3a - The distribution of resources, wealth and opportunities are not evenly spread within and between places

Question 1

What is social inequality?

Answer 1

• differences - based on factors such as age, ethnicity, gender, religion, education and wealth
• distribution of resources, wealth and opportunities are not evenly spread
• diff in quality of life/standard of living

MEASURED THROUGH MULTIPLE INDICIES - healthcare, housing, education, employment

Question 2

Measuring social inequality

housing:

Answer 2

• related to income - type and quality of housing people occupy
• Housing tenure -
• ACs = owner-occupiers own their house outright, achieved through mortgages or renting from private landlords of local council
• LIDCs = more complex - eg squatter settlements people may not have legal right to the land they occupy

Question 3

Measuring social inequality

healthcare:

Answer 3

• there is a strong association between poverty and ill health - can be influenced by variables such as number of health professionals eg Malawi 1Dr : 40k people, uk = 1 Dr : 4k people
• lifestyle - related to income = affects health
• uk ‘postcode lottery’ determines how good healthcare is in your area

Question 4

Measuring social inequality

education:

Answer 4

• formal education - paper qualifications provided by schools
• informal - acquired skills (LIDCs - there may not be records of these)
• Literacy (ability to read and write) - main measure of education compared globally

Question 5

Measuring social inequality

employment

Answer 5

• high levels of unemployment and levels of regular income has a profound effect on standard of living and QoL
• LIDCs - many work in the informal economy with no security or secured income
• has links to education

Question 6

Why spatial patterns of social inequality vary?

Wealth

Answer 6

• determine where you can live eg quality/type of house, location - catchment of best schools
• how much DI you have - QoL, food
• lack of qualifications are major obstacles to wealth

Question 7

Why spatial patterns of social inequality vary?

Housing

Answer 7

• poor housing = physical and mental illnesses eg damp, overcrowding, poor sanitisation
• as house prices rise, those who own houses are more wealthy and those who rent get nothing and gap of inequality increases
• rapid urbanisation = inability to provide homes to all
• social housing has fallen a lot since 1980s

Question 8

Why spatial patterns of social inequality vary?

Health

Answer 8

• poor health keeps people out of schools and work - affects incomes and qualifications - cycle of poverty
• deprivation = poor housing, poor nutrition = bad immunity and increase health issues
• rural areas have less access and increased costs to travel to healthcare

Question 9

Why spatial patterns of social inequality vary?

Education

Answer 9

• affects peoples earning potentials = incomes and housing
• lack of education both creates and maintains inequalities
• positive feedback loop

Question 10

Why spatial patterns of social inequality vary?

Access to services

Answer 10

• differences between core and peripheral regions
• core = centres of economic growth, more tax rev, gov I eg London (in England),
• urban residents have better services despite income eg public transport and digital connectivity - digital divide = influential in where people are able to work (in LIDC - increasing satellite tech to reduce inequalities so remote locations are also connected)
• small threshold pop means that rural areas lack services = increased living cost from travelling to services