July 1

July Yande
Professor Ashwin Varghese
Social Inequalities – Assessment 1
16/03/2023

Is social inequality inevitable?

Social inequality has been a topic of a longstanding academic and societal debate, with
scholars across various disciplines tackling the question of whether these disparities are an
inevitable aspect of society. Some sociologists like Beteille, Davis and Moore have often
argued that social inequality is essential for stratification which would in turn make it
inevitable. My goal in this paper is to understand and analyse the ways in which social
inequality manifests itself in society.
The most basic understanding of social inequality is unequal, unjust behaviour and
differential access to resources to individuals in society. Whether this social inequality is an
inevitable aspect of society is a perplexing question and has been up for debate for decades.
The quote by Jawaharlal Nehru that states, “The spirit of the age is in favour of equality,
though practice denies it almost everywhere.” transparently displays the state of inequality in
the mundane world. Starting off with Beteille’s argument, he introduces two principles of
political ideology that he states are the premise of equality. These are Democracy and
Socialism. He writes about the disparity that exists between the idea of inequality in western
and third world countries (Beteille, 1977). Industrialization in the west broke down old,
traditional forms of inequality which in turn made inequality and poverty in its extreme forms
less visible. However, we can identify that they are still visible in third world countries like
India, Pakistan, and Jamaica. Beteille also identifies how developed, industrialized countries
are not only materially advanced but also advanced in their ideologies which shows why
inequality does not exist in extreme forms like it does in underdeveloped or developing
nations (Beteille, 1977). Beteille further goes on to explain the two forms in which inequality
exists – Natural inequalities and Conditions of existence. I agree with Beteille’s and Jean-
Jacques Rosseau’s argument of the need to emphasize on conditions of existence rather than
natural inequalities. Natural inequalities exist in relation to aspects such as Health, age,
strength and “soul”. In my opinion, these inequalities are simply differences that are turned
into inequalities. They cannot be eradicated but only suppressed. On the contrary, conditions
of existence exist in relation to power, wealth, status and honour. It is observable and
identifiable that these conditions of existence are what we can assume to be the premise of
stratification in society. They are variable and individuals can, sometimes, move up the
stratification ladder through overcoming their inequalities in the aspect of their own
conditions of existence. To explain this in layman terms, an individual can possibly move up
the societal hierarchy on the basis of his status and wealth. However, it is not possible for an
individual to escape inequalities of age and gender. Furthermore, since this example is
hypothetical, it would be extremely difficult to actually go through with. According to
 July 2
Beteille and a few other sociologists, there is an enormous gap between the hypothetical or
“political imagination” and reality everywhere (Beteille, 1977).
However, the real question that must be explored in this paper is whether social inequality is
inevitable or not. Several other sociologists like Davis and Moore have attempted to justify
social inequality by stating its need in society in regards with the necessity of stratification.
Davis and Moore were structural functionalists. They argue that stratification is essential to
maintain a society, which would in turn make social inequality inevitable. They state that as a
functioning mechanism, society must distribute its members in social positions and induce
them to perform duties. There are Differential rewards for different positions in society.
Consequently, rights and prerequisites have to be unequal for differential reward to be
essential on induced duties. Society must differentiate on terms of prestige and esteem both.
They also identify that this stratification exists as an unconscious mechanism i.e., that
individuals and society do not actively strive to create inequalities but are rather normatively
living with and around them (Moore, 1945). It is clear to me that Davis and Moore are
justifying inequality by calling it essential for stratification. However, I can also acknowledge
that stratification has been and will probably always be a mechanism of society, therefore,
institutionalized inequality will also very possibly exist. It is to be noted that unless the state
and society can think of a new magical way of functioning in or maintaining a society
without being unfair or unequal, social inequality will be inevitable at least up to some extent.
I am aware that justifying social inequality is not a moral approach but it should be
acknowledged that theoretical and hypothetical ideologies can only go up to a certain way.
Implementing drastically new ideologies in a society with embedded inequality would be an
impossible task.
