S3 Modern Studies Cathkin High school Social Inequality

Transcription

1 S3 Modern Studies Cathkin High school Social Inequality 1

2 Contents 1. What is inequality?...page 3 2. Causes of Inequality page 6 3. Government responses to inequality the benefits system page 9 4. UK tax system. page Public attitudes to benefits. page Universal v means tested benefits... page The NHS page Voluntary sector s response to inequality...page Impact of inequality on a specific group in society page 28 2

3 1. What is inequality? I will: Identify the different types of inequality that exist in the UK. Make and justify conclusions by analysing graphical sources. Inequality means a lack of equality. Britain is quite an unequal country. Some people are born into privilege, live in expensive housing in low-crime areas, attend high achieving schools / universities, gain good qualifications, get a secure, well-paid job, earn a large income, enjoy good health and can afford personal possessions, foreign holidays and pleasant leisure pursuits. For others, the opposite is true. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation charity estimates that 13 million people in the UK (20% of the population) currently live in poverty, and the reality for them is low life expectancy, unemployment, physical and mental ill-health, poor educational attainment and social exclusion. 1 Look at the following four graphical sources and answer the questions that follow. 3

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5 4 Tasks 1. From the above sources, identify between two and four types of inequality that exist in the UK today. 2. Choose two of the four sources. For both of your chosen sources, make and justify a conclusion on inequality, using the template below: A conclusion is (make an overall conclusion) Evidence to support this conclusion is (provide 2 specific pieces of evidence from the source to justify your conclusion) Watch the following BBC documentary from 2011 on inequality, Poor Kids : 5

6 2. Causes of Inequality I will: Explain different causes of inequality. Make and justify a judgement on the most significant cause. Suggest possible solutions to the causes of inequality. There are different explanations as to why inequality exists. The following are the main factors: The economic system The cycle of poverty Poor education Government policies Gender Poor individual lifestyle choices / laziness The economic system The UK is a broadly capitalist economy, which means the Government does not necessarily consider it its duty to ensure equality. Instead, markets are largely free to set prices and wages and individuals are largely responsible for themselves. As a result, some people can earn lots of money while others may have to rely on benefits. Capitalism means the Government does not interfere too heavily in the running of the economy, allowing inequality to take place. In saying that, there are government measures to reduce inequality, such as the NHS provided by the government, funded through taxation, and free at the point of use for anyone who needs it. The cycle of poverty Many are born into a cycle of poverty. They live in run down areas, attend low-achieving schools, gain few qualifications and struggle to find employment, often leading to low income, reliance on benefits, depression, alcoholism, drug abuse and poor health. The cycle then continues for their children. Lifestyles that cause health inequalities, such as poor diet, lack of exercise, smoking and drinking are strongly linked to poverty. Fast food is often cheaper and more convenient than healthier foods, and smoking and drinking alcohol to excess is often a response to poverty, a way of dealing with its stresses. Smoking rates in the most deprived areas of the UK are four times higher than in the least deprived areas. The cycle of poverty is difficult to break. Poor education Part of the cycle of poverty is poor education, which also causes inequality. Failure to achieve educationally leads to low income, and low income can lead to poor education, as low income does not allow for people to afford houses in areas where the top achieving 6

7 schools are, as there is very high demand for them. Wealthier students can also afford private tutors or attend private schools where there are more resources and smaller class sizes allowing teachers to give more help to students. Government policies We are often led to believe that the Government is always trying to reduce inequality, but perhaps they are not. Perhaps inequality is actually sometimes their fault. Governments manage the economy which as we have seen can cause inequality. The UK government have recently been reducing public spending and cutting benefits, which has resulted in some people becoming unemployed and pushing some into poverty. The UK government also sets the National Minimum Wage, which many have argued is too low at 6.70 per hour. Over half of the 13 million British people living in poverty are from a working household, so perhaps low wages are to blame. Gender On average, women in the UK currently earn 15% less than men. Lack of flexibility in working hours and childcare arrangements may prevent women from finding suitable employment, as might discrimination from employers who don t want to employ women for fear they may fall pregnant and have to be off work for some time. Having to take time off work to have children makes it more difficult for women to gain promotion. Women are severely under-represented in the UK workforce. They make up just 23% of MPs, 35% of MSPs, 26% of secondary school headteachers, 17% of senior police officers, 13% of senior judges, 10% of national newspaper editors, and 1% of senior army personnel, despite making up half the population. Poor individual lifestyle choices / laziness Some people believe inequality cannot simply be blamed on the above causes, but instead argue that people themselves are largely responsible for their position in life. Perhaps people who don t break out the cycle of poverty are just not trying hard enough. You can still work hard at school, gain good qualifications and go on to earn a good income even if you attend a low achieving school. Health inequalities are often caused by poor diet, lack of exercise, smoking, drinking and taking drugs, but nothing forces people to do these things. They are simply poor lifestyle choices, in some people s opinion. Journalist Peter Hitchens makes this argument, claiming people have a choice over whether or not they drink or take drugs and that addiction is a fantasy. Perhaps some people living in poverty simply lack willpower and choose not to help themselves. 7

