Social Economic Inequality in the USA

Welfare is the basic procedures taken by a state to ensure the socio-economic wellbeing of the people. In this matter, the USA distinguishes itself for various reasons.

When people tackle the theme of welfare what they actually mean is socio-economic equality.

The is no better experts than Marx and Engels. Indeed, back in the 19th century they both had for goal the socio-economic equality of people through the redistribution of wealth and equal rights. "How?", you might ask. Through legislative revolution!

The ideal of a country would then be...

A Welfare State

Welfare states make sure that citizens have access to economic and health necessities. But if it isn't the case, they support citizens in need though fully financed or co-financed programs and services (unemployment compensation, trade unions, limited woking hours). The USA is a pioneer of the Welfare policies. YES, you do not need to wipe your glasses. After the Civil War with the ascension of the federal government, widows were helped and that was the first case in welfare.

Social citizenship wasn't established in a day, in fact it took 3 centuries for it to be properly defined and written.

Providential Federalism

The federal government's main purpose is to bring equality and reasonably distribute. The challenge the federal government has is to respect and protect each citizens needs and individuality. Could the federal government be the solution to eradicate social inequalities that are race related, gender related economically related?

Well the answer is no. The low decommodificatios and the high stratification the Federal government sustains does not bring enough assistance. Thus the large number of people who do not have a house, or the people who live in horrendous conditions with no healthcare are marginalised by the system. For example, men are -for a vast majority of them- eligible to Social Security and compensation because of their gender. Whereas, women mostly -if not only- are pitied and benefit from charitable works only and that provides no safety net if you ask me.

Is there any alternative to this inequality you say?

Well there is and still disadvantaged people have a hard time enjoying a normal life. Let me explain.

Minorities who benefit from healthcare are more likely to lose it. An actual alternative to having a healthcare is health work. Only, most minorities have part-time jobs and are not eligible to health work. Even with a full time job, minorities who benefit from health work are more likely to lose it all if they get fired by their employer.

Employers and the law aren't the only ones to discriminate. Insurance companies themselves discriminate by modelling their subscription according to the patients potential "weaknesses". Say that you're a woman; well the subscription offer would be more expensive because of the possibility of a pregnancy. This is only one example. The discrimination prevents people from having access to one of the most important aspects of welfare to the extent where even hospitals and emergency rooms refuse patients who can't afford the cost of being taken in. It is completely unfair!

Education

Education in general and high education in the USA is viewed as a prestige. Public schools were destined to everyone since the 19th century in order to narrow the gap of poverty between people who had or didn't have access to private education (the ancestors of modern homeschooling). However inequalities weren't slow to show up. First, educational segregation was abolished in the 50s. In the 80s a privatisation in all sectors (health, education and labor) was depicted. It counter attacked the federal government's attempt for standardisation.

So what is the problem with private schools? Private schools are like a small world created for white conservatism to prevail educationally, economically and socially. This characteristic manifests itself even more in Ivy Leagues. Students were enrolled tend to be capitalists whereas in community colleges, students are more prone to adhere to democratic or even socialist ideas. Education in other words is also a field of democratic debate.

Poverty cannot magically disappear and while still being one of the strongest countries in the world, the USA's welfare is unable to satisfy people's needs. By not giving full access to decent minimum wages, national healthcare and equal education leads the people with jobs and the future generations to their social and economic downfall and also a bigger political polarisation. Do you think there is a solution to welfare? If so, tell me!

Stay tuned for the next article. xoxo