Social Inequality between Nations (Matrix Included)

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Dear Student,
Hello. Due to elements that you asked for in your posting I have decide to provide you with 2 things - a discussion of poverty and social inequality with a focus on the poverty line (including the UK) and a matrix to compare the US and another 3rd world country according to the categories you have mentioned. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. Good luck and thank you for using Brainmass.

Sincerely,
OTA 105878/Xenia Jones
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Social Inequality: A Matrix Comparison of Influential Categories

Society is built upon the individual. As an individual, one belongs to a family that has a certain 'place' in society in a political, social and economic sense. So while society is organized in groups, one's 'place' in society is according to where one fits in the social strata. Social stratification is hierarchal in nature and delineates the divisions of castes, groups and social classes in society. Social stratification is never intended to be discriminative, it is just a sociological and anthropological concept that helps to identify the players in society and how power is distributed and wielded. When we talk about social stratification, we usually mean social class. Social class is about economic capability and social standing. Economically, we assign the following - marginal/poor class, lower Class, lower middle class, upper middle class, lower upper class, Upper Class and the Affluent Class. Sometimes it is just boils down to this: poor, lower class, middle class and upper class. Max Weber and Karl Marx had both observed that power is distributed from the upper to the lower and one's place in society is determined by one's social strata. The following are the criterion in deciding Social Class:

? Household/personal income or wealth
? Occupation
? Education and Qualifications
? Family Background

In the US, for population surveys, class is largely determined by economic capacity and not by occupation, family background or education. Therefore, the poor and those with a certain income level fall, officially, in the lower class. Middle Class and Upper Class is also determined by economic net worth. Sociologically speaking though, determinant of Middle Class is usually income capacity + occupation + education. The Matrix below discusses certain categories that influence poverty and social inequality in society comparing the US to a third world country, the Philippines. Social inequality within a country is real but at the same time there is a very real socio-economic gap between developed nations and poorer, lesser developed nations hence their people enjoy very different lifestyles and opportunities.

(Data based on 2009 updated CIA fact book for comparison: www.cia.gov)

(The Matrix can be found in the attached word version of this solution)

Discussion: A look at Poverty Line in the UK and the Philippines

Poverty threshold, more commonly known as the poverty line is that 'constructed' or imagined level of income necessary/needed by individuals and families to achieve a certain standard of living in nations all over the world. Because the economic standing of each nation is different from the other, the levels differ from one country to the other as well. When we talk about poverty line, we need to ...