8 Tasks 1. Which of the above factors do you think is the biggest cause of inequality? Give a reason for your answer. 2. Addiction is a fantasy. To what extent do you agree with this statement? 3. For each of the above causes, suggest a possible solution to tackle it: Cause Possible solution Economic system Cycle of poverty Poor education Government policies Gender Poor individual lifestyle choices / laziness 4. Explain, in detail, at least 2 causes inequality. For each cause, make the point, explain in what way this causes inequality, and where possible provide a specific example to support your point. You may wish to present this in a poster. Homework: The Scottish Government have attempted to reduce educational inequality: ntscotlandfund Find at least one other specific government initiative / law / example that aims to reduce inequality. Describe what it is and explain how it aims to reduce inequality. 8

9 3. Government response to inequality Benefits system I will: Describe some of the benefits provided by the UK Government. Benefits are a reserved power, meaning the UK government is in charge of them for everyone in the UK, including Scottish people. They provide a wide range of benefits to support the elderly, people on low incomes, people struggling to pay their housing rent, people who are temporarily unemployed, people who are long term unemployed, or people who cannot work due to sickness, disability or being a carer for someone. The range of benefits are collectively known as the Welfare State. It aims to reduce inequality. Some specific examples of benefits are below: National Minimum wage - the minimum wage workers are entitled to unless they are self-employed). For people aged 25 and over the Government are calling the National Minimum Wage the National Living Wage. Child benefit paid to parents with children to help with the cost of raising them. Only people who earn below a certain amount receive them. Jobseekers Allowance paid to people who are unemployed and seeking employment. State pension paid to elderly people who contributed enough tax called National Insurance during their working lives to support them in their retirement. For most people working today you are entitled to the state pension when you reach 67 or 68 years of age. Pupils in this class will reach pension age when you are 68. As of May 2016, the amount paid out for each of the above is as follows: 9

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11 Tasks 1. Create a mind map describing between two and four benefits. For each, describe who receives the benefit, what its purpose is, and how much it is. 2. Joe, 31, works as a postman. What is the minimum he must be paid by his employer? 3. Joe loses his job. How much unemployment benefit is he entitled to while he looks for work? 4. Kirsty is 19 and works in a supermarket. She is paid 6.50 per hour. Is this legal? 5. Ann is 30 and works as a cleaner in a shop. She is paid 7 per hour. Is this legal? 6. A couple (both over 18) have 3 children are on a low enough income to qualify for child benefit. How much child benefit do they receive? 7. The couple in question 6 are unemployed and looking for work through the jobcentre. How much will they receive in JobSeeker s Allowance while they look for work? Homework: Use the following website to research at least one other benefit. Find out who receives it what its purpose is, and how much it is: 11

12 4. UK tax system I will: Understand how the UK income tax system works. Calculate how much income tax people on various incomes would pay. In the UK, the government collect income tax based on how much people earn, and then use this money to fund public services. At present, everyone in Britain gets the first 11,000 of their income without having to pay any tax on it. This is called the Personal Allowance. Any income above 11,000 is taxed at the following rates: So, for example, a person earning 12,000 a year gets the first 11,000 tax free. The 1,000 they earn over this is taxed at 20%. 20% of 1,000 is 200, so they pay 200 income tax annually. They do not pay 20% on all of the 12,000, just the portion over the personal allowance. They do not pay the higher rate of 40% or the additional rate of 45% on any of their income since their earnings are not enough to be in those bands. Calculate how much income tax people earning the following in a year would pay: 1. 10, , , , ,000,000 Left wing people believe we should have higher rates of tax for the wealthiest. One way to do this could to be to raise the additional rate of tax from 45% to 50%, or even higher. Can you think of the possible advantages and disadvantages of doing this? 12