However, Stratification is not the only approach that is to be considered when it comes to
social inequalities in a society. An interesting approach that I feel is necessary to be explored
in analysing the inevitability of social inequality is by Bell hooks in her chapter, “Seeing and
making culture” from “Outlaw culture”. It is possible to identify and analyse the social
inequality in the rich and poor aspect through this reading. Hooks writes about her experience
of growing up poor and critiques how the poor are represented in society (Hooks, 1994). To
dive into this approach, I was a teensy bit relieved because of the way Hooks wrote about her
experience in university. It is a popular assumption that poor people are miserable and
without integrity or dignity. Hooks on the contrary provided an accurate representation of
poverty instead of a celebration of it – which is the dominant discourse. She argues that not
all poor individuals are consumed by the desire to be rich or have an underlying desire of
moving out of poverty through material worth alone. They also carry an ability to be content
just like other privileged human beings (Hooks, 1994). I am aware that Hooks’ perspective is
only one perspective and might not be the case with every poor individual. However, I find it
interesting that this perspective made me question my point of view and how I have been
seeing poverty my whole life. Even in contemporary popular culture in USA, poor
individuals have majorly been portrayed through negative stereotypes – movies like Slum
dog millionaire and pretty woman are an example of this. This is not the main concern of this
paper but it is necessary to keep this in mind to further analyse how social inequality (for now
in the aspect of rich and poor) manifests itself in society. This is where we can link poverty to
social inequality. The dominating assumption is that the state is responsible for poverty and
 July 3
therefore, cushioning its devastating impact is also the responsibility of the government. This
inevitably creates a connection between poverty and social inequality. Moreover, To my
understanding, our perspectives towards minorities or the underprivileged also affect how
social inequalities prevail and bury themselves as an unconscious mechanism in society. I do
not feel that it is possible to radically change the way the human mind works. Every
individual would, without a doubt create stratifications in their own mind and thus in his
milieux which would give way to more social inequalities.
Analysing the inevitability of social inequalities in society is a very complex matter. The
debate over the inevitability of social inequality is multifaceted, and depends on a variety of
factors, including historical patterns of discrimination, the concentration of power in the
hands of a few individuals or groups, and the level of social and economic development in a
society. Ultimately, the extent to which social inequality is seen as inevitable or avoidable
depends on one's values and beliefs about what constitutes a just and equitable society. There
is no one absolute way of looking at social inequalities and it is embedded into the being of
every individual which makes it way more difficult to eradicate. To be very brutal, is it truly
possible to eradicate these discriminations and disparities from our minds and exist in a
society that is equal to every single individual? I do not think so. In my opinion, no matter
what radical or drastic measures are taken, there will be at least some sort of inequality that
will crawl its way into the society. I acknowledge that social inequality can hinder social and
economic development, as it limits the potential of individuals and groups who are not given
the same opportunities as others. Inequality needs to be reduced or at least made less extreme
but I feel that is the extent to which a society can go. It is not possible, at least in the near
future to even think about eradicating social inequalities. However, the work that needs to be
prioritized is to cushion the discrimination and disparity that exists in every society because
of prevalent social inequality. Not to be pessimistic but the conclusion that I have come to
after all this research is that social inequality is inevitable, and this mechanism of inequality
will remain this way and keep manifesting itself in society for a very long time. The only
approach that I feel can be taken to make the impact of social inequalities in society feel less
devastating and brutal is through taking on a positive and hopeful view towards the
betterment of disparities that exist in society. Even though it does not seem plausible at this
moment, maybe in the future, scholars might be able to find a way for a society to function
without being consumed by the dark shadows of social inequalities.
Works Cited
Beteille, A. (1977). Two sources of inequality. In A. Beteille, Inequality among men (pp. 1-23). London
and Worchester: Basil Blackwell .

Hooks, B. (1994). Seeing and making culture - Representing the poor. In B. hooks, Outlaw Culture
(pp. 165-172). New York and London: Routledge.

Moore, K. D. (1945). Some principles of stratification. American sociologists review, 242-249.