Report on Egalitarianism, Inequality, and New Zealand's Society

This report examines the state of egalitarianism in New Zealand, arguing that it is not an egalitarian society due to significant income disparities and housing affordability issues. The report references the OECD data and the Gini coefficient to demonstrate the income inequality between high and low-income earners. It also highlights the impact of rising house prices on the ability of people to own homes, especially middle- and low-income earners, affecting their identity and contributing to a generation of renters. The report concludes that housing affordability is a key factor in societal inequality and recommends governmental policies to address it. The document is a student assignment available on Desklib, providing insights into economic and social issues in New Zealand.

Running head: IS NEW ZEALAND AN EGALITARIAN SOCIETY? 1
IS NEW ZEALAND AN EGALITARIAN SOCIETY?
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IS NEW ZEALAND AN EGALITARIAN SOCIETY? 2
Presently, New Zealand is not an egalitarian society. An egalitarian society is one where
there are no social divisions and everyone has access to equal opportunities. Based on this
definition, the increasing gap between the rich and the poor makes equality a fallacy in this
country. The inequality is revealed by the difference in income received by the rich and the poor.
According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD),
the ratio that indicates the difference between high income and low income (P80/P20) was
approximately 3 in 2015. This indicates that there is a gap between the high and low-income
earners. Additionally, the Gini coefficient which measures the level of inequality was at 0.3 in
2014. This inequality is reflected in education, health and housing sectors ("Income
inequality(Indicator)", 2017). For example, low-income earners cannot afford to own homes and
access quality education while high-income earners enjoy quality education and are
homeowners.
Housing affordability also proves that the country is not egalitarian. Due to rising house
prices, most people are unable to own homes especially the middle and income earners. Based on
the article, ‘Does housing affordability really matter?’, Kiwi’s place a lot of value on home
ownership (Eaqub & Eaqub, 2015). The inability to afford homes has affected their identity and
made some to relocate to other countries. Moreover, it has created a generation of renters.
In conclusion, the housing affordability in this country really matters since it affects the
cultural norms of the society. Furthermore, the housing unaffordability is among the factors that

IS NEW ZEALAND AN EGALITARIAN SOCIETY? 3
have contributed to inequality. Finally, the government needs to create policies that reduce house
prices and inequality.
References
Eaqub, S., & Eaqub, S. (2015). Generation rent (pp. 66-90). Wellington, New Zealand.
Income inequality(Indicator). (2017). theOECD. Retrieved 2 October 2017, from
https://data.oecd.org/inequality/income-inequality.htm