13 5. Public attitudes to benefits I will: Analyse sources of information to draw conclusions on public attitudes towards benefits. Make and justify a personal judgement on the benefits system. Tasks Before we learn about the public s attitude to benefits, let s see what your attitudes are! 1. What is your attitude to benefits? Are they too generous? Not generous enough? Give a reason for your answer. 2. Approximately 35% of the UK s entire budget goes on Welfare (benefits). What percentage of this welfare budget do you think goes on benefits to unemployed people (Jobseeker s Allowance)? We will see the true figure in a minute! Copy and complete the following table: What I think (%) What class thinks (% average) Actual figure (%) The public s attitude to benefits is mixed. While people tend to like the idea of the safety net of benefits being there if they need them, they resent the idea of others abusing the system, or taking more from the benefits system than they put in. Unemployment benefit (Jobseeker s Allowance) is especially controversial, as there is a perception that some simply choose to rely on it without even trying to find work. Sections of the media often paint these people as benefits scroungers : 13

14 Such reporting has given the public misconceptions about the extent of benefits use and abuse: What evidence is there from the above 2 sources that there are public misconceptions about benefits? 14

15 A 2011 poll by Ipsos MORI showed the public s mixed feelings about benefits: 15

16 Tasks 1. Using the above Ipsos MORI poll results, make and justify an overall conclusion on public attitudes to benefits. Use the following template: A conclusion is (make an overall conclusion) Evidence to support this conclusion is (provide at least 2 pieces of specific evidence from the poll results to justify your conclusion) 2. Is there any evidence from the Ipsos MORI poll that the public are in favour of the principle of having a Welfare State? 3. What is your attitude to benefits now? Are they too generous? Not generous enough? Give a reason for your answer. 4. How does your answer to question 3 compare with the answer you gave before we learned about the benefits system? 16

17 6. Universal v means tested benefits I will: Understand the difference between universal and means-tested benefits. Be able to explain the advantages / disadvantages of both. Some benefits and services provided by the Government are known as universal, and others are known as means tested. Universal benefits (or Universalism) mean they are for everyone in the UK, regardless of wealth. For example, the NHS is universal. Even rich people get free healthcare at the point of use. In Scotland, free prescriptions, free university tuition, and free bus travel for the elderly in Scotland are universal. Poor people and rich people alike are entitled to them. Means tested means not everyone automatically receives the benefit. Instead, your means (your ability to pay) are tested before you receive the benefit, so you need to qualify for it through having a low enough income, for example. Rich people do not receive means tested benefits; they are reserved exclusively for those who need them the most. Child benefit and free school meals, for example, are means tested. Not everyone receives them. Only children whose families earn below a certain income are entitled to them. 17

18 Task 1. Your teacher will give you a handout of the following table. Complete it using evidence from the news article on page 19. For each argument, provide one specific piece of evidence from the news article to support it. Arguments for benefits being universal Evidence from news article below to support The rich pay tax, so they should be entitled to the benefits and services funded by that tax. Being a society means we do things together. If we start only supporting certain people then the rich begin to resent paying tax and social bonds weaken and break. If everyone is entitled to benefits, poor people are more likely to claim them as there is no longer any embarrassment attached to doing so. It might actually cost more money to means test as you have to work out who is entitled to them, whereas universalism is cheaper as it is simpler to work. Arguments for benefits being means-tested Evidence from news article below to support Universalism is expensive. Why should the rich - who can afford to pay for bus travel, school meals, prescriptions and university fees - get these for free from the government when this money could be better targeted at helping those who need it more? There are already ways to distribute means tested benefits without embarrassing and stigmatising people who use them Universalism may create a culture where people just expect the government to provide everything for them and they stop working hard themselves. 18

