Essay --

Inequality refers to the differences in living conditions in a society; it could also be defined as an unequal distribution of a country’s resources across its population. Inequality is obviously an important issue, since higher levels of inequality will usually translate into higher levels of poverty, crime and social unrest. However, it is often ignored by society. This is because people have many misconceptions about inequality and it’s origins. Some argue that there is an equality of opportunity and that it’s people’s fault if they earn less than they should. However this is a myth, since most hard working low-income students rarely attend college and when they do, they usually attend public universities. Which leaves them at a great disadvantage, so the idea that poor people are poor because they ‘haven’t worked as hard’ or because they are ‘lazy’ is a very ignorant one, which people choose to believe in ord er to justify inequality. I decided to explore inequality further because it is deeply rooted in Egyptian society; it is one of the few places where you can find luxurious, five-star hotels right next poverty-stricken slums and since the revolution the problem of inequality has been a hot topic in Egyptian society and politics. Egypt’s Gini coefficient, which is the most commonly used measure of income inequality, stands at around 30.7 (World Bank 2009). Inequality is seen as limiting to both Egypt’s potential economic growth and to the desired reduction in poverty. Agricultural economics expert Nadia Belhaj Hassine sums up inequality perfectly in the World Bank review of inequality of opportunity in Egypt: Inequality of outcomes, such as in income or education, reï ¬â€šects differences in effort an... ...reasing trade liberalization. This includes policies such as tarrif reductions, which have lead to expansions of many economic sectors, which in turn have reduced inequality for urban and rural skilled men, as well as for women (gender inequality) and has seen increased employment opportunites for women. However, the success of such policies in reducing inequality had its limitations, as at the same time there has been an increase in inequality for unskilled men and for skilled women in rural areas (Chahir & Zaki 2012). It can be said that such trade liberalization policies are partially responsible for Egypt’s declining income inequality as the expansion of certain sectors has reduced gender inequality and inequality between rural and urban areas, while increasing inequality for men who are unskilled and skilled women in rural areas.