to speak up and have a voice when it comes to matters that affect their livelihood and standard of living. Inequality occurs when one group makes decisions on behalf of the majority, while others cannot be heard. I find it ironic that the turnout at the Rochdale by-election was 39.7% ( News, 2024)and makes me wonder if the group has not only lost their voice but also faith in their politicians.
In September 2023, it was reported that 4.2 million children in the UK lived in poverty, with schools and those in education reporting on their witnessing the impact of poverty on children and families in their daily lives and their life chances. The relationship between poverty and educational outcomes for children has been well established, with some children from socio-economic disadvantaged backgrounds failing to achieve a minimum level of education, poorer attendance, lower attainment and falling behind in their school readiness to their peers from wealthier family backgrounds as well as speech and language developmental delays are some of the findings in what is also known as educational poverty (Children, 2006).
As mentioned, class structure contributes to inequalities in society that constrain or afford individuals access to opportunities, services, and resources. Changes in working conditions and labour market requirements, however, can create prospects and chances for social mobility and changes in class formation.
In this regard, the decline of the manufacturing industry in the post-industrial economy increased white collar or middle-class jobs as the service economy rose. Despite this, sociologist John Goldthorpe (1972) argued that the chances of a person from a working-class background moving upwards to the service class were low (Smarter, 2003).
Aldrige (2001) suggests that the level of mobility in a society can tell a great deal about equality and opportunity as the lack of upward mobility hints at inequality of opportunity. Moreover, a society that believes in improving their life chances through hard work and determination, is more likely to achieve social cohesion (Smarter, 2003).
References:
Children, S.T. (2006) UK poverty, Save the Children UK. Available at: https://www.savethechildren.org.uk/what-we-do/policy-and-practice/our-policy-areas/uk-poverty#:~:text=The%20poorest%20children%20struggle%20the,likely%20to%20start%20school%20behind. (Accessed: 03 March 2024).
Evening News, M. (2013) NHS confirms Maternity Unit at Rochdale Infirmary Will Close, Manchester Evening News. Available at: https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/health/nhs-confirms-maternity-unit-at-rochdale-853123 (Accessed: 29th Febrary).
Hinsliff, G. (2020) The fall in life expectancy is proof that austerity kills | Gaby Hinsliff, The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/feb/25/levelling-up-life-expectancy-tories-government-health (Accessed: 27th February 2024).
Jones KCB KC (Hon), J. (2022) The European Convention on Human Rights: Leave or stay? you decide, Institute for Government. Available at: https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/ECHR-leave-or-stay (Accessed: 27th February 2024).
University, S. (2000) Classism, Student Affairs. Available at: https://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/stanford-against-hate/classism#:~:text=Classism%20(or%20class%20discrimination)%3A,human%20needs%20to%20go%20unmet. (Accessed: 28th Febrary 2024).
News, I. (2024) Rochdale by-election: George Galloway win overturns huge Labour majority, ITV News. Available at: https://www.itv.com/news/granada/2024-03-01/rochdale-by-election-george-galloway-win-overturns-huge-labour-majority (Accessed: 27th February 2024).
Smarter, S. (2002) Social Class Inequality , StudySmarter UK. Available at: https://www.studysmarter.co.uk/explanations/social-studies/stratification-and-differentiation/social-class-inequality/ (Accessed: 28th February 2024).
Smarter, S. (2003) Sociology, StudySmarter UK. Available at: https://www.studysmarter.co.uk/explanations/social-studies/stratification-and-differentiation/social-mobility/#:~:text=Anthony%20Giddens%20(1973)%20suggests%20that,pay%2C%20better%20conditions%2C%20etc. (Accessed: 27th February 2024).
Team, C. (2023) Social justice, Corporate Finance Institute. Available at: https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/esg/social-justice/ (Accessed: 28th February 2024).
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