Australian Social Class
In a true egalitarian society, an individual’s innate talents and abilities, rather than circumstances of birth, would be the main determinants of life chances. Australia, despite popular rhetoric to the contrary, is not such a society. Studies have revealed various dimensions of inequality within Australia and the existence of a hierarchical class structure. Aspin defines life chances as ‘the chances an individual has in sharing in the economic, social and cultural resources of the society into which he / she lives’ (Aspin 1996, pp.68-9). Life chances include access to resources such as wealth, education, occupation, housing and health. An individual’s opportunities to access such resources vary according to social classes.
To illustrate the extent to which a person’s social class impacts on his or her life chances in Australia, this paper will begin with an examination of social class, including the major theories behind the concept of class. Life chances will also be defined, as will inequality and social mobility within Australia. Finally, evidence on how social class (particularly socio-economic status) impacts life chances will be considered.
Social class can be described as the hierarchical grouping of individuals based on their economic position. While Australia is often described as an egalitarian society that is free of class barriers, Holmes et al argues that ‘…the rhetoric of equality becomes incomprehensible when basic measurements of inequality are looked at in any detail’ (Holmes, Hughes, Julian 2006 p.91). According to data gathered by the United Nations Development Program, Australia is the world’s fifth-most unequal developed nation. Between the mid 1990’s and mid 2000’s, incomes of the top 20% of earners grew four times faster than that of the bottom 20%. (Mccamish 2009, The Age 16 Aug 2009). A study by Andrew Leigh revealed that ‘in the early 1990’s, a CEO in a top 50 company earned 27 times more than the national average; only a decade
To illustrate the extent to which a person’s social class impacts on his or her life chances in Australia, this paper will begin with an examination of social class, including the major theories behind the concept of class. Life chances will also be defined, as will inequality and social mobility within Australia. Finally, evidence on how social class (particularly socio-economic status) impacts life chances will be considered.
Social class can be described as the hierarchical grouping of individuals based on their economic position. While Australia is often described as an egalitarian society that is free of class barriers, Holmes et al argues that ‘…the rhetoric of equality becomes incomprehensible when basic measurements of inequality are looked at in any detail’ (Holmes, Hughes, Julian 2006 p.91). According to data gathered by the United Nations Development Program, Australia is the world’s fifth-most unequal developed nation. Between the mid 1990’s and mid 2000’s, incomes of the top 20% of earners grew four times faster than that of the bottom 20%. (Mccamish 2009, The Age 16 Aug 2009). A study by Andrew Leigh revealed that ‘in the early 1990’s, a CEO in a top 50 company earned 27 times more than the national average; only a decade