19 All school children from primary one to three are now entitled to a free school meal, the Scottish government has announced. The 95m initiative covering state schools is expected to save families at least 330 a year. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon launched the policy at her old primary school in Ayrshire. She said making free school meals available on a universal basis was the "right thing to do". The policy has been supported by unions and poverty campaigners, but Scottish Labour said the change would only benefit the country's wealthier families as children from poorer backgrounds already qualified for free school meals. The Scottish government said the policy - for 135,000 children - would benefit pupils and their families alike. The move enjoys broad support within Scotland but some are bound to wonder whether providing free meals to children from comfortably off families - and not just to those from families who will notice the saving - is really the best use of scarce resources. This touches on the wider debate about so-called universal benefits - whether money should be targeted only at those who need a service the most or spent providing a service which is free at the point of use for all who want it. The same broad argument covers issues as diverse as free bus travel for pensioners and the abolition of prescription charges four years ago. The challenge is to demonstrate to sceptics that there is a benefit to society as a whole from the policy. One argument for extending free school meals was that it would abolish any stigma for children from low income families. They may feel reluctant to claim their free school meal entitlement as they label them as low income. In practice, cashless payment systems have helped to do abolish the stigma already and the debate has moved into other areas, especially the benefits to public health and children's education. Supporters argue that children with a regular healthy meal were more likely to be able to concentrate, get better academic results and were less likely to be obese. The First Minister defended the fact that children from wealth-off backgrounds would be entitled to a free lunch."by removing the stigma created by means testing you increase uptake amongst children from the poorest families," she said. "We also know there is a significant increase in child poverty amongst families who are not on benefits, are in work but are struggling to make ends meet." She said a policy "of a universal nature" would also help these families. Asked why pupils from families who can well afford to pay should get free meals, she said: If we expect people who work hard to pay into the system, it seems only right that those people should get something out of the system as well. Free school meals something for nothing culture etc. Jimmy reid quote? Sturgeon added that the administrative cost of implementing means testing of benefits was sometimes more than the charges collected. Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said: "The new year will set off to a great start for the 135,000 pupils who will benefit from a healthy and nourishing free school meal each and every day of the school week. "This move will put more money back in parents' pockets and give kids a healthy lunch in the social environment of the school canteen." But Scottish Labour MSP Iain Gray said: families earning at least 218,000 per year the same as Ms Sturgeon and her husband would save 330 a year at the expense of those most in need. "Children from poorer families already qualified for free school meals. By definition the extension will not benefit those families at all, while the wealthiest families in Scotland will be celebrating the news that the Scottish government's proposals will save them 330 a year. We should be focusing this money to help the poorest, not helping those who can already help themselves. 2. Which people in the article mentioned support universalism with regard to free "Free school meals school are a meals, good thing and in which general, people but whilst support local them authority being education means tested? budgets face tight financial pressures it is important to note that there is no such thing as a free lunch. Former Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont Look has previously at the following warned of source the danger and of answer universal th benefits creating a something for nothing culture where people become overly reliant on state support. 19

20 Look at the following source and answer the questions that follow. Tasks 1. Does the above image support universalism or means-testing? Give a reason for your answer. 2. Do you think free school meals should be made universal in secondary schools? Give a reason for your answer. 3. Why might it be more difficult to encourage secondary school pupils to claim free school meals than it is for primary 1-3 pupils? 4. Without using your notes from the table on page 18, explain at least 1 advantage and 1 disadvantage of both universalism and means-testing. 20

