The costs of maintaining the social class system and social exclusion

antrim | worker & community struggles and protests | opinion/analysis Sunday April 30, 2006 23:39 by snobbiness is bad for your health

Northern Ireland one of the poorest areas in the UK, suffering from poverty and social exclusion, with the HIGHEST unemployment and second highest number of Income support claimants in the UK

27% of Northern Irelands workforce have no qualifications the UK average is 19%. Almost a third of the workforce in Northern Ireland have no qualifications.

43.5% of its population are long term unemployed, the national average fro all other areas is 27%

6.4% of long termed unemployed are claiming for 5 years or more

20.9% of working age households have no one in work, source researcher Paddy Hillyard 2003.

'One effect of having a good education is that it moves you up the social ladder', unfortunately half of Northern Ireland's school children are denied a good education, and condemned to endure a substandard second rate secondary education system, after failing the 11+ exam.

Hence one third of the workforce leave school without qualifications.

Additional public costs are incurred to tackle the problem of deprivation and social exclusion brought about by an unfair educational system which discriminates against the poor and working class at school, in order to segregate them from schools attended by the rich, and preserve the exclusivity of a good education for the well off, middle classes and rich.

The Additional costs on the public purse, are, to accomodate prisoners in prisons, the costs of dealing with classroom conflict, such as remedial and exclusion units, social services to deal with the side effects of social class inequality such as low self esteem and deprivation, drug addiction, alcoholism, substance abuse, suicide, crime, and social security payments for poor people too demoralised, and incapacitated by lack of educational and job opportunities.

Costs to the private purse, include the need for security systems, burglar alarms, locks, constant vigilance, the need to protect property and personal items and the human emotional costs, such as fear of violence and restrictions on movement and personal freedom.

It is no solution to cut benefits and services, while maintaining a social system which creates the need for them.

In the US a study of health in Harlem NY, found it had death rates higher than in rural Bangladesh (Mc Cord and Freeman 1990). The US although one of the wealthiest countries in the world, has one of the highest income gaps between the rich and poor.

Brazil one of the most inequal societies, with income differences between the rich and the poor, greater than any other country in the world, has the highest death rate, with 12% death rate in rich areas, adn 90% death rate in poor areas for every 1000 live births.

Sweden and Canada, countries which are more equal, in terms of having a low income gap between the rich and the poor, also have the lowest death and crime rate.

High adolescent suicide rates in Japan were not tackled by identifying those at risk and providing expensive counselling services in every school and college, instead Japan actually changed the education system to reduce the stress on pupils. The changes to the whole educational system were cheaper and more effective than paying for counselling.

Instead of providing expensive counselling for employees in high stress situations, companies found changing the office practises and environment, reduced sickness, absence and increased worker efficiency.