What extent is it accurate to claim that Australians

Australians be committed to a fair go and that they lead to a companyless society? Since Australia opened its doors to the rest of the world it has been widely regarded as a add of golden opportunity easy endowed in resources with a sm all population it appe atomic number 18d to be an avoidance from the rigid aristocratic ruling of European nations (Furze, 2008 349). For such(prenominal) a long time many Australians mother been reluctant to recognize that social word formes do in fact represent indoors our society and that these sectionalizationes preserve inequality.To claim that all Australians are committed to a fair go would be ignorant, and I w disadvantageously explore in this discussion the barriers that prohibit Australians from being equal. I will begin by providing an understanding of class constructs and stratification, I will then go on to noblelight the Inequalities Inherent in different spheres of Australian society and how these Inequalities are products of a class hierarchy. I have chosen to concentrate on wellness care education and the legal system for these are resources that all citizens should have equal retrieve to.Class is a operative force in all societies, understanding class is critical if we are to see how groups of people within our society have different experiences. Social stratification refers to the way society is organized within hierarchical layers (Furze, 2008320). It is impossible to live in Australia without coming to realize that these different social classes are employed in deferent types of Jobs, live in different suburbs, attend different schools, receive different incomes and experience crucial differences in privilege and inequality (McGregor, 1997 2).As we begin to investigate how social, lattice and stinting resources are distributed the disparities between groups becomes apparent- the record of stratification creates a systematic and enduring pattern of Inequality. (Habits & Walter, 20092) The Ine qualities that arise from class differences are largely ground on constraints to access of resources one of these resources is healthcare. It is evident that health disparities within Australia are linked to different income groups.Lifestyle factors attributed to ill health such as poor diets, drugs and alcohol are most prominent in minor income groups and minorities such as the Indigenous. These groups are socially disadvantaged and therefore have limited access to resources such as housing, health information and education. For these reasons, studies have found that pregnant aboriginal women are at a high risk of birthing underweight babies- contributing to a higher infant mortality rate, high place of morbidity with 20 years less life expectancy than non Indigenous Australians and higher rates of alcohol abuse and self harm (Furze, 2008 314).Health risks are not just limited to minority groups until now, gloomy collar workers also experience significant occupation related Is sues mining and Intensive Barbour as well as exposure to toxic substances Is likely to cause subsequent Illness. Contested due to its inaccessibility. The Federal, State and grease governments share the responsibility of overtly funded healthcare and also provide Medicare- a healthcare system that all wage earners pay a levy toward. Recently however, there has been a growth in mystic health care investment illustrated by a rise in private hospital beds from 24439 in 2003 to 26988 in 2006 (Furze, 2008317).Citizens are being encouraged to take out private health care for break in and quicker treatment, forever, this causes an ethical debate as public waiting lists are profoundly long and still private health care is unaffordable by many. It is evident then, that class placement determines opportunity and creates barriers to achieving equal access to healthcare. Another sphere of Australian society divided by class stratification is education and schooling. In many ways education and knowledge are the keys to a prosperous and successful life however it is not possible for everyone to access this valuable resource (Habits and Walter, 2009149).The shift of government funding room public schools to private schools means that a childs class background easily distorts their educational path. As private schools began to emerge, amphetamine class parents would send their children to private school due to the preferred prestige and elite spatial relation they were associated with. much recently however, the decision to enroll children in private educational institutions reflects the decline the educational quality provided by public schools.The government have turned to economic rationalism where their focus is no longer on committing to maximise general elf through with(predicate) the development of public resources but by operating on economic efficiency (Furze,2008255). For this reason, private schools have been advantaged and public schools left behind. What is most significant about this change is that it generates socioeconomic inequality parents with busteder incomes cannot afford to send their children to private school and this subsequently reproduces the stratification system.Socioeconomic status has win implications within the education system this is particularly evident within the low socioeconomic groups and indigenous community. teaching attrition rates for these groups are as low as 14. 5% this is significantly low compared to a 76. 4% obtained by higher socioeconomic groups (Furze, 2008252). Students are sorted by ability and performance indicators through standardized testing these tests routinely consign Aboriginals to a hard competition for Jobs, income and social mobility (Furze, 2008261).Aboriginal children concentrated in rural areas suffer inequitable access to education, particularly as schools in remote areas have low achievement levels and staffing problems. In 2004 only 39. 5% of Aboriginals progressed to yea r 12 whilst 6. 8% of non indigenous students did (Furze, 2008 263). Social inequalities and class implications are reproduced academically as wealthy schools continue to be subsidized and children of lower socioeconomic status remain disadvantaged.Substantial evidence of class related inequality also exists within the political sphere, lower socioeconomic groups and minorities possess limitations to accessing and actively participating in this sphere in comparison to upper class citizens who are able to actively participate. Great controversy surrounds the overrepresented of Indigenous and lower class citizens in Australia discriminatory attitudes are prevalent toward these groups due to their higher rates of unemployment.Low levels disenfranchisement and a lack of knowledge (McGregor, 1997 76) Relative poverty, poor health standards and a lack of educational and social opportunities have underpinned greater Aboriginal representation amongst criminal offenders. Aborigines, it is sai d, kick in up one per cent of the general population, but nearly 30 per cent of prison in mates, (Wolcott & Dowse, 2004 253). This statement is echoed by statements of the Australian Law Reform Commission which claims the Aborigines re 29 times much likely to be imprisoned that non Aborigines. Wolcott & Dowse, 2004 256) As laws of a society are connected with the dominant ethnical attitudes of society, it seems the inherent bias of Australian Judicial system is ethnocentric. The ALARM have also alluded to the, many instances that exist when Aboriginals have been imprisoned, fined or otherwise sentenced without having understood their rights, (Wolcott & Dowse, 2004 259). This can be attributed again to the lack of education obtainable to this community and the lack of access to legal aid due to financial constraints.For Australia to be committed to a fair go all citizens should possess the same standard of access and equity in the legal system, however, the implications of class i nequality prevent this from occurring. We can be certain that class divisions do exist in Australian society, and that these divisions limit ones entitlement to a fair go. Myths of equality aside, the evidence is quite clear that in Australia, as in every other capitalist system, success depends very strongly on ones socioeconomic status (Hillier, 1981 214) it plays a pivotal role in determining access to political, social and economic resources .