Equality

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Principle of Equality

Pursuing equality is a key goal of socialism. Equality for socialists is equally distributing wealth and income in society.

Socialists support equality

Socialists argue in favour of social equality because:
- Social equality ensures fairness.
- Social equality reinforces the ideas of collectivism.
- Social equality ensures that basic human needs are satisfied.
Social equality can benefit all individuals in society by increasing the life expectancy, happiness levels, reducing poverty and crime.
Kate Pickett and Richard Wilkinson (2010 ‘The Spirit Level: Why Equality is Better for Everyone’) argued that societies with high inequality will experience lower living standards than those with less inequality.

Fairness

Socialists argue for social equality because it ensures fairness.
Inequality is the result of the structural inequalities within a capitalist society instead of a difference in people’s ability.
Socialists believe that people are born with the ability to be equal.

Collectivism

Socialists argue that social equality reinforces the ideas of collectivism and co-operation within society because humans are more likely to work for a common economic good and exist peacefully if they have similar social and economic conditions.
- Socialists believe that social inequality encourages conflict between those in society.

Human needs

Equality ensures that basic human needs are satisfied through an equal distribution of wealth.
Basic human needs cannot be achieved through a free-market economy where industry is driven by profit and so not able to fairly allocate wealth to all of society.
From a socialist perspective, only the state and its ability to redistribute wealth will ensure everyone is able to have their basic needs satisfied.

Debates About the Nature of Equality

An important debate within socialism is the extent to which equality socially and economically can and should be achieved. There are four arguments: absolute equality, equality of opportunity, outcome and welfare.

Revolutionary socialists

Revolutionary socialists believe there should be complete equality for all in society both in material benefits and opportunities in life.
Revolutionary socialists believe equality can only be achieved through the state controlling how goods and services are distributed, removing private property and having common ownership of all means of production.

Equality of outcome

Equality of outcome is when rewards are dependent on the contribution of an individual. Whilst some inequality will exist, the inequality won't be as significant as in a free market system.
- Fundamentalist socialists support equality of outcome as a means of removing the influence of the free market but other socialists such as Third Way and social democrats see this as artificial social and economic ‘levelling’.

Absolute equality

Absolute equality is the idea that all in society should gain the exact same rewards as long as they contribute to society. Each individual over time should make broadly the same level of contribution.
- Marxists support this approach but social democrats and Third Way socialists see this form of equality as impractical to achieve.

Equality of welfare

Equality of welfare is the idea that while society will inevitably be unequal, all individuals have the right to equal minimum living standards and welfare provision which are provided by the state.
- Social democrats and Third Way socialists support this approach towards equality because it looks after the poorest in society, but Marxists reject it because it does not aim to remove capitalism.

Equality of opportunity

Equality of opportunity is the idea that everyone in society should be given an equal chance to make the most of their ability.
Equality of opportunity is a system where everyone has the same opportunities with no barriers to prevent people progressing who work hard and have an ability.
- Social democrats and Third Way socialists support this approach to equality but Marxists oppose it because it does not aim to remove capitalism.