21 7. The NHS I will: Understand some advantages and disadvantages of having a tax funded NHS. Make and justify a decision on whether or not the NHS should continue to fund treatment for self-inflicted illnesses by analysing sources of information. The National Health Service (NHS) is a universal service. It is provided by the government, funded through taxation, and free at the point of use for anyone who needs it, rich or poor. This gives us peace of mind. We don t need to worry too much about injuring ourselves or becoming ill as we know that if and when we do, the NHS will treat us and we will not have to pay a large bill as we have already been paying for it through tax. A healthy population is good for society as a whole and is also good for the economy if it keeps people well and in work. Health is a power devolved to the Scottish Parliament, meaning it can take different health decisions than the UK Parliament. For instance, prescriptions are free in Scotland, but they cost around 8 per prescription in England. However, because the NHS is a national health service and has to provide health to everyone who needs it, this can mean we may have to wait weeks or months for nonemergency treatment or operations. Also, if you lead a healthy lifestyle; eat well, exercise, do not drink, smoke or take drugs, you may not need to use the NHS much, yet you will still be paying tax to fund the treatment of those who lead poor lifestyles. Some people feel that we have become too reliant on the NHS. We know it will be there to help us, so some may choose to lead unhealthy lifestyles. For example, the number of weight loss operations carried out by the NHS has quadrupled in the last 6 years and obesity has doubled in the last 20 years. The NHS spends approximately 5 billion per year treating obesity-related illnesses. Perhaps if there was more individual responsibility and people had to pay more for their own treatment, they would take more care of their own health. Also, the NHS is expensive to fund. With an ageing population, some say the costs are unsustainable. One proposal to save money is to make people pay for NHS treatments for self-inflicted illnesses brought about by smoking, drinking, obesity, or drug taking. Attempt the following Options question using sources 1-4 on pages Option 1 The NHS should continue to fund treatments for self-inflicted illnesses Option 2 The NHS should no longer continue to fund treatments, self-inflicted illnesses 21

22 Source 1: Different opinions on the issue It is an individual s own personal choice to lead an unhealthy lifestyle, so others should not be held responsible and have to pay the bill. The NHS is considered by many to be under-funded and under stress and the added pressure of caring for those whose illnesses stemmed from their own personal choice is unnecessary. For example, if people damage their liver through binge drinking, or their lungs through smoking, why should the NHS provide them with a replacement organ when others who need a replacement through no fault of their own are also on the organ waiting list? People might be discouraged from donating their healthy organs if they felt there was a good chance it would go to someone who would simply abuse it and keep drinking, smoking or overeating. There is clear public backing for the NHS withdrawing treatment for self-inflicted illnesses, and it is easy to see why. The cost of alcohol harm to the NHS is almost 3 billion. Why should those who drink responsibly, or not at all, foot the bill for those making poor lifestyle choices? 21% of the UK smokes and smoking causes more than 86% of lung cancer according to Cancer Research UK. Obesity is rising at the same time as the NHS continues to fund weight loss operations for obese people. This is no coincidence. The only way to discourage reckless lifestyle choices is to remove NHS funding for self-inflicted illnesses and make individuals more responsible for themselves. View of Stan Wotherspoon The NHS was not created to discriminate against people and decide who gets care and who doesn t; it was created to provide free healthcare for all. The reasons why people may cause themselves harm through unhealthy lifestyle choices are far too complicated and linked with poverty and mental illnesses such as depression for the NHS to pass judgement. For instance, smoking rates in the most deprived areas of the UK are four times higher than in the least deprived areas. It is no coincidence that obesity, smoking and drinking rates are more common among poorer people, as it is often a way of coping with their difficult lives. People suffering from mental illnesses may abuse substances because they don t understand the consequences of their actions. In the UK, smoking rates among adults with depression are about twice as high as among adults without depression. Attempting suicide would surely have to be considered self-inflicted illness. Are we seriously saying the NHS does not have a duty of care for to help people who are feeling so low? Removing the right for all these people to be treated by the NHS for illnesses considered self-inflicted would damage the neediest the most, and it would effectively be a tax on the poorest and most vulnerable members of society. It is also very difficult to define exactly what a self inflicted illness is and there may be major disagreements over this. For example, it is possible that if a person does exercise and breaks their ankle, then this could be considered a self inflicted illness. Withdrawing NHS funding could actually therefore make people more reluctant to do exercise. The legal consequences of a doctor treating someone with a sports-related illness but not an obese person, who then takes the NHS to court, could be very damaging to the public image of the NHS, and cost a lot of money in legal fees as well as taking up a lot of time. If someone smoked for a period of time and acquired a lung condition as a result of this but then quit smoking, should they be denied treatment? If so, what is their incentive to remain a non smoker, if they will be denied treatment either way? It is too complicated and we must protect the principle of the NHS that it treats everyone equally. View of Rosa Robertson 22

