Why does social and economic inequality exist in the UK?
The nature and evidence of social and economic inequality in the UK, the groups most affected, and the main explanations for inequality including individualist and collectivist views.
An SQA Higher Modern Studies answer on social inequality, covering evidence of social and economic inequality in the UK, the groups most affected by poverty and ill health, and the competing individualist and collectivist explanations for why inequality exists.
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What this dot point is asking
The SQA wants you to describe the evidence of social and economic inequality in the UK, identify the groups most affected, and explain the competing individualist and collectivist views of why inequality exists. This supports -mark "to what extent" essays on the causes of inequality.
The answer
Evidence of inequality
The healthy life expectancy gap between the most and least deprived areas of Scotland runs to many years, and the poverty-related attainment gap in schools is a central focus of Scottish Government policy, so concrete evidence like this strengthens an answer.
Groups most affected
The individualist explanation
The collectivist explanation
Examples in context
The gender pay gap is a clear example of structural inequality: on average women earn less than men, a gap that individualist explanations struggle to account for and that collectivists link to discrimination and unequal caring responsibilities. The healthy life expectancy gap between Scotland's most and least deprived communities shows inequality in health, while the poverty-related attainment gap in schools shows it in education. Because these gaps cluster by area, ethnicity and sex rather than randomly across individuals, they provide strong evidence for the structural view, which is exactly the kind of analysis that lifts a "to what extent" essay into the top band.
Try this
Q1. Describe, using evidence, two ways social inequality affects people in the UK. [4 marks]
- Cue. Gaps in income and wealth, and differences in health and life expectancy between richer and poorer areas.
Q2. Explain the individualist and collectivist views of the causes of inequality. [8 marks]
- Cue. Individualists blame personal choices and a dependency culture; collectivists blame low pay, unemployment, discrimination and unequal access.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of SQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
SQA Higher 201820 marksTo what extent is social and economic inequality in the UK caused by individual rather than structural factors?Show worked answer →
A -mark essay: up to marks for knowledge and understanding and up to for analysis, evaluation and a sustained conclusion.
KU marks come from accurate explanation of both views: the individualist view (poor choices, lack of effort, dependency culture) and the collectivist view (low pay, unemployment, discrimination, unequal access), supported by evidence on the groups most affected.
Analysis and evaluation marks come from weighing the two explanations against each other and the evidence, for example that persistent gaps by ethnicity and area point to structural causes. A sustained "to what extent" judgement is the discriminator.
SQA Higher 202112 marksAnalyse the evidence that some groups in the UK are more affected by social inequality than others.Show worked answer →
A -mark analysis question, roughly half KU and half analysis. Markers reward developed explanation supported by evidence rather than a list.
KU should name the groups most affected (people on low incomes, some ethnic minorities, women through the gender pay gap, disabled people, lone-parent families, some older people) and the forms inequality takes (income and wealth, health and life expectancy, attainment, employment).
Analysis marks come from explaining why these gaps fall unevenly on particular groups and how the evidence supports that pattern. A clear judgement is the discriminator.
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Sources & how we know this
- SQA Higher Modern Studies Course Specification — SQA (2018)