RELATED PROJECT
RELATED ISSUE
Where do young people come down on questions of faith, values, and public life? How do they relate their values to public policy issues including education, economic inequality, and the environment? These questions, critically important for the 2012 election, are at the center of a campus conversation being organized by the Berkley Center and Georgetown University. This blog features an ongoing conversation about these issues between students selected as Millennial Values Fellows through a national competition. You can read and comment on their blogs here.To learn more about the project, visit the Campus Conversation on Values page.
OTHER POSTS
Millennials on Social Media and Politics
November 15, 2012
Millennials on Social Issues and Diversity
November 12, 2012
Hira Baig (Rice) on Why the Presidential Election Matters to Millennials
November 7, 2012
Millennials on Religion and Interfaith Work
November 7, 2012
Ryan Price (Drake) on E Pluribus Duo
November 6, 2012
Mohammad Usman (DePauw) on Unpredictable Millennials
November 5, 2012
Millennials on Affirmative Action Policy
November 3, 2012
Seth Warner (Vassar) on What Happens as the "God Gap" Widens
November 2, 2012
Josina De Raadt (Dordt) on How Social Media Is Like Wii Bowling
October 31, 2012
Zachary Yentzer (Arizona State) on the Next Greatest Generation
October 29, 2012
Brice Ezell (George Fox) on Post-Racial America? Race, Millennials, and the 2012 Election
October 25, 2012
Tyler Bishop (Vanderbilt) on a Future of Hashtags #whatitmeansforus
October 23, 2012
Brice Ezell (George Fox) on How the People Can Heal a “Divided,” Partisan Nation
October 4, 2012
Hira Baig (Rice) on Religion and American Democracy
October 4, 2012
Tyler Bishop (Vanderbilt) on How It’s All About Relatability: Voter Turnout
October 3, 2012
Josina De Raadt (Dordt) on Mistaking Politics for a Hollywood Blockbuster
October 2, 2012
Mohammad Usman (DePauw) on the Internet Solution
October 1, 2012
>> more
AT THE CENTER
EVENTS (22)
PUBLICATIONS (20)
INTERVIEWS (111)
A Discussion with Wendy Tyndale about Gender Roles, Peace, and Conflict in Central America
April 1, 2010
April 1, 2010
LETTERS (33)
POSTS (13)
RELATED RESOURCES: GENDER
Religion Counts: The Rome Statement on the International Conference on Population and Development
Publication
Publication
Fahmi Quadir (Harvey Mudd College) on Economic Inequality
March 22, 2012
Economic inequality is not the single greatest problem in America today. The disparities that exist arise from a spectrum of forces that concretize socioeconomic class. The steady transformation of the US from a capitalistic democracy to a class-based system where democratic ideals are spurned threatens the legitimacy of the American dream. Neglect of American foundational values of social mobility and the freedom of opportunity—this is the real problem. Defining economic inequality as the primary culprit is to trivialize inequality to one dimension.
Consider two sources of disparity: income and healthcare. If poor accessibility to resources and the subsequently diminishing rate of social mobility are the progenitors of disparity, then we must understand 1) why poor accessibility exists, 2) how reduced opportunity causes disparity, and 3) how inequality perpetuates.
In the case of income inequality, poor accessibility to higher-income jobs may result from gender bias. In the sciences, there are very few women holding tenure-track professorships. Young girls are discouraged from entering these fields because of inefficient methods of teaching science. Social construction of gendered careers has prevented women from becoming mobile in their professions. As few women science professors exist, there is little pressure for institutions to bridge the gender gap. Consequently, women are not able to pursue their research as diligently as men, perpetuating the restricted female contribution to scientific discovery.
Regarding healthcare inequality, poor accessibility may result from citizenship inequality. An individual that is considered an illegal alien will likely not have access to private insurance. Medicare does not generally cover such individuals. Though hospitals subsidize costs for the uninsured, subsidies do not cover prevention—the primary mode of reducing lifetime healthcare costs. Therefore, unnaturalized immigrants are more likely to require hospital care. Here, inequality in both economy and wellbeing are established.
Though these are pointed examples, they speak to the wider problem of socioeconomic immobility in the US. My parents, as I’m sure many of yours, came to the US with the hope of boundless opportunity for their children. We have fallen short of their expectations, of our responsibility to uphold the American dream. Our negligence of foundational values has created a chasm, spanning across all aspects of our lives, from our careers to our healthcare. As we move forward, we must consider the disparities in American life as a dynamic spectrum so we may find multidisciplinary solutions to restore opportunity and democracy in our America.
In the case of income inequality, poor accessibility to higher-income jobs may result from gender bias. In the sciences, there are very few women holding tenure-track professorships. Young girls are discouraged from entering these fields because of inefficient methods of teaching science. Social construction of gendered careers has prevented women from becoming mobile in their professions. As few women science professors exist, there is little pressure for institutions to bridge the gender gap. Consequently, women are not able to pursue their research as diligently as men, perpetuating the restricted female contribution to scientific discovery.
Regarding healthcare inequality, poor accessibility may result from citizenship inequality. An individual that is considered an illegal alien will likely not have access to private insurance. Medicare does not generally cover such individuals. Though hospitals subsidize costs for the uninsured, subsidies do not cover prevention—the primary mode of reducing lifetime healthcare costs. Therefore, unnaturalized immigrants are more likely to require hospital care. Here, inequality in both economy and wellbeing are established.
Though these are pointed examples, they speak to the wider problem of socioeconomic immobility in the US. My parents, as I’m sure many of yours, came to the US with the hope of boundless opportunity for their children. We have fallen short of their expectations, of our responsibility to uphold the American dream. Our negligence of foundational values has created a chasm, spanning across all aspects of our lives, from our careers to our healthcare. As we move forward, we must consider the disparities in American life as a dynamic spectrum so we may find multidisciplinary solutions to restore opportunity and democracy in our America.
Shalini Allam (Rollins College) on Fahmi Quadir – March 27, 2012
My parents came to America looking for opportunities. In Jamaica my mom, a white woman, often had to deal with racism because she wasn't black. America is supposed to be a place of equal opportunities with a "melting pot" of cultures. Yet, we have continue to have inequality based on gender, citizenship, and economic status. Having such inequality not only seems hypocritical to what America stands for, but leads to problems such as economic inequality. I think our country is old enough and mature enough to move past such matters, but yet they still exist.