Justice within a society, in terms of wealth distribution, privileges, and equal opportunities is known as social justice. On the other hand, social injustice is the way in which unjust actions occur in society. Equals are treated unequally and the unequal is treated equally. It can occur nationally, among classes, locally, as well as internationally.

Types of Social Injustice

Some of the types of social injustice are as follows:

Economic

Economic injustice is the unequal dispensation of opportunities and earnings between groups of people in a society. There are mainly three types of economic injustice.

1. Income: The unjust distribution of complete monetary amount received from employment including salaries, wages, and stipends.
2. Pay: The unjust distribution of pay among one or multiple organizations.
3. Wealth: The unjust distribution of total amounts of possessions of an individual or a household.

Discrimination:

Making distinctions towards a person regarding the group, category or class they belong to is discrimination. Learning about social injustice through discrimination is important. If one receives unequal opportunities because of discrimination against some factors including but not limited to their age, gender, color, disability, race, sexual orientation, then it is one form of social injustice. Following is the explanation of some of these factors:

Religion

If a person or a group of people is treated differently because of the religion they follow or the particular beliefs they have, then it is called religious discrimination. When they are treated unequally because of it then it comes under social injustice. Typically, minorities suffer the most because of it. Concerns have been raised by minorities about religious discrimination against them, even in societies that practice freedom of religion.

Age

Age discrimination, especially in the workplace is when a person’s age becomes a factor for them to get treated unfairly. No new jobs, promotions or benefits are given to them. Sometimes older workers get terminated or offered buyouts and younger ones get hired, that is a clear form of age discrimination. Signs like someone getting assigned to unpleasant duties or not getting raises because of their age is also included.

Gender

Gender inequality occurs when men and women are treated differently based on their gender. Biological, psychological, and cultural norms bring up these differences. It doesn’t mean that women and men can’t differ from each other at all. It simply means that in order to establish gender equality, the rights, opportunities, and responsibilities given to people should not depend on their gender.

Race

The discrimination on the basis of someone’s race is known as racial discrimination. The people who discriminate usually believe that one race is superior to the other. People face injustice because the laws against it are often not legalized. There’s also a term known as racial profiling which is the act of targeting a person based on their race and subjecting them to suspicion instead of considering individual actions and scenarios.

Homophobia

Homophobic people encompass negative behavior, feelings, and attitude towards homosexuality and the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community. Their feelings are usually the result of religious beliefs or irrational fear. Homophobia is one of the factors that result in unethical behavior such as discrimination which eventually leads to social injustice. Justice would be providing homosexuals with the same rights as any other person.

Social injustice can occur through violence, politics, health and educational matters and many more factors.

Ways to Fight Social Injustice

As they say, before you start changing the world, change yourself. Following are a few things that can be done to fight social injustice.

Promote Equality

Promote and fight for equality. Your voice matters so raise it. Diminish all kinds of discrimination. Start with the people around you; treat them equally. Don’t let their gender, race, disabilities, age, color, sexual orientation or any other factor that comes under discrimination affect your decisions. Take rape statistics, as an example. One in five women and one in 71 men become the victim of sexual assault at some point in their lives, that doesn’t make it easier on the other. Remember, every person deserves to be treated equally and justly.

Donate Your Time and Resources

The people or groups who fight for social justice are always in need of donations and volunteers. For some, it’s not always easy to contribute monetarily. You can always donate the stuff you already have and you think that someone can benefit from it. If doing charity is not an option for you, volunteer your time. You can volunteer to work at old age homes or orphanages. By donating a small amount of time of your life, you can bring a big change in someone else’s.

Fight for Rights

Play your part by taking part in fighting for rights. They can be educational, employment, health, sexuality or any other human rights. Connect with local activist groups so that they can help you stay up to date on events, charities, and fundraisers. You can also start your own local group to promote social justice. Try to meet regularly and perform activities such as raising funds or teaching less fortunate kids. This fight will be worth fighting. Remember, everyone deserves to receive equal opportunities and to be treated justly.

• Other things you can do to fight injustice:
• Take a stand for what is right
• Educate yourself on a particular movement
• Set an example for others to follow
• Contact people who have the power to implement changes
• Work on your own habits and beliefs
• Contact the media
• Take action in your community
• Go to a protest or demonstration
• Use the power of social media

Now that you have learned a great deal about social injustice, don’t hesitate. Take a step forward today towards making this world a better place to live.

“We need love, and to ensure love, we need to have full employment, and we need social justice. We need gender equity. We need freedom from hunger. These are our most fundamental needs as social creatures.” – David Suzuki