Is social inequality just? Are we still living in a class society? (ePub)

Studienarbeit aus dem Jahr 2008 im Fachbereich Kulturwissenschaften - Allgemeines und Begriffe, Note: 1,0, Zeppelin University Friedrichshafen, Veranstaltung: Kulturtheorie, Sprache: Deutsch, Abstract: Within the 3 years from 2002 to 2005 the gap between rich and poor became bigger. While the average income declined by 4.8%, the income of the rich increased. The poverty report of the Federal Republic of Germany states that good education, starting at the early childhood, is the key to overcome those differences and that the level of a child's education in Germany is based too much upon the level of its parent's education.

This brings up the question whether we are still living in a class society where it is predetermined with what degree children end up. Because the social market economy that was arranged after World War II had the equality of opportunities as one of its main goals we have to ask our self whether the social component has failed and whether we therefore live in an unjust society.

Regardless that some people argue that a difference in income is an important factor of a social market economy, no one can claim that inequality in educational opportunities is just and necessary for a social market economy to work properly. Better education for everyone would even lead to more prosperity. The outcome of this is that the inequality in educational opportunities is one of the main factors of social inequality in Germany and holds back the growth of the economy. Therefore I will examine the differences within the educational system and the causes for those.

In order to do so I will first show the statistical differences of educational opportunities and how they rely on a parent's education or migration. I will then give a short overview how the government is trying to reduce those differences and will examine how the General Mental Abilities (IQ) depend on the parental care and in which phases of childhood they are developed. Based on those results I will show why the efforts made by the federal Governments and states since the seventies could not bring the improvements they hoped for.