Question

In what sense are the explanations for inequality of opportunity in American society analogous to the reasons why people win or lose at musical chairs? Indicate how, just like in the classic children's game, being successful in our society is the result of both individual and sociological factors

Answer 1

It can be seen that both sociological and individual factors are equally responsible for the inequality of opportunity. Let us first discuss the sociological factor. It can be seen that family background in the form of legacy is one factor which provides inequality in opportunity. For example, an individual whose family has a long and successful legacy in running a successful business never runs out of wealth as he is given easy and direct access to opportunity due to his family status. As far as the individual factor is considered there are many. In the United States, we can see that not all children are given equal levels of education. Some can have an education in good schools, while some completely are prevented from having an education. Similar is the case with gender, race, etc associated with an individual. Some companies would give opportunity only to one of the two genders and not both. Similarly, different races are given different levels of opportunities which is also one highlighting inequality in opportunity.