Inequality, where certain economic roles in the society yield a lot of wealth, prestige, and power, is a major concern in the sociological analysis of stratification. While there are other forms of stratification, the United States' structure is primarily based on money, either in income or capital. Some people acquire wealth through effort and achievement, which attribute to achieved status. Others are born with or assigned wealth which attributes to ascribed wealth. Inequality in the United States has risen and fallen throughout history, but the widening divide between the rich and the poor has become more pronounced in recent years, raising serious concern. Ascribed and achieved status characteristics are important in understanding the present-day economic inequality in America. Both ascribed and acquired characteristics play a significant role in determining how successful an individual will be.
Inequality of wealth is a major impediment to equitable developmental opportunities in the United States. For example, the wealthy have easier access to higher-quality education than the rest of society. Education is a vital determinant of an individual's occupational and social performance in modern America. The upper-class families can afford to pay exorbitant fees for their children to attend private schools, attend college, and even enroll in prestigious college programs (Papay et al., 2015). Their children can have more educational opportunities available to them. On the other hand, low-income students are more likely to come from troubled neighborhoods and attend under-resourced schools. Their surroundings can persuade them that educational achievement and upward social mobility are unattainable goals. The latter may affect their academic performance, resulting in lower educational achievement and fewer opportunities for jobs or social mobility in the future. According to this viewpoint, a subset of American students is more likely to excel due to wealth ascription. On the other hand, others are less likely to rise through social mobility because of their low socioeconomic status.
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The differential treatment of people from different genders, which is largely driven by gender stereotypes, has long put women in a lower social status than men. Gender disparities are mainly caused by unequal access to and ownership of wealth and gender roles and perceptions that reinforce gendered identities and constrain women's behavior in ways that contribute to inequality (Manuel & Klasen, 2021). The estimated annual earnings of women are also lower than those of men. In the US, income inequalities between men and women deepen the economic divide. In reality, such practices have hampered women's economic and social advancement by restricting their income levels and social status to those of servitude. Many settings have gender inequality, with men being better ascribed to social, economic, and political opportunities compared to women.
Nonetheless, academic success contributes to upward social mobility. There is a close connection between people's educational attainment and their jobs and income. Through academic achievement, individuals in the low economic bracket can reduce the gender inequality gaps, poverty, and political influence (Walker et al., 2019). Earnings and job rates in the United States appear to rise with each degree of education attained. For instance, staff without a high school diploma have the lowest earnings and unemployment rates, while those with a college diploma or an advanced degree have slightly higher earnings and unemployment rates. Individuals' hard work to succeed in their academics is an attribute of achieved wealth, and it plays a significant role in reducing economic inequality.
In conclusion, it is worth noting that both ascribed and achieved characteristics significantly affect people's social mobility. While a few powerful individuals wield social power over most of the population, many low-income households struggle in poverty. Instead of assigning characteristics based on social origin, social roles should be based on personal achievement. As a result, regardless of social origins, all members of society will have the same opportunities to prove themselves. As a result, this ideology aspires to eliminate all barriers between social groups that obstruct social mobility across generations. In all social systems, society should overwhelmingly promote cultural diversity, inclusive education, and policies to address the economic disparity.
References
Papay, J. P., Murnane, R. J., & Willett, J. B. (2015). Income-based inequality in educational outcomes . Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 37 (1_suppl), 31–33. https://doi.org/10.3102/0162373715576364
Manuel, S. S., & Klasen, S. (2021). Gender inequality as a barrier to economic growth: a review of the theoretical literature. Review of Economics of the Household . https://doi.org/10.1007/s11150-020-09535-6
Walker, J., Pearce, C., Boe, K., & Lawson, M. (2019). The power of education to Fight Inequality: How increasing Educational equality and quality is crucial to fighting economic and gender inequality. Oxfam . https://doi.org/10.21201/2019.4931
