causes of social inequality

Question 1

cycle of poverty

Answer 1

children who grow up in low income families are more likely to suffer from mental health issues and do less well in school - with a lack of education harder to get high earning job break out of cycle
1 in 8 children in low income families are likely to become high income earners

resulting in reaching retirement age with much lower entitlement - state pension being just over £100 a week - inadequate

Question 2

unemployment

Answer 2

those without a job are not earning money and not having a secure income
despite unemployment rate being lowest since 2005 at 4.5% still an issue

forces people to rely on benefits, however recent benefit cut put in place to encourage people to work - causing greater inequality to people who cannot find work - single parents

over 65% of people in poverty are unemployed - shows a huge factor that has a knock-on effect to things like health

Question 3

low pay

Answer 3

1 million people in UK on minimum wage
insufficient - real living wage - unofficial choice for employers, 3800 employers chosen it as a more realistic wage
UK still has long way to go before everyone implements it or option that RLW is made compulsory

2015 bottom 10% earners earned less than £300 a week, top 10% earn more than £1000 shows divide in UK
low pay is a deterrent for workers from jobs - some cases claiming benefits provides more money

more than half of people in poverty live in a family where someone is in work
showing that low paid jobs are not lifting people out of poverty and low pay is significant as to why people are stuck in trap

Question 4

pay gap

Answer 4

• currently at 18%

- many huge companies like Asda and Glasgow council underpaying women for work of equal value to men

Question 5

parental leave policies

Answer 5

• men in Scotland only entitled to 2 weeks paid paternity leave, meaning maternity leave is much more popular option, putting woman out of work for longer