Social Sciences Essay: COVID-19 and Inequalities

COVID-19 and Inequalities
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COVID-19 and Inequalities
The spread of COVID-19 across the world appears to intensify economic inequality from the perspective of employment. Societies that have been hit by the virus have experienced deepening economic effects of inequality due to a widening gap between the haves and the have-nots. For instance, during the initial days of the outbreak, cities such as Barcelona and Paris witnessed the rich move out of urban areas (Sen, 2020). Such access to different locations may not be an alternative for low-income families. Residents displaced by gentrification lack such mobility and are highly likely to contract COVID-19, thus worsening their already uncertain conditions. Looking at the context of work and working conditions, the pandemic has exacerbated the existing inequalities due to the increased gap between the rich and the poor in terms of jobs and exposure to the virus.
Regarding jobs, the pandemic has exacerbated inequality between workers and employers. Lockdown policies that many governments have enacted to reduce the spread of the virus have particularly affected the low-income families in most economies (Wilson, 2020). Many of these employees rely on a daily wage and casual work. Their inability to travel to workplaces has resulted in significant loss of earnings that has greatly put their future livelihoods at risk. An example is a street vendor selling vegetables in an area hit by the pandemic. With the stay-at-home orders issued by the government, the vendor suddenly went out of a living. Besides, the pandemic has limited the earnings for the professionals who can work from home.
To some extent, millions of workers have been laid off or forced to work remotely to comply with lockdowns and social distancing rules. These protocols have strengthened gaps in technology and internet access. For instance, almost 50% of Indians do not have access to the internet (Wilson, 2020). The percentage is higher in many African countries. For these people, remote working is a fantasy. In this case, COVID-19 has exacerbated the gap because the pandemic has forced every worker to operate remotely, but low-income workers have found it difficult to work remotely due to problems in technology and internet access.
In terms of exposure to the virus, marginalized groups in many countries are at higher risk of being exposed because they are overrepresented in frontline work and essential jobs. Despite the rallying cry ‘‘we are all in ...