Miss Case

P1 Explain the concept of an unequal society

There are many concepts involved with an unequal society. To begin with unequal society refers to where they are clear boundaries in society that prevent people from attaining equal status. There are therefore many concepts involved with this.

One of the key concepts of an unequal society is prejudice. Prejudice refers to have a preconceived opinion about certain social groups due to holding fixed attitudes and beliefs about that particular social group. The preconceived opinion is often negative and sometimes hostile about that certain group. An example of prejudice is thinking that all black men are thieves. Prejudice is closely linked to discrimination; this is because prejudice is having the fixed attitude and belief about that particular group. Discrimination on the other hand, is acting upon that preconceived opinion, which can lead to treating that particular person or social group differently and unfavourable. For example using the previous example, an employer may act upon their prejudice by refusing to hire black men. Discrimination of certain groups can lead that particular group feeling marginalised. This means that they may be left out or excluded from mainstream society and may be denied certain resources and opportunities that the rest of society offers.

Stereotyping is also another key concept. Stereotyping refers to holding an over generalised belief about a specific group of people and believing that, that particular group share all the same characteristics and not taking account of individual differences. An example of a stereotype is that all Muslims are terrorists. Certain groups of people may experience labelling, if that particular belief is widely believed. This means that the stereotypical views of that particular group are applied to them, it therefore ignores individual differences.

Social exclusion may result from the other concepts mentioned. The main groups of people that experience social exclusion are those that are of a lower social class or from certain ethnic backgrounds. Social exclusion is a process that results in certain social groups pushed to margin or alienated and unable to participate fully. This can result to linked problems such as unemployment, poor housing, poor health and low income. A good example of a social group that may experience social exclusion, are groups of people that are on low income and