Income inequality

Shane Smith

Background/History of Income Inequality• What is income inequality?• The extent to which income is distributed

in an uneven manner among the population.

• History shows that if there a society has a currency, income inequality is a problem.

Video clip• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slanahLcIHY

Statistics about income inequality• Today the average male worker is making

783$ less than he did 42 years ago (after adjusting for inflation.)

• The typical female worker is making 1337$ less than she did 42 years ago (after adjusting for inflation.)

• The United States childhood poverty rate is currently ranked 36 out of the 41st wealthiest countries in the world, with a poverty rate of 22.2% of children living under the poverty line.

• Over the past two years the wealthiest 15 Americans have seen their wealth increase over 170 billion dollars.

Statistics continued• That increase (170 billion dollars) is more than

the bottom 40% of Americans own combined.• This 170 billion dollars is double what the

country spends on nutrition programs that feed 40 million people.

• In the last 10 years the average middle class family income has went from 130,000$ to 81,000$.

• The bottom 90% of the nation wealth owns 23% of the nations wealth.

Bill Gates Net Worth: 79.3 Billion

Koch Brothers Net worth: 85.8 Billion combined

Why did I choose this topic?• Social work is a field that deals with

everyday people. This is a problem that affects the average person.

• One thing I can do to help solve this problem is increase awareness for this issue. Not enough people are aware of this issue.

What has been done to combat Income Inequality?• Local levels: Companies/local businesses create

job opportunities.• State levels – Bills are being mentioned that

would offer tax breaks to companies that pay fairly based on CEO-median worker income differentials. States have also raised minimum wage.

• National level – I feel like nothing has been done. Somethings I think they should do: raise minimum wage, set up universal Pre-K, and fix the tax system to benefit the middle class more.

Organizations fighting against income inequality.• Other 98 Percent: A website that posts

articles of social injustices against the average American.

• Mind the Gap: Provides information on the wealth gap and offers a blog that one can post in.

• Common Security Club – Provides a chance for one to find a local group. These groups then meet to discuss financial security.

What can be done here at Radford University?• Raise awareness• Learn about political candidates and vote.• Million Student March on November the 12th.

Students around the United States are marching to demand free tuition, cancellation of student debt, and a minimum wage of 15$ per hour for campus workers.

Sources• http://studentmarch.org/• http://inequality.org/organizations/• http://fortune.com/2014/10/31/inequality-wealth-i

ncome-us/

• http://www.forbes.com/billionaires/• https://berniesanders.com/