Name : ___________________________________________

Class : ______________

HERZLIA MIDDLE SCHOOL

INEQUALITY AND POVERTY

CAUSES OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMBALANCE

Socio-economic imbalance/inequality are terms used to describe a situation where people
do not have equal access to resources water, electricity.
Activity 11.1 (Page 126)
1. ___________________________________________________________________
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2. ___________________________________________________________________
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3. ___________________________________________________________________
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4. ___________________________________________________________________
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5. ___________________________________________________________________
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ECONOMIC INEQUALITY AND ITS CAUSES

Define economic inequality _________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________.
One cause of economic inequality is the difference in WEALTH - _____________________
_________________________________________________________________________.
In most countries, the law says that when a person dies their wealth can be passed on to
others as set out in their WILL - ________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________.
This means wealth can be passed down from one generation to another. Inheriting wealth is
one of the factors that contribute to economic equality.
2

REASONS FOR DIFFERENCES IN INCOME

The main reason for economic inequality is the big difference in wages and salaries that
people earn. Differences in level of income cause economic inequality.

REASONS FOR
DIFFERENCES IN INCOME

CAUSES OF SOCIAL INEQUALITY

Social inequality refers to certain groups of people who do not have equal social status,
social class and access to resources. This results in discrimination and restricting
peoples opportunities and rights.

CAUSES OF SOCIAL INEQUALITY

INEQUALITY IN SOUTH AFRICA

South Africa is a country where there are high levels of social and economic inequality.
One example of socio-economic inequality
in South Africa is the level of poverty among
the different race groups.

Poverty and unemployment are more common

among black families in South Africa.

INEQUALITY IN SOUTH AFRICA

Apartheid was enforced to give white people

in South Africa control over the economic
resources of the country.

The high levels of socio-economic inequality

in South Africa are mostly the result of a
policy called Apartheid, which was
introduced as a law in South Africa in 1948.

Apartheid resulted in many laws and

practices that discriminated against people
on the basis of their skin colour.

Example
Even within the same city (Cape Town) there are huge socio-economic gaps in the standard
of living.
Inside Cape Towns city centre people live and shop in luxury. There is good infrastructure
(
) and many economic and social resources.
Outside Cape Town, people live in poverty. There is inadequate infrastructure and people
do not have access to economic and social resources.

WHAT WAS APARTHEID?

The word Apartheid comes from the Afrikaans word for apartness.
A system of discrimination in which black people in South Africa were unfairly treated and
prevented from taking part in the economic life of the country.
Under the Apartheid system, black schools had very little educational material and few
resources. Other Apartheid laws prevented social contact between races, separate schools,
buses, beaches, park benches and entrances to certain buildings for white and black people.
Laws controlled who was allowed to do certain jobs and prevented black individuals from
choosing how they wanted to earn a living while protecting the best well-paid jobs for white
people.
EDUCATION AND SKILLS TO FIGHT INEQUALITY AND INJUSTICE
People created their lives and their futures form the resources that are available to them.
Millions of South Africans do not have enough resources because of the past imbalances of
Apartheid. They have no land, no wealth and very poor education and training.
THE POVERTY TRAP
Good education provides access to good jobs enables career growth.
Poor education

No Money

No Work

No Education
No Skills
5

EDUCATION AND SKILLS TRAINING

URBAN AND RURAL CHALLENGES

Define urban area __________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Examples:

Define rural area ___________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________
Examples:

SOCIO-ECONOMIC CHALLENGES IN URBAN AREAS

There are many social and economic challenges presented by life in urban areas.

SOCIO-ECONOMIC CHALLENGES IN
URBAN AREAS

SOCIO-ECONOMIC CHALLENGES IN RURAL AREAS

There are many social and economic challenges in rural areas.

SOCIO-ECONOMIC CHALLENGES IN
RURAL AREAS

CREATING SUSTAINABLE JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Long term unemployment is a problem for many people in South Africa. There are too many
people and too few jobs. Unemployment rates in South Africa are generally higher among
women, young people, disable people and those without education and training.
There are a number of different strategies that can be followed to create sustainable job
opportunities.

CREATING SUSTAINABLE JOB OPPORTUNITIES