Fundamental and Identity-Based Social Inequalities

Society can be clustered in all sorts of ways, resulting in potentially intersecting, interdependent inequalities between groups. We introduce a distinction between fundamental and identity-based inequalities which we suggest is valuable for better understanding group-based inequalities that unfold on quantifiable resources. In the case of wealth, identity-based inequalities concern differences in wealth between groups defined by their social identities (e.g., race, gender). In contrast, fundamental inequalities concern differences in wealth between all individuals at the top vs. bottom of the wealth distribution. Focusing on pairs of inequalities, we show how a change in one inequality may affect the other, revealing the potential for synergies in reductions of inequalities. We also illustrate how the joint consideration of multiple inequalities may inform research on people’s perceptions of, preferences for, and beliefs related to group-based inequalities. Our empirical illustrations involve desired changes in fundamental and gender inequalities in wealth.