BharatNotes Inequality
noun (countable and uncountable; plural: inequalities)Usage in a UPSC answer
Persistent inequality in access to quality education and healthcare entrenches intergenerational poverty, hollowing out the constitutional promise of equality of opportunity enshrined in the Directive Principles.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word Family
inequitable (adj), inequitably (adv), unequal (adj), inequalities (n pl), inequality (n)
Root
Latin in- = not; aequālitās = equality; aequālis = equal; via Old French inequalite
Etymology
From Middle English, from Old French inequalite, from Latin inaequālitās, from in- ("not") + aequālitās ("equality"), from aequālis ("equal").
Memory Hook
IN- (not) + EQUAL + -ITY: literally the state of being "not equal" — picture an uneven see-saw where one side ("in") stays grounded while the other floats up.
How This Word Works in UPSC Writing
The uneven distribution of income, wealth, opportunity or status. Three distinctions structure any answer on it. Inequality of outcome concerns where people end up, while inequality of opportunity concerns the chances they begin with, and the second is the one the Constitution addresses most directly. Vertical inequality lies between individuals, whereas horizontal inequality lies between identity groups defined by caste, religion or region, and horizontal inequality is the more politically combustible because disadvantage then maps onto identity and becomes a claim. And wealth inequality is invariably far sharper than income inequality, because wealth accumulates, earns a return and is inherited, so a society can have moderate income dispersion and extreme concentration of assets. A measurement caution belongs in Indian answers, since consumption surveys capture the top of the distribution poorly, so expenditure data systematically understates the true extent of concentration.
Don’t Confuse It With
Inequality is uneven distribution while poverty is deprivation below a threshold, so poverty can fall even as inequality widens, and the two require different measures and different policies. Inequality of outcome concerns results and inequality of opportunity starting chances. Vertical inequality is between individuals and horizontal inequality between identity groups. The Gini coefficient compresses a whole distribution into a single number between zero and one, which is its convenience and also its limitation, since very different distributions can share a Gini value.
Hindi Meaning
असमानता (asamāntā); गरीबी (garībī) for poverty.
Common Questions
- Can poverty fall while inequality rises?
- Yes. Poverty measures deprivation against a threshold while inequality measures dispersion, so incomes at the bottom can cross the line even as the gap to the top widens.
- What is horizontal inequality?
- Inequality between identity groups such as castes, religions or regions, as distinct from vertical inequality between individuals; it is politically more volatile because disadvantage aligns with identity.
Seen in UPSC Question Papers
- Mains 2021 · GS2 · 10 marks — Governance
- Mains 2020 · GS4 · 10 marks — Ethics and Human Interface
Real UPSC previous-year questions whose text uses “Inequality” — proof this word earns its place on your list.
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