The inequity in the
distribution of wealth in Australia is
yet another indicator of Australia's lack of egalitarianism. In
1995, 20% of the Australian population owned
72.2% of Australia's wealth with the top 50% owning 92.1% (Raskall,
1998: 287). Such a significant skew in the distribution of wealth
indicates that, at least in terms
of economics, there is an established class system in Australia.
McGregor (1988) argues that Australian
society can be categorised into
three levels: the Upper, Middle and Working classes. In addition,
it has been shown that most Australians
continue to remain in the class
into which they were born (McGregor,
1988: 156) despite arguments about the ease of social mobility in
Australian society (Fitzpatrick, 1994). The issue of class and its
inherent inequity, however, is further
compounded by factors such as race and gender within and
across these class divisions.
|
Because only a few people have
most of the money and power in Australia, I conclude
that it is not an equal society.
Society has an Upper, Middle and
Lower class and I think that most
people when they are born into one
class, end up staying in that class
for their whole lives. When all three classes are
looked at more closely, other things such as the differences
between the sexes and people's racial backgrounds also add
to the unequal nature of Australian society.
|
