KHONDOKER RASHID URBAN SOCIAL INEQUALITY

TOPIC
PROF., J. WALKER
SSN187.1867
URBAN SOCIOLOGY
DECEMBER 8, 2010
FINAL RESEARCH PAPER
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SOCIAL
INEQUAL
ITY
 SO I
INE CIA A L
QU L U
Y Q L
AL
IT Y NE IA
I OC
S

Social Inequality and Unemployment of New

What is Social Inequality ?
Social inequality is an issue in our civilization that has been
surviving since the beginnings of mankind. The whole olden
times, many attempts have been completed to get rid of this
worldwide problem. However, the greed of people has always
disallowed the concern of such universal balance. Over the
years, people have begun to consider whether or not social
equality
And howis even realistic.
is it measuredDue to human nature, social inequality
can be reduced, but never destroyed completely.
in U.S. ?
Dimensions of inequality - wealth, status, racial, class, gender,
age-related, physical ability, etc

Income inequality is measured by the Gini Coefficient.

Racial inequality is measured by comparing various stats by

race - avg life expectancy by race, poverty percentage by race,
Unemployment rate by race, etc.
Social Inequality and Unemployment of New York City

Over the past ten years the U.S. economy has seen an
increase of unemployment rates across the nation. New
York City has seen even higher rates than the national
average. What are the causes of the increases in
unemployment rates across this nation and specifically
New York City? What are some of the possible solutions
to the problem that will put people back to work and
strengthen the economy? This paper will examine these
issues by first presenting a brief summary of the conditions
of the New York City’s economic picture, followed by a look
at some of the reasons for unemployment and what might
be done in an effort to reduce job loss.
In a New York Amsterdam
News article, “NYC
Unemployment Rises”, Charles
Brooks (2003) describes the
growing rate of unemployment
in the State of New York and
how the numbers are being
basically ignored by the sitting
government officials. He
explains that “Recently
released figures from the New
York State Department of
Labor indicate that New York’s
unemployment picture
continues to suffer and exceed
the national average in
unemployment and number of
lost jobs” (Brooks, 2003, p. 2).
And this increase in job loss
has exceeded the national
Brooks (2003) points out that the job loss is
hitting every industry, “3,800 in manufacturing;
1,400 in construction; 4,600 in transportation and
public utilities; 5,000 in trade; 1,900 in the
finance, insurance and real estate sector; 800 in
services” and the numbers continue with
decreasing employment across the board (p. 2).
More shocking to Brooks, however, is that the
Mayor, Mike Bloomberg, ignored, or failed to
mention the dismal unemployment rates in his
annual address to the state. Instead the
government elected official chooses to focus on
the optimistic points of the economic picture.
Brooks (2003) quotes Bloomberg as saying, “’We
are building on a year of remarkable progress.
Today the employment picture has stabilized in
crucial sectors of our economy’” (p. 4).
Bloomberg believes the city has moved a long
way since the previous year and has recovered
well since the September 11, 2001 attacks on the
In an effort to get the whole or at least a better
picture of what is going on in the job market in NYC
and across the country we have to ask what are
some of the factors causing the increase in
unemployment. That is we have to ask “Why is
unemployment happing in the first place”?
According to Martin Neil Baily (1984), “The Problem
of Unemployment in the United States”,
demographic changes in the labor force have
caused a shift in the structure of the job market. The
compositional change shows a shift from a labor
force that is made up predominately of white adult
males to a labor force that now includes Latinos,
Asians, and Blacks, but especially young people.
Baily writes, young people have always had a much
higher unemployment rate than mature adults, so
Due to young people showing ever increasing numbers in the job
market while at the same time working low wage, entry level,
unstable short terms jobs, unemployment numbers and
measurements will have to consider the group in their statistical
approach and understanding of the economic picture. Blacks,
typically being twice more likely to be unemployed in a nation still
recovering from a history of slavery and racism also has an effect
on the employment numbers. Women have a small effect, but
since more and more women are looking for paid work outside the
home, this also affects the numbers of the traditional
unemployment measures. Baily (1984) maintains, “On the whole,
however, for the period from the late 1950’s to the present,
This is exactly what Alan Cranston (1984), “The Path to Full Employment”, attempts to do;
examine the problem and find practical solutions. Cranston believes that any individual that
wants to work should have the opportunity to work and anyone who wants to work hard should
be reward for their efforts and talents. Government should provide programs to encourage the
work and production for anyone to work regardless of their race, age, creed, or national
background. For Cranston work opportunity for all is not only an attainable goal but morally
necessary in a free economy society. “Full employment is a moral imperative in a fair and free
society. It is a realistic, attainable goal. And is it a legitimate yardstick by which to measure the
success or failure of our economic policies” (Cranston, 1984, p. 31). This, Cranston believes, is
the very basic reason why people accept the tenements of capitalism and why we have a free
market economy in the first place. Here, government must take the lead in: strengthening the
basic industries; giving special attention to small business; encourage private investment in
research, development and technological innovation; promote increase support at all levels of
government for education. If we would just look at the cause like Baily, think about the solution
like Cranston, and be hopeful like Bloomberg, we would be able to find a large-scale solution for
unemployment in our society.
In addition, companies
must acknowledge
and address issues
pertaining to impacts
from demographics,
societal changes, and
work-life balance that
keep potential
employees, especially
minorities and
immigrant workers
from seeking work and
staying with a job.
Companies need to
consistently review
their policies and
processes surrounding
these factors:
solutions that may
have been effective in
Employers ultimately must be creative in devising strategies
and solutions that facilitate employee satisfaction, motivation
and, ultimately, their ability to perform their jobs effectively—
without compromising the employers’ needs for productivity
and business results. Demographic variables may be useful
for companies to investigate as they strive to develop
programs that may appeal to certain groups. In the end, the
objective for all employers is to implement processes and
programs that will help them retain good performers. Many
companies throughout the country are implementing a wide
range o f strategies—some are costly while many others are
In my own observations on the
issue of increasing
unemployment, it is better to
present the whole picture to the
people, the good and the bad,
and let them make informed
decisions about the state of
things, especially when it
comes to economic matters,
because this is the first step to
social equality. To present just
the bad side like Brooks, and
show all the terrible news of the
state and the nation without
showing the good or a way out
is just to steal morale from the
people. Bloomberg, on the
other hand, being a strong
leader will present the hopeful
side, in spite of the down ward