Understanding Inequalities

Lucinda Platt is Professor of Social Policy and Sociology at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

‘Platt’s brilliant razor-sharp forensic analysis not only reveals the shocking disparities between rich and poor but uniquely shows how social class and the inequalities of ethnicity, gender, migration and disability intersect and affect people’s intimate and lived lives.’Heidi Mirza, Emeritus Professor, UCL Institute of Education‘With inequality now at the forefront of political debate, this outstanding book provides a clear, comprehensive and nuanced overview of what is known about the extent and nature of inequalities on key dimensions and the linkages across them.’Brian Nolan, University of Oxford

• Figures, Tables and Boxes FiguresTablesBoxesAcknowledgementsChapter One: Introduction1.1 The importance of inequality1.2 What do we mean by inequality?1.3 Equality and inequality: concepts and definitions1.4 Inequalities across groups1.5 Coverage and key themesFurther readingPart IChapter Two: Class2.1 Concepts, definitions, measurement2.2 The National Statistics Socio-economic Classification (NS-SeC) and the UK class distribution2.3 Meritocracy and social mobilityFurther readingChapter Three: Gender3.1 Definitions, concepts and coverage3.2 Women and labour market inequality3.3 Gender and domestic work: women's double burden?3.4 Explaining the gendered patterns of paid and unpaid work: socialization and preferences3.5 Inequalities between womenFurther readingChapter Four: Ethnicity4.1 Ethnicity: definitions and measures4.2 Ethnic groups in the UK: inequality and diversity4.3 Explaining ethnic inequalitiesFurther readingChapter Five: International Migration5.1 Defining migrants5.2 Migrant diversity and inequalities5.3 Explaining migrant inequalityFurther readingChapter Six: Disability6.1 Defining disability6.2 Disability and inequalitiesFurther readingPart IIChapter Seven: Age and the Life Course7.1 Inequalities and the life courseFurther readingChapter Eight: Education8.1 Educational attainment over time – and access to educational qualifications across different social origins8.2 The role of educational institutions and their relationship to family resources and dominant cultures8.3 Contemporary educational inequalities: gender and ethnicityFurther readingChapter Nine: Income, Wealth and Poverty9.1 Income inequality9.2 Wealth9.3 PovertyFurther readingChapter Ten: Health10.1 Drivers of inequalities in health10.2 Health inequalities internationally and intra-nationally10.3 Inequalities in health across social groupsFurther readingChapter Eleven: Neighbourhood and Housing11.1 Neighbourhood deprivation and neighbourhood effects11.2 HousingFurther readingChapter Twelve: Conclusions: Inequality, Intersectionality and Diversity12.1 A framework for understanding inequalities and stratification12.2 Key themes12.3 Looking forwardReferencesIndex