Theories of Social Inequality

Individualism The Underclass? The Conservative Party is the party most closely associated with individualism. Individualists believe that it is the individual’s responsibility to secure a decent quality of life, not the state’s. Individualists believe in individual responsibility and private ownership. Individualists believe in low taxation to encourage self reliance and hard work. Individualists believe that inequalities in health can be explained by “lifestyle choices” such as smoking, drinking too much, or eating unhealthy foods, which can lead to lower life expectancy. Individualists believe that the individual should take much more responsibility for their health care, to the extent of taking out private membership of gyms and health insurance. The Underclass?

A Property Owning Democracy Individualists believe in the concept of a “property owning democracy”. They believe that, if an individual owns a home that individual will take more responsibility over their life and the wider community. They believe home-owners, as opposed to home renters, are more likely to maintain and improve their home, in order to improve its market value. Similarly, individualists believe home owners will take more of an interest in tackling anti-social behaviour, as high crime rates will lower property values. They believe that state ownership stifles enterprise and innovation. They also believe that a cradle-to-grave system of benefits creates a “nanny state” and a dependency culture.

The Big Society Prime Minister David Cameron has ‘modernised’ these classical individualist beliefs for the UK of the 21st century. He has attempted to reduce the role of the state. His ‘Big Society’ encourages voluntary groups to support those less fortunate and the Coalition has cut benefit entitlements for those it believes are ‘workshy’. The use of foodbanks is celebrated as a successful way of the better off directly helping, rather than the state being involved.

Strivers not Skivers Chancellor George Osborne has waged a successful political campaign against ‘skivers’. The Conservatives have cut welfare payments and introduced a ‘living wage’. The National Living Wage, starting at £7.20 and rising to £9 an hour by 2020, replaces the £6.50 minimum wage. Chancellor George Osborne

Collectivism Collectivists believe in the opposite of the individualists. They believe that the state has a responsibility to provide for the weakest in society. They believe that we should all pay national insurance in order to fund support for those out of work or too young, too old or to ill to work. In short, the vision of the welfare state which was established in the UK after World War Two. Spirit of ‘45 trailer

Labour and Collectivism The Labour Party is the party most associated with Collectivism. There is a contest for the future of Labour and the future of Collectivism. Some Labour activists believe that collectivism in 2014 is different from the collectivism of 1945. New Labour and post New Labour leaders have accepted that the welfare state should not be ‘universal’. For example, Labour believes in university fees and the means testing of benefits. Others such as Jeremy Corbyn and Owen Jones have supported a more traditional view of Collectivism. Owen Jones Welfare State

Biological Theory Sir Harry Burns has investigated why poorer people, particularly in the west of Scotland and particularly since the 1950s, suffer from worse health than richer people. His conclusions are that difficult social circumstances, especially in the early years of life, have a dramatic effect on the body’s host defences. A child who is brought up in a chaotic environment, for example, having parents with drink or drugs issues, instability of care, neglect and/or poor housing will be brought up in an aggressive environment.

Rejects Individualism Poor lifestyle choices do make a difference to health and life expectancy. But the middle classes smoke and drink too! So, lifestyle choices, on their own, do not explain health inequalities.

A Chaotic Childhood is the Killer Sir Harry Burn’s theme is hat this an immediate effect on the child’s nervous system and, later in life, the body’s capacity to fight illness. So, the long term answer to health inequalities is to tackle poverty. In the short term it is to intervene early with children who are at risk from chaotic upbringing.

So is a Lack of Hope and Control Sir Harry Burns also argues that while wealthier people with responsible jobs suffer stress, they have some degree of control over their lives, which makes the stress less toxic on the body. Poorer people, by contrast, have less control over their life, and the stress is much more damaging. Sir Harry Burns