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24 Source 4 Use the following template to help: I have chosen Option, to. I chose this Option as Source says., which is backed up by Source, which shows. I also chose this Option as Source says, and Source shows (Try to give up to 6 specific pieces of source evidence to support your choice) I did not choose Option (the other Option), as although Source says (give something good about the other Option acknowledge it), actually Source shows that (give evidence you have not yet used in favour of your option to rebut the alternative argument). (The above paragraph in red is called a rebuttal, where you rebut or counter the argument in favour of the other option with an argument that supports your Option). Try to do 2 rebuttal paragraphs. 24

25 8. Voluntary sector s response to inequality I will: Explain some of the different reasons why people use food banks. The voluntary sector, or third sector (charities) can work to reduce inequality. Food banks are an example of charities working to reduce inequality by providing emergency food to people most in need. There are over 400 food banks across the UK, 50 in Scotland. Perhaps as a consequence of UK government cuts to benefits, there has been a big rise in the number of food banks in the UK recently. Almost 3,000 volunteers run food banks across Scotland, and UK wide, the Trussell Trust charity which runs the food banks, says it has handed out over 1 million emergency food parcels in the last year, up from 347,000 the year before. This suggests that they are doing vital work as so many people are using them. It also suggests that the public are keen to support food banks, as they are entirely dependent on donations from the public. If they did not exist, many of these people might have nothing to eat at all. The Trussell Trust has blamed the changes to benefits as the cause of the rapid increase in the need for emergency food supplies. Food banks are especially necessary for people who have recently become homeless and do not have cooking facilities, as they can provide ready meals or instant meals with hot water. However, as valuable as charities are, they are not Government. Arguably, the growing dependency on food banks suggests the ineffectiveness of Government in tackling inequalities. Food banks are not part of the Welfare system; they are evidence that the welfare system is failing people. Perhaps the rise of food banks is a sign that the Minimum Wage is too low. The Living Wage Commission recommends a higher living wage as some of those using food banks are the working poor. Tasks Watch the following documentary on food bank charities and answer the questions that follow: 1. Explain what is to stop anyone using the food bank to get all their food every day simply to save money rather than because they really need it? 2. Describe what is meant by benefits sanctions? 3. Explain at least 2 different reasons why people may end up relying on food banks. 25

26 4. Read the following real life stories and for each one, note the cause of their need to use a food bank: 26

27 Read the following news story on individuals donating money to reduce inequality: Tasks continued 5. Which of the people on page 26 is the Louisa Sewell case most similar to? 6. In what way were these two cases handled differently? 7. Do you think Louisa Sewell should have been fined for shoplifting? Give a reason for your answer. 27

28 9. Impact of inequality on a specific group in society I will: Understand the reasons why women suffer from inequality. Be able to provide evidence of gender inequality, as well as provide evidence of some progress in tackling gender inequality. Make and justify an overall judgement on the extent of gender progress. Women are a specific group in society particularly affected by inequality. In the UK today, despite laws outlawing gender discrimination and ensuring equal pay, women still earn just 85% of men s average earnings. Lack of flexibility in working hours and childcare arrangements may prevent women from finding suitable employment, especially for lone mothers. With the National Minimum Wage being just 6.70 per hour, many lone parents rely on benefits rather than seek employment and pay expensive childcare costs, as it makes more financial sense. Prejudiced and sexist attitudes towards women still exist and it is difficult to outlaw attitudes. Some employers may employ or promote men over women for fear women may fall pregnant and have to be off work for some time. Having to take time off work to have children makes it more difficult for women to gain promotion and earn a higher wage. Consequently, women are severely underrepresented in the UK workforce: 28

29 Tasks 1. Explain why women suffer from inequality, giving at least 2 different reasons. 2. Read the Equality and Human Rights Commission s 2011 Sex and Power report on the position of women in the UK, and take notes under the table headings: b_2_.pdf Evidence that women have made progress Evidence that progress is limited 3. Women have made good progress in the UK recently Based on the evidence you have researched, make an overall judgement on the accuracy of the above statement. How accurate is it? Totally accurate? Mostly accurate? Mostly inaccurate? Totally inaccurate? Justify your judgement. 29