Economic equality matters

Compelling evidence shows that economic inequality within societies damages the social fabric and quality of life for citizens.

"Inequality corrodes societies. It is the root cause of so many societal ills - crime, violence, teenage pregnancies, drug abuse, infant mortality. Generally, life is better in more equal societies than in unequal ones. People in more equal societies live longer, a smaller proportion of children die in infancy and self-rated health is better," Prof Wilkinson said.

He said that this is confirmed by research done in a number of rich countries which shows that people in the most unequal Western societies of the United States, United Kingdom and Portugal on average live shorter than citizens of the more equal countries of Japan, Sweden, Norway and Finland.

Further, Prof Wilkinson said, inequality impacts negatively on child well-being and performance in class. "The research shows that scores in Maths and reading are related to inequality. In addition, the percentage of children dropping out of high school in each of the 50 states of the USA is, as research shows, also linked to inequality," he said.

Prof Wilkinson made a link between inequality and climate change. "Inequality fuels status competition, individualism and consumerism. It makes it harder to gain public support for policies to reduce global warming," he said.

(Press Release by the Diakonia Council of Churches and used by permission.Visit them at www.diakonia.org.za.)