Throughout history, the earliest evidence for social inequality came from southern Mesopotamia and southern Egypt as they were the first civilizations. Evidence has been found in graves. Individuals with wealthier graves were bigger and have precious items buried along, and also seem to be buried separately from the others. This suggests that their society began to have different levels of status.

After thousands of years, the world still faces inequality; although it’s different from the inequality of the ancient world, they are similar in many ways.

Today, financial inequality is prevalent. Over the past 50 years, the top 1 percent of American earners have nearly doubled their income. However, Americans in poverty remained around the same amount of income. Financial inequality also ties closely with racial and gender inequality. Woman-dominated positions occupy the lower end of the U.S. wage ladder. Women make up 63 percent of workers who are paid the federal minimum wage (in many states, $7.25). On the other hand, women only represent 5 percent of CEOs at Fortune 500 firms.

Racial inequality has also been on the ground of America since the start of slavery. Even though African Americans have freedom, many people still remain with the thought of “White is higher than African,” which then leads to racial inequality. The median African American family owns just 2 percent of the median white family ($147,000); similarly, the median Latino family owns just 4 percent of the wealth that the median white family holds.

As these statistics show, financial inequality in America is a dire situation. People were all made equally and should be treated equally, but unfortunately, the systemic issues in America don’t allow that to be true. The gap between low income and high income is increasing still too. Unfortunately, this is also impacting the “middle class,” which is a problem because it’s these people who drive the economy. In the end, these distinct separations will lead to the demise of the United States empire. If the issue is not fixed, we all be witness to rebellions that will be seen in history textbooks for ages to come.

<Helen Fu Sage Hill School 9th Grade>