Social inequality in Germany and Great Britain

Seminar paper from the year 2020 in the subject Sociology - Social System and Social Structure, grade: 2,0, University of Dortmund, language: English, abstract: I structure this paper from the general to the particular. In order to understand this topic, the first thing to do is to define the term 'social inequality'. This is followed by the topics of 'Social Inequality in Germany' and 'Social Inequality in England' and a comparison of Germany and England. According to Hradil (2005), social inequality is about the unequal distribution of goods considered 'valuable' in a society. Possession or lack of these goods has a major impact on people's living conditions; people who have more 'valuable goods' are better off than those who have less. It should be noted that the value of a good has no universal validity and is flexible. Depending on historical developments or the spatial context, goods vary in value. Whether and to what extent a good is considered 'valuable' depends on the values that prevail in a society. It is through the possession of goods that those values can be realized (see Hradil, 2005, p.28). An example of a valuable good is work. This fulfils the social idea of financial security. Unemployed people are disadvantaged in many areas of life compared to those who have work; moreover, work can be differentiated into lower and higher paid jobs.