social and economic issues

• What is social inequality

  This occurs when resources are unfairly distributed amongst society, resulting in a lack of opportunities and rewards for some groups in society
• What are some social inequalities the USA deals with

  • Education
  • Health
  • Crime and Law
• One educational inequality is poor schools

  • This means that people in poverty have no choice but to send their children to local schools where they have problems attracting good qualified teachers which disrupts pupils education. This affects ethnic minorities more than white Americans
  • For example, Utah pays the least per student per year, $6900 and New York spends over three times this at $22000
• One educational inequality is education opportunities given to different groups

  • This is where not all Americans have the same access to good quality schooling because schools are funded by local taxes and also access to college/university is harder due to the cost so some groups are more likely to suffer than others
  • For example, 40% of White Americans have a degree compared to only 27% of Americans
• One government response to social inequality that has been effective is the Head Start programme

  • This is designed to help overcome educational inequalities by giving targeted nutritional and educational support to poorer children before they start elementary school
  • For example, a report in 2019 found that children who had received Head Start were 39% more likely to complete college showing its long term effectiveness
• One government response that has been ineffective to social inequality is the Head Start Programme as it does not do enough to reduce social inequality between ethnic groups

  • This is designed to help overcome educational inequalities by giving targeted nutritional and educational support to poorer children before they start school so they have a better future. Black Americans are more likely to be poorer and get Head Start, yet they have lower degree rates than White Americans
  • For example, around 40% of White Americans have a degree compared to around 27% of Black Americans.
• One social inequality in the USA is health inequalities

  • This is where citizens in the USA do not all have easy access to healthcare to meet their basic needs or address any health issues that occur
  • For example, in 2021 around 8% of Americans did not have access to healthcare in the US
• Another government response to social inequality that has been effective is the affordable care act

  • This is also known as Obamacare
  • this is aimed to improve the quality and affordability of health insurance and reduce the amount of people who do not have insurance
  • For example, as the number of people without insurance has fallen by around 15 million people since ACA was introduced
• Another social issue in the USA is high levels of gun crime

  • This means that Americans have the right to bear arms as given to them in the 2nd amendment of the Constitution, this has resulted in a huge amount of gun violence and gun related deaths
  • For example, in 2023 gun deaths in the US peaked at almost 47,000
• How does race effect gun crime

  Black people die by gunshot two times more often than white people
• What are the economic inequalities in the USA

  • Poverty
  • Unemployment
• One economic inequality in the USA is the rate of poverty

  • Poverty is when a citizen does not have enough money to cover the basics in life such as a home, heating, health or access to things such as food, the rate of poverty in the USA is quite different between the various ethnic groups
  • For example, in the USA Black Americans have a poverty rate of around 17% compared to around 9% of White Americans
• Another economic inequality in the USA is the rates of unemployment

  • Unemployment rates measure the number of people who are able to work but for certain reasons have been unable to find work. This could be because of a lack of education or a bad economy but Black Americans are more likely to be unemployed than white Americans
  • For example, the unemployment rate of Black Americans in 2023 was around 3%
• What are the government responses to economic issues

  • IRA
  • SNAP
  • TANF
• One government response to economic inequalities which is effective is the IRA

  • It made changes to the US on rules around tackling climate change, energy and medicine. This will go some way in helping poorer Americans find work and save money on healthcare while it tackles both unemployment and poverty
  • For example, in the first 12 months the IRA created 170,000 jobs for US citizens
• What is the IRA

  A post pandemic response of the government to help rebuild the US economy and create new greener jobs for US citizens
• Another government response to economic inequalities which is effective is SNAP

  • SNAP is designed to combat economic inequality by providing food assistance to low income individuals and families
  • For example, children in families that use SNAP are less likely to be underweight and are more likely to see a doctor than poor families that don't access SNAP
• What is SNAP

  People on SNAP are given an electronic benefit transfer card that acts like a debit card that they can use at supermarkets (preapproved). The main focus of what you buy is foods such as fruits, veg, meat, dairy and non-alcoholic beverages
• One government response to economic inequalities which is ineffective is SNAP

  • SNAP is designed to combat economic inequality by providing food assistance to low income individuals and families
  • For example, SNAP has been running for over 60 years and there continues to be around 40 million people a year accessing it. This suggests it is more of a response to the effects of poverty rather than a key response to the cause of poverty
• Another government response economic inequalities which is ineffective is TANF

  • TANF is a federal assistance program in the US that provides cash benefits to low income with children. This means that someone on TANF is expected to be in some kind of work related activities. These could include gaining new skills, searching for a job or some kind of community service
  • For example, in 1996c, 68% of families receive cash assistance but by 2021 it was down to 21% meaning it has become much less effective over time
• What groups experience social inequality less

  White Americans
• What group experiences social inequalities more

  Black Americans
• Why might some groups experience social inequalities less

  • Lower levels of poverty
  • Higher rates of employment
• One reason white Americans might suffer educational inequality less is because of their lower levels of poverty

  • There is not an equal access to quality education and you are more likely to get a better level of education and get to college if you can afford to pay for your education . White Americans are generally richer so they are more likely to be able to pay for a better education
  • For example, around 40% of White Americans have a college degree in contrast to around 27% of Black Americans
• Another reason Whiter Americans might suffer health inequality less is because of their higher rates of employment

  • There is no free universal health system in America like there is in the UK and in the US people are ore likely to get access to healthcare as part of their job. With higher employment White Americans are more likely to have healthcare, helping them live a little longer
  • For example, White Americans live around 6 years longer than Black Americans
• Why might some groups experience social inequalities more

  • higher levels of poverty
  • higher rates of unemployment
• One reason Black Americans suffer educational inequality more is because of their higher level of poverty

  • There is not an equal amount of access to quality education and you are more likely to get a better level of education and go to college if you can afford to pay for your education. Black Americans are generally poorer so are less able to pay
  • For example, around 27% of Black Americans have a college degree compared to 40% of White Americans, therefore Black Americans are more likely to experience educational inequality
• Another reasons Black Americans might suffer from health inequality is because of their higher rates of unemployment

  • There is no free universal healthcare system in the US like there is in the UK and in the US people are more likely to get access to quality healthcare as a part of their job. With lower employment, Black Americans are less likely to have healthcare that helps them live longer
  • For example, White Americans live around 6 years longer than Black Americans. Therefore, one reason Black Americans suffer more in the US is due to their higher rates of unemployment
• What is the average income in the USA

  $36,300
• How much is the average four year degree in the USA

  • $36,000
• What does SNAP stand for

  The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program
• What are Government responses to health inequalities

  • Medicaid
  • Medicare
  • Affordable Care Act
• What is medicaid

  Largest source of funding for medical and health related services for people with low income. It provides free health insurance to 74 million low income and disabled people (23% of Americans)
• What is medicare

  Provides healthcare to people over the age of 65 and foor people with disabilities
• What does TANF stand for

  Temporary Assistance for